Plywood vs MDF vs Particle Board
Use plywood where strength matters, MDF where finish matters, and chipboard where price matters. Most furniture mixes them: a melamine-faced chipboard carcass, painted MDF doors, and a 6 mm HDF back. Here is how the three compare, part by part.
The three materials in one table
| Compared | Plywood | MDF | Particle board (chipboard) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | Crossed wood veneers | Fine fibres + resin | Chips + resin |
| Stiffness (long shelves) | Best | Medium | Lowest |
| Screw holding | Best, even in edges | Good in faces | Weak in edges |
| Surface | Wood grain, can splinter | Very smooth, paints well | Rough, usually covered |
| Weight, 18 mm 4 × 8 | 25–40 kg | about 40 kg | about 35 kg |
| Moisture | Good (exterior grades) | Poor (MR grade better) | Poor |
| Cost | High | Medium | Low |
Which material for which part
| Part | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet carcass | Melamine chipboard or plywood | Cheap and pre-finished, or strong and light |
| Painted doors | MDF | Flat, smooth, takes routed profiles |
| Wood-look doors | Veneered MDF or melamine with wood decor | Stable, matching grain |
| Long shelves (over 800 mm) | Plywood or blockboard | Sag least |
| Drawer boxes | Plywood or melamine | Hold screws, clean edges |
| Backs and drawer bottoms | 3–6 mm HDF | Thin and stiff |
| Workshop and garage | Plywood or OSB | Tough, holds fasteners |
Sag: the deciding factor for shelves
Shelves are where the materials differ most. Under the same load, an 18 mm chipboard shelf sags roughly twice as much as 18 mm plywood. If you have to use chipboard or MDF, keep spans short (under about 700–800 mm for books) or add a divider. The bookshelf plan below calculates the free span of every shelf and warns you when it is too long.
Weight and handling
A full sheet of 18 mm MDF weighs about 40 kg. If you work alone or build large furniture that must be carried upstairs, plywood is noticeably lighter for the same strength.
Cost per piece of furniture
Because most of the cost is in the carcass, using melamine chipboard for the carcass and spending more on the visible doors gives the best result for the money. Plan the sheets for each material separately: the cut list optimizer groups parts by board and tells you how many sheets of each to buy.
Frequently asked questions
Which is strongest: plywood, MDF or chipboard?
Plywood. Its crossed veneers make it the stiffest and best at holding screws. MDF comes second, chipboard last.
Which is cheapest?
Chipboard (particle board), then MDF, then plywood.
Can I mix materials in one piece of furniture?
Yes, and it is common: a melamine carcass with MDF painted doors, or plywood shelves in an MDF bookcase.