Chips
Chipboard
Wood chips pressed with glue. The cheapest of the range, available everywhere, with a flat surface that laminates well.
To be fair: sensitive to moisture, and screws hold less well in it than in MDF.
Composite wood
The Wood Guide · The wood register
The overarching guideEngineered wood
Sawdust, chips and thin veneer layers that used to end up on the waste heap are today the raw material for boards that are more stable than solid wood could ever be.
- Five types of board
- Made from residual wood
- Predictable where wood moves
The definition
In pictures · Engineered wood1 / 4
Chapter 1 · The species
Engineered wood
Sawdust, chips and thin veneer layers that used to end up on the waste heap are today the raw material for boards that are more stable than solid wood could ever be.
Click a chapter or use the arrows.
Wood that has been rebuilt
Composite wood — also called engineered wood — does not consist of a single piece of tree, but of wood particles pressed into boards with a binder.
That sounds like a compromise, but it is a deliberate intervention. Solid wood has properties you do not always want: it moves with changes in moisture, it has knots that make your saw jump, and a wide board in one piece is expensive and rare. Composite wood trades that wilfulness for predictability — the same density throughout, in any size you want.
The four gains
Uniformity — the same quality throughout, no surprises. Stability — far less shrinking and swelling. Use of raw material — made from residual wood and fast-growing species. Size — large boards, in thicknesses from 3 to well over 50 mm.
The process
From wood waste to panel
Sawdust, chips and veneer offcuts used to end up on the waste heap. Today they are raw material.
- Sorting and reducingWood residues are sorted and broken down into the required form: fine fibres for MDF, coarser chips for chipboard, broad flakes for OSB.
- DryingExcess moisture is removed — this partly determines the strength and stability of the finished board.
- Mixing with binderThe particles are mixed with glue or resin. Bio-based glues and recycled fibres are being used more and more.
- PressingUnder high pressure and temperature, a single cohesive panel is formed, with the same density over the whole surface.
Why it does not move like solid wood
Because the grain direction has been eliminated or balanced out. There is no longer a continuous grain that wants to shrink in one direction — so no warping with changing humidity, and no knot to make your saw blade jump.
The family
Five boards, five characters
Each board is made for something different. This is the overview.
Fine fibre
MDF
Fine wood fibres, extremely smooth and dense. Ideal for routing, painting and lacquering — no knots, no grain showing through.
To be fair: moisture is the weak spot; MDF does not belong outdoors.
Dense fibre
HDF
The same fibre as MDF, but pressed more densely: 30 to 40% heavier and up to 50% stronger. The standard core for laminate flooring.
To be fair: large boards are barely manageable even with two people.
Veneer layers
Plywood
Thin veneer layers glued crosswise. Stronger than solid wood of the same thickness, and the layered end grain is a design feature in itself.
To be fair: moisture gets in at the edges — edge finishing is not a detail.
Oriented strands
OSB
Coarse, oriented wood strands. Strong, light and cost-efficient — and with a yield of 80 to 90% from the log, the most economical of all.
To be fair: the rough surface soaks up paint and needs a primer.
The choice
Which board for what?
| If you want this | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A crisp painted front | MDF | So smooth that no grain shows through, and it routes right up to the edge |
| Something that bears load indoors | HDF | Highest density and stability of the fibreboards |
| Strength and visible wood | Plywood | Cross-layered build plus a veneer look |
| Construction: roof, floor, wall | OSB | Structurally strong, light and inexpensive |
| The lowest budget | Chipboard | Cheapest, flat and easy to finish |
| Something that stands outdoors | None of these | Choose solid wood — see the wood register |
What we make with it
Our interior range and the cabinet collection are built from board material, precisely because a cabinet door has to stay dead straight for twenty years. Everything that stands outdoors, we make in solid wood.
Quick answer
Frequently asked questions
What is composite wood?
Board material made by pressing wood particles — fibres, chips or veneer layers — together under pressure with a binder. Chipboard, MDF, HDF, plywood and OSB all belong to it. See also engineered wood.
Is composite wood worse than solid wood?
Not worse, just different. It moves much less with changes in moisture and is more predictable, but it cannot be repaired like solid wood and does not belong outdoors unprotected.
Which board do I choose for what?
MDF for crisp painted work, HDF where it has to bear load, plywood where strength and appearance count together, OSB for construction, chipboard where price is decisive.
What about the glues?
Most boards use synthetic resins; bio-based glues are being used more and more. When buying, check the emission class — E1 is the usual standard for formaldehyde. And always saw with dust extraction and a dust mask.
More in The Wood Guide
Board or solid?
Board material indoors, solid wood outdoors — that is usually the rule of thumb, as simple as that.
Have a question about your project? Just ask — we're happy to help.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Birch plywood: the thin veneer layers visible at the corner — Lutzeputz, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Piece of OSB: large, oriented wood strands pressed together — Elke Wetzig (elya), CC BY-SA 3.0 · MDF board: uniform fine wood fibre with no visible grain — Joern Allmers, Public domain