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Vellum (from the Latin for "wool" or "pelt") is a sort of parchment, a material for the pages of a book or codex, characterized by its thin, smooth, durable properties. Originally, the material was made from pig skin, but modern vellum is usually made out of cotton. The term can also refer to a manuscript or book written on such material.

Vellum was originally a translucent or opaque material produced from calfskin that had been soaked, limed, and scudded (a depilatory process), and then dried at normal temperature under tension, usually on a wooden device called a stretching frame. However, animal vellum can include any material made from calfskin, sheepskin, or virtually any other skin obtained from a relatively small animal, e. drafting supply - Shopzillacom. g. , antelope. Some authorities do not even distinguish between vellum and parchment, although traditionally the former was made from an unsplit calfskin, and consequently had a grain pattern on one side (unless removed by scraping), while the latter was produced from the flesh split of a sheepskin, and consequently had no grain pattern. The important distinction between vellum (or parchment) and leather is that the former is not tanned but is prepared essentially by soaking the skin in lime and drying it under tension.

Most medieval manuscripts, whether illuminated or not, were written on vellum.