What is MDF?
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is an engineered wood product formed from wood fibers obtained from breaking down hardwood and softwood with a defibrator. The wood fibers are then glued together using wax and resin adhesive. They are made into panels by applying high temperature and pressure. The resulting smooth wood product has no wood grain and shares many characteristics with particle board. However, MDF is slightly stronger particle board.
What is Plywood?
Plywood is made from peeler logs. Thin layers are peeled from wood logs by rotating them along their horizontal axis. The sheets of veneer obtained from this process are cut to the desired dimensions, dried, patched, glued together, and then baked in a press at 140 °C (284 °F) and 1.9 MPa (280 psi) to form a plywood panel. Depending on the grade of plywood, it may or may not be smooth and useful for visually pleasing interior wood pieces. Some grades of plywood can be stained and made to look good for kitchen cabinetry.
| MDF | Plywood | |
|---|---|---|
| Constituents | Wood fibers got by breaking down hardwood and softwood residuals are combined using wax and resin and heat pressed | Thin sheets of veneer are glued together |
| Structure | Uniform, smooth and free of knots. | Odd number of layers with grains of adjacent layers at right angles to each other. Face veneers are higher grade than the core veneers. |
| Safety hazards | Use of urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resin which are carcinogenic in very high concentration | Use of urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resin which are carcinogenic in very high concentration |
| Uses | Cabinet construction, crafts, Mouldings/trim, shelving (bookshelf sliding) | Roofs, Walls, Subfloors, Boxes, Packages, Sports equipment, Musical equipment, Playground equipment, High-end loud speakers |
| Description | • Has a smooth, even surface • Easily machined and painted or stained • Available in water and fire-resistant form • Can be machined • Often veneered or painted to improve its appearance | • A very strong board, constructed of layers of veneer or plies, which are glued with the grains at 900 to each other • Interior and exterior grades available • A very durable water and boil proof (WBP) plywood that can be used in extreme con |
