Can the Cricut Cut Leather?

This post and photos may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. If you purchase something through any link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Any supplies used may be given to me free of charge, however, all projects and opinions are my own.

So, can the Cricut cut leather? The answer is yes! Today I am going to share how to cut leather with your Cricut along with some project ideas. Then you can start cutting leather with your Cricut machine for your craft project ideas. Whether you have a Cricut Maker or the Cricut Explore series, your machine can cut leather and make amazing projects as well!

Some links below may be affiliate links which means that you do not pay anymore, however, a small commission will go to support this site.

What type of leather will the Cricut cut?

You can cut a variety of leather types with your Cricut machine. From faux leather to genuine leather to even tooling leather, there is a Cricut machine that will cut each variety. In fact, the Maker can use up to 7 oz leather. However, you will want to keep reading. While the Cricut Maker will cut all types of leather, not all Cricut machines will. We will cover which types of leather to use with what machine below.

Which Cricut blade is used for leather?

The type of blade you use for cutting leather in your Cricut depends on a few factors. What type of leather you have and what machine you are using. Here are a few things to consider:

Fine point blade – faux leather can be cut with the fine point blade with either the Cricut Maker or any of the machines in the Cricut Explore series.
Deep point blade – the Cricut genuine leather should be able to be cut with this blade on either the Cricut Maker or any of the machines in the Cricut Explore series. I do, however, have trouble with this from time to time. I will usually use my Maker and one of the blades below for genuine leather.
Rotary blade – best for soft, garment leathers and can only be used on the Cricut Maker. You can see more about the rotary blade here.
Knife blade – this is my favorite blade for cutting all types of genuine leather on the Cricut Maker. It will even cut really thick tooling leather! This blade opens up so many more options with leather crafts. You can see more about the knife blade here.

So, will the Cricut cut leather? Let’s look at a few tips and tricks so you can cut leather with your Cricut machine. After all, I want you to be successful and make all the leather projects with your machine!

Cutting Leather with Cricut Explore

Did you know that even the Explore series will cut leather? Here are a few tips and tricks for maximum success when cutting both faux and genuine leather with your Cricut machine.

Cutting Faux Leather with the Cricut Explore

Does the Cricut cut faux leather? Yes, it does! I usually use either the green or purple mat for this type of leather. Be sure to place your material face down on the mat to keep the wheels from marring the surface. You can also move star wheels all the way to the right and they will just mark the very edge. Since your material is face down, you will want to make sure to mirror your design. Then pick faux leather from the custom material setting menu. Your machine will cut this with the fine point blade.

Cutting Genuine Leather with the Cricut Explore

The sheets of genuine leather from Cricut are actually thin enough to be cut with your Cricut Explore machine. You will, however, need the deep cut blade to cut this type of leather. I have luck with this method sometimes and other times I can’t get the leather to cut with this blade. A few tips are to make sure the leather is down well on your mat. It is recommended to put it face down on the mat and mirror your cut. You can also put masking tape around the outer edge to help hold down the material. You will also want to move the star wheels all the way to the right before cutting.

Cutting Leather with Cricut Maker

The Cricut Maker is my personal favorite for cutting leather. Read on to see how the Cricut cuts leather of various types.

Cutting Faux Leather with the Cricut Maker

Just follow the same instructions as above with the Cricut Explore series. The process is exactly the same.

Cutting Garment Leather with the Cricut Maker

If you want to use your rotary blade for these softer leathers, you will need to pick heavy denim as your material. Then the machine will ask for the rotary blade. Again, place the leather face down on the mat and mirror your cut. Be sure the leather is down on the mat really well as this leather tends to buckle. I use a new strong grip mat if I have one available. You can also tape around the edges for some extra grip. Be sure to move the star wheels all the way over to the right.

Cutting Cricut Leather on the Cricut Maker

You can use the deep point blade as specified above for the Explore series. I, however, do not have much luck with this. I usually click “edit tools” and pick the knife blade when I am using my Maker machine. All other tips and tricks from above are the same. I would, however, be sure to tape down the edges with masking tape when using the knife blade.

Cutting Other Leather on the Cricut Maker

You may find that with some leather materials will not stick well face down to your mat. For those, you can put them face up on the mat. This will, however, ruin your cutting mat and that can get expensive. You can try adding strong grip transfer tape to the back of your leather then putting it on the strong grip mat. Once you tape down the edges, it shouldn’t go anywhere.

Can the Cricut cut leather that is thick? Yep! You can cut up to 7 oz thickness when cutting leather with your Cricut Maker. You will want to use the knife blade for all of these other leather projects. Again, a strong grip mat should be used and you will want to mirror the cut if you put it face down. Always move the star wheels all the way to the right when the Cricut cuts leather.