Chipboard

Particleboard is cheaper, denser and more uniform than conventional wood and plywood and is substituted for them when appearance and strength are less important than cost. However, particleboard can be made more attractive by painting or the use of wood veneers that are glued onto surfaces that will be visible. Though it is denser than conventional wood, it is the lightest and weakest type of fibreboard, except for insulation board. Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and hardboard, also called high-density fibreboard, are stronger and denser than particleboard.

A major disadvantage of particleboard is that it is very prone to expansion and discoloration due to moisture, particularly when it is not covered with paint or another sealer. Therefore, it is rarely used outdoors or places that have high levels of moisture, with the exception of some bathrooms, kitchens and laundries, where it is commonly used as an underlayment beneath a continuous sheet of vinyl floor covering. In such an installation the edges must be properly covered upward against the wall and joints and non-covered edges must be properly sealed against moisture penetration. A higher quality material not subject to expansion is underlayment-grade plywood, which is constructed without interior voids in its layers to better resist the high local pressure from objects such as stiletto heels.

Particleboard and other manufactured boards have had a very positive impact on timber resources, stemming almost entirely from the use of recycled materials. Seventy-five percent of particleboard manufactured in Canada and the US is constructed entirely from recycled materials. The remaining twenty-five percent of boards are constructed partially from recycled material and partially from virgin wood. These mixed panels have an average recycled content of sixty-six percent. This is still significantly more resource efficient than solid wood, even when considering that in many cases these panels will be covered with veneer or print.

Europe consumes around 45 million cubic metres of particleboard and MDF every year. If solid wood were used instead of these manufactured boards, an enormous burden would be placed on the environment. It lessens the need for trees to be felled, while at the same time reducing waste.

Particleboards selling point is its price. However, it has several other advantages, one of which is its stability. Solid wood is prone to warping and splitting with changes in humidity, whereas particleboard is not. This stability enables new design possibilities, without having to take into account seasonal variations. Untreated particleboard will disintegrate, however, when exposed to high levels of moisture. This problem is somewhat mitigated by laminating the particle board on both sides with melamine resin or print to reduce moisture ingress.

Solid wood has structural advantages over particleboard. It is stronger, particularly in extension (as required for horizontal spans), allowing it to support greater weights as shelves or other furniture; unless braced or built with thick material, particleboard shelves may visibly sag over time or snap near the fasteners.

Fasteners should be designed specially for particleboard; ordinary screws and nails will not provide the correct holding power over time. Threads may strip, portions of the particleboard may "blow out" when subjected to extension stress. In part this arises from the lack of elasticity in particleboard resins as compared to the long strands and compressible voids contained in solid wood, a feature that while preserved in the manufacture of plywood is compromised in particleboard.

The strength of particleboard, in the context of the application and cost, can offer advantages over solid wood. In cabinet carcase construction, relatively thick particleboard is used (typically ?"). Particularly in the sidewalls of cabinets, where stress owing to support of loaded shelves or appliances is compressive, particleboard can be an excellent choice. In the context of bending strength, which goes mathematically as the third-power of thickness, the greater thickness of particleboard as compared to thinner grades plywood otherwise used for cabinet carcases may provide indeed greater strength for a given content of wood.

Solid wood is more durable than particleboard. Damage to solid wood can be repaired by removing and replacing damaged material then refinishing using known wood treatments that can be matched. Since particleboard is typically faced with by a non-wood veneer, it may be impossible to match the original finish. In addition, damage to particleboard is typified by structural failure and exposure of sizable jagged faults. In short, damage to particleboard is normally very difficult to repair, usually requiring replacement of the damaged particleboard elements.

The reduced durability of particle board furniture is a consequence of reduced strength in extension. This drawback contributes to damage when furniture is moved; if possible, the furniture should be disassembled to eliminate the possibility of damage in transit.

Most people consider solid wood furniture to be more attractive than particleboard. Recognizing this, furniture makers often cover particle board with real or imitation veneers or print, in an effort to simulate the look of solid wood.

Particle board, or particleboard, (or chipboard in the UK and some other countries) is an engineered wood product manufactured from wood particles, such as wood chips, sawmill shavings, or even saw dust, and a synthetic resin or other suitable binder, which is pressed and extruded. Particleboard is a type of fibreboard, a composite material, but it is made up of larger pieces of wood than medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and hardboard (typically MASONITE).