Is particle board worse than eco-friendly board? Why don't carpenters use particle board?

The material of a wardrobe is the core. When choosing a wardrobe, everyone often struggles with the following questions: Which material is durable? Which material is environmentally friendly? Is it possible to achieve both?

Common cabinet panels on the market now include particle board and ecological board. Many major custom furniture brands choose particle board, but in the eyes of carpenters, particle board is "wood residue" and they prefer ecological board.

Is particle board really inferior to eco-friendly board? Today, we'll analyze the differences between the two types of board to give you a clearer understanding.

What are particle board and ecological board?

Particle board: also known as chipboard, is a man-made board made by breaking wood or other wood scraps into pieces, applying adhesive, and gluing them together under heat and pressure.

Ecological board: also called paint-free board, the core of the board is mostly blockboard, and the veneer on both sides is melamine panel.

Particle board vs. ecological board

Environmental performance

A large amount of glue is used in the processing of particle board, and its environmental performance is slightly poor.

No painting is required during the manufacturing process of ecological boards, and the amount of glue used in the entire production process is also less, and the environmental performance of ecological boards is better than that of particle boards.

Particle board is an industry encouraged by the state. Now the domestic production technology of particle board is quite mature. As long as the particle board is produced by a regular manufacturer, the environmental index can reach E1 level, so there is no need to worry about environmental issues.

Whether a board is environmentally friendly or not is closely related to the edge banding process and the quality of the glue used. Incomplete edge banding or cracks, or the use of inferior glue, will release formaldehyde. Therefore, eco-friendly boards are not necessarily more environmentally friendly than particle boards. Many aspects need to be considered.

Moisture resistance

Ecological boards are made of a whole piece of wood. They have a relatively high density and water vapor penetrates the ecological boards relatively slowly, so the moisture-proof performance of ecological boards is relatively good.

Particle board is made of various wood chips, and there are gaps between the particles. Moisture can easily penetrate into the board, causing the particle board to mold and deform. Therefore, when purchasing solid wood particle board, it is important to keep the indoor air dry.

hardness

Hardness mainly refers to the nail holding force and the possibility of cracking and deformation, which is related to the service life of the wardrobe.

Particle board has good hardness and rarely cracks or deforms after processing, while ecological board is not hard enough and is easily deformed when subjected to excessive force, and its nail holding capacity is not very good.

Therefore, in terms of hardness, solid wood particle board has advantages over ecological board.

Processing performance

The interior of solid wood particle board is in a cross-shaped and staggered shape, with relatively precise size and dense interior. It can be processed mechanically by sawing, planing, nailing, drilling, etc., and is suitable for making customized products.

Ecological board The interior of the ecological board is not dense and is suitable for on-site construction.

Why don’t carpenters use particle board when making cabinets on site?

Solid wood particle board has high requirements for processing equipment. Once the carpenter uses the saw, the edge will break, and the board will be wasted. In addition, the edge must be sealed by machine, which makes the construction more difficult.

Ecological board carpentry can be operated manually or mechanically, and the edge banding can be done by yourself, which is convenient to operate. Therefore, carpenters prefer ecological boards for on-site production.

Decorative performance

Particle board has a high hardness and is difficult to make into curved or shaped shapes. Its decorative performance is not very good, so it is generally used to make cabinet bodies.

Ecological boards are not easy to change color or peel, and can be processed into veneers with different styles and strong textures. They are more decorative than particle boards.

Production costs

Particle board can be produced on a large scale by mechanization. Under the same environmental protection indicators, the cost of particle board is lower than that of ecological board.

In other words, particle board and ecological board must both meet the E1 environmental protection standard. Particle board has lower cost and its overall performance is not bad. This is one of the reasons why many big brands choose particle board.

Of course, the editor still has to remind you that not all particle boards are good. You must identify particle boards from big brands and be sure to identify the authenticity (there are many fakes). Particle boards from small factories and fake particle boards are of very poor quality.

In general, the comprehensive performance of particle board is not worse than that of ecological board. Since particle board has higher requirements for processing equipment, it is more suitable for factory customization; while ecological board is easy to operate and suitable for on-site carpentry. There is no essential difference between the two, and everyone can choose for themselves.