Medium Density Fibreboard
Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) is one of the most rapidly growing wood composite board products to enter the wood market in recent years. The combination of increasing population and decreasing prime timber supply predict a continuing shift to the use of composite boards among which MDF offers many advantages. The surface of MDF is flat, smooth, uniform, dense, and free of knots and grain patterns, all of which make the finishing operation easier and consistent. The homogeneous edges of MDF ensure intricate and precise machining and finishing for superior products.
Thin MDF is an ideal alternative to plywood. It can be used for drawer bottoms, cabinet backing, panelling, door-skins, and picture frame backings. Due to recent developments in High Moisture Resistant panels, MDF is increasingly used in exterior applications such as thin laminated floorings and exterior doors. Thin MDF has also found a niche market for specific applications such as shoe makings, motor vehicle interior parts, printed circuit board productions, and blades for electric fans.
Thick MDF is used as a core substrate material for veneers, printed/painted surfaces, PVCs, vinyl papers, wrapped mouldings, and laminated floorings. Due to its dimensional stability and smoothness, thick MDF can also be used for a wide range of structures such as tables, cabinets, windows, doors, toys, picture fames, handicraft items, exhibition stands, and signs. Its excellent acoustic properties make thick MDF ideal for Hi-Fidelity equipment such as speaker boxes.
Through research and development, new uses for MDF are constantly being found. MDF is an excellent substitute for solid wood and is increasingly used in many applications.
Particleboard 
Particleboard has become well known in the past decades as an engineered wood composite board that easily replaces prime solid wood. The recent universal call for reduced wood consumption has increased the importance and popularity of particleboard. Also, the cost of particleboard is much lower compared to other wood raw materials, which has further increased its importance in the wood-based market.
Particleboard is used in a wide range of applications including office furniture, cabinets, backers, drawers, shelves, partitions, interior and architectural paneling. Value-added particleboard with high moisture resistance has extended its application to kitchen cabinets, laminated flooring, and doors. Particleboard is also being used in speaker boxes due to its excellent acoustic properties.
Due to its smooth, flat, uniform surface, particleboard is an excellent core material for hardwood veneers, low pressure as well as high pressure melamine, paper, and vinyl lamination, direct printing, and coating. These economical substrates and the many choices of fancy surface decorations provide customers with many options and give particleboard a competitive edge in the wood-based market.
Highly durable and versatile, these boards can be sawed, drilled, grooved, and shaped into a variety of designs. In close cooperation with customers, the Evergreen Research and Development Team designs and produces particleboard that satisfies the demands of furniture designers and manufacturers worldwide.
Statistics
- The engineered wood-based products industry is a 13 billion US dollar industry.
- MDF global consumption is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 9% until 2008.
- MDF consumption in Asia Pacific is projected to increase by 51% to 20.1 million cubic metres by the year 2006.
- Particleboard global consumption is quickly approaching 100 million cubic metres per year.
- Particleboard demand in Asia Pacific is more than 12 million cubic metres with China becoming the fastest growing market.