What is a Particle Board & Its Different Types

There are many kinds of engineered wood products used to make furniture and other wooden items for interior and external usage. Particleboard is also one of the many engineered wooden products. It is also known as low-density fiberboard or chipboard. The answer to the question of what is particle board is that it is a waste wood product made by binding wood chips, sawdust, or sawmill shavings with a synthetic resin or some other binder. Urea Formaldehyde is commonly used as a glue for binding wooden chips. Particleboard can be used as a substitute for plywood for making furniture, the interior lining of walls and ceilings, as a substrate for countertops, floor decking, roof sheathing, underlayment and interior decorative paneling, etc.

These are the various types of particleboard available in the market.

1. Single-layer particle board

   
   Single-layer particle board consists of wood particles of the same sizes which are pressed together. It is a flat and dense board that can be veneered or plastic laminated but not painted. This is a water-resistant type of particle board but is not waterproof. Single-layer particle boards are suitable for interior applications.

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2. Three-layer particle board

   

   Three-layer particle board consists of a layer of large wood particles sandwiched between two layers made of very small and highly dense wood particles. The amount of resin in the outer layer is more than in the inner layer. The smooth surface of a three-layer particle board is ideal for painting.

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3. Graded-Density particle board

   

   Graded-Density particle board consists of a layer of coarse wood particles which is sandwiched between two layers made of fine wood particles. This type of particle board is used to make cabinets and wooden furniture.

4. Melamine particle board

   

   Melamine particle board is made by fixing a decor paper infused with melamine on the surface of the particleboard under high heat and pressure. The wood particles in a melamine particle board are bonded using melamine-urea formaldehyde resin and wax emulsion. This makes it water-resistant. Melamine particle board resists scratches. It comes in a plethora of colours and textures. Applications of melamine particle board include wall paneling, furniture, wall cladding, wardrobes, and modular kitchen.

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5. Cement-bonded particle board

   

   Cement-bonded particle board has magnesium-based cement or portland cement as the bonding agent. Cement content is 60% while wooden particles such as wooden shavings, sawdust, and wood chips make up 20% of the composition. The remaining 20% is water. Due to the presence of cement, this type of particleboard is resistant to moisture, fire, termites, and rot. High moisture resistance makes them suitable for constructing false ceilings, walls, and permanent coverings for concrete floors and walls for buildings located in areas with high humidity. They are also used for making fire-resistant furniture products

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6. Veneered particle board

   

   A veneered particleboard means that it has a thin slice of wood called veneer attached to its surface. The veneered particleboard appears like a natural wooden board. Furthermore, a veneered particleboard is also more resistant to warping as compared to a conventional particleboard.

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7. Laminated particle board

   

   When a thin laminate sheet is attached to the surface of a plain particleboard, it becomes laminated particleboard. A laminate sheet not only improves the aesthetics of the particleboard but also increases its durability.

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Uses

• Particleboards are used as coverings for hardwood floors. Particleboards protect the hardwood boards against scratches. In addition, particle boards are also used to make floors in temporary structures. Particle boards are also used as underlayment or base for wood flooring, parquet flooring, or carpets.
• Particleboards are commonly used to make the core of solid core doors and flush doors. Particleboard is a good core material for doors because it has a smooth and flat surface that binds with the door skin easily and exhibits a good screw-holding capacity for fixing hinges.
• Particle boards are used for making false ceilings. This is because particle boards provide good thermal insulation. They are also used as ceiling tiles in many types of buildings.
• Particle boards are used for making all kinds of furniture such as dressing units, tabletops, kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, bookshelves, shoe racks, beds, etc.
• Speakers are made of particle boards because they absorb sound. This is also the reason why particle boards are used on walls and floors of recording studios, auditoriums and media rooms.