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Hardboard, Non Tempered
- Made from compressed wood fibers
- Smooth surface, tan to brown in color
- Stiff, relative hard
- Low priced
- Finishes poorly, silk-screens poorly
- Machines fair, edges are fuzzy
- Good availability, 1/8" and 1/4"
- Use for backers and in areas where it isn't seen, i.e.; drawer bottoms
Hardboard, Tempered
- Made from compressed wood fibers
- Smooth surface, tan to brown in color
- Stiff, hard
- Slightly higher price than non-tempered
- Finishes well, silk-screens very well
- Machines well, crisp edges
- Good availability, 1/8" and 1/4"
- Use for signage, lightweight shelves, and dividers
MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), Standard Grade
- Made up of wood fibers
- Smooth flat surface, light tan to brown in color
- Good strength, heavier than plywood, needs support on spans over 24" to prevent sagging
- Moderate to low price
- Finishes well on surface, poorly on edges, silk-screens well
- Machines very well
- Good availability
- Use where surface appearance is primary and edges don't show
MDF, Ultra Refined Grade
- Made up of wood fibers
- Smooth flat surface, light tan to brown in color
- Good strength, heavier than plywood, needs support on spans over 24" to prevent sagging
- Moderate price
- Finishes well on surface, fair on edges, silk-screens well
- Machines very well
- Good availability
- Use where both faces and edges will be visible and must be finished
MDF, Formaldehyde Free
- Made up of wood fibers
- Smooth flat surface, brown in color
- Good strength, heavier than plywood, needs support on spans over 24" to prevent sagging
- Moderate to higher price
- Finishes well on surface, poorly on edges, silk-screens well
- Machines very well
- Fair availability
- Use where formaldehyde based resins are a problem, medical, food applications
MDF, Water Resistant
- Very similar to standard grade MDF but has a water-resistant resin holding the wood fibers together
- Smooth flat surface, brown in color
- Good strength, heavier than plywood, needs support on spans over 24" to prevent sagging
- Moderate to higher price
- Finishes well on surface, fair on edges, silk-screens well
- Machines very well
- Fair availability
- Use for damp or exterior applications, must be finished on all surfaces if used outside
MDO, Medium Density Overlay
- Made from STD grade MDF bonded to a plywood core
- Smooth flat surface, light tan to brown in color
- Good strength, heavier than plywood, stiff
- Higher price
- Finishes well on surface, poorly on edges, silk-screens well
- Machines well
- Fair availability
- Used primarily for signage, edges at least must be painted to prevent plywood delamination
OSB, Oriented Strand Board
- Made from large thin chips oriented to give maximum strength
- Rough surface
- Good strength, heavier than plywood
- Low price
- Not intended to be finished, can be painted, does not silk-screen
- Machines poorly, rough edges and surfaces
- Good availability
- Use for structural purposes, crating, and replacement for plywood
Particle board, Underlayment Grade
- Made from wood chips, low density board
- Rougher surface, tan in color
- Fair strength, brittle
- Cheapest particleboard
- Not intended to be finished, paints very poorly, silk-screens very poorly
- Machines poorly
- Fair availability, primarily ¾" and under
- Used primarily for crating and flooring applications
Particleboard, Industrial Grade
- Made from wood chips, 42# to 48# / cubic foot
- Smooth surface, edges can be sanded smooth
- Good strength, heavier than plywood, needs support on spans over
24" to prevent sagging
- Low price
- Can be finished, surface paints well, edges paint poorly, silk-screens well
- Machines fair, clean sharp corners, porous edge
- Very good availability, ¼" thru 1 1/8" thick
- Use where surface must be smooth and edges aren't visible or can be edgebanded to hide roughness
- Used as a base material for a wide variety of laminates
Particleboard, High Density
- Made from wood chips, 60# to 65# / cubic foot
- Smooth surface, tan in color
- Strong, very hard, very stiff, very heavy
- Moderate price
- Can be finished, edges must be filled prior to painting, silk-screens well
- Machines fair, abrasive on tools
- Fair availability
- Used where high strength and good paintability are required, desktops and working surfaces
Plywood, Appleply
- Core made from very thin alder veneers with many different face veneers available.
- Smooth surface, smooth void free edges
- Excellent strength
- Expensive
- Finishes well, stains, paints, clearcoats, beautiful faces and edges
- Machines very well
- Fair availability
- Used for high end displays where edges are visible
Plywood, Baltic Birch
- Made from thin plies of Russian or Finnish birch
- Smooth sanded surface, creamy white in color
- Strong, stiff
- Moderate to high price
- Finishes very well, some edge voids (generally few), silk-screens very well
- Machines well
- Good availability in most thickness, most common sheet size is 60" x 60"
- Used where wide real wood surfaces are needed and the edges are visible and need to be contoured
Plywood, Softwood
- Made from thick plies of pine or fir
- Generally wild grain patterns
- Strong, relatively light, flexible
- Moderate price
- Can be finished, surface paints fair, edges paint very poorly
- Machines poorly, rough edges, can be splintery
- Very good availability, ¼" thru 1" thick
- Used for structural or rustic look purposes
Plywood, Hardwood
- Made from thick plies of hardwoods
- Smooth flat surface, usually sanded, colors vary
- Strong, stiff, moderate weight
- Moderate to high price, depends on species and grade
- Finishes well on surface, poorly on edges, silk-screen capability dependent on face veneer species
- Machines fair
- Good availability
- Use where surface appearance and strength is primary and edges don't show
Bending Plywood
- Made from 2 or 3 plies of wood. 1/8" to 3/8" thick
- Light, flexible
- Moderate price
- May need to be veneered or laminated after bending
- Machines well
- Good availability
- Use for larger curved parts
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