What is Plywood?
Plywood is made from thin sheets of wood veneer (called plies or veneers) glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. The layer count is usually an odd number (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 layers, etc.). The outer layers are called face veneers, and the inner layers are called core veneers.
The key characteristic is the cross-laminated structure, which gives plywood excellent bending strength and dimensional stability.
- Concrete Form Plywood — film-faced, water-resistant, reusable 30-50 times
- Marine Plywood — WBP phenolic glue, extremely water-resistant
- Furniture Plywood — B/BB grade or above, suitable for veneer or paint
- Structural Plywood — meets AS/NZS 2269 or EN 636 standards
Fiberboard: MDF vs HDF vs LDF
Fiberboard is an engineered wood product made from wood fibers or other plant fibers, processed through fiber separation, resin blending, mat forming, and hot pressing.
| Type | Density | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) | 650-800 kg/m³ | Smooth surface, ideal for painting and veneering |
| HDF (High Density Fiberboard) | >800 kg/m³ | High hardness, ideal for flooring substrates |
| LDF (Low Density Fiberboard) | <650 kg/m³ | Used mainly for thermal and acoustic insulation |
Particle Board and OSB
Particle board is made from wood chips or other lignocellulosic materials that are chipped, flaked, dried, glued, formed into mats, and hot-pressed into panels.
Types include standard particle board, oriented strand board (OSB), and homogeneous particle board. The common "melamine board" or "lacquer-free board" is usually particle board or MDF laminated with melamine-impregnated paper.
- Standard Particle Board — fine particles randomly arranged, lower strength
- OSB — long strands oriented crosswise, much higher strength
- Melamine-faced Board — ready-to-use decorative finish, no painting required
