Is it the size of the particles? For example, a lot of Ikea products are made of what looks like sawdust that has been moulded into planks and some construction projects use boards that look as if they were made my wood shavings and chips. I had a set of shelves whose edges would crumble like dry toast or old cheese, but they appeared to be made of sawdust instead of chips. MDF, or particle board? Is the latter called “chip board”, since it’s not really made of particles?
In short, what’s the difference between MDF and particle board?
MDF is a subset of particle board. Particle board comes in three main flavors: low density, medium density, and high density. They are all composed of sawdust and binder (glue) and compressed. I believe the “particle board” you’re referring to is low-density stuff or perhaps a related product called chipboard, which has larger, visible sections of its component parts.
What you may be thinking of as chipboard may actually be flakeboard. Flakeboard is pretty flimsy stuff, its fine for boarding up windows and windbreaks on construction sites but I wouldnt use it for much else.
From my perspective, it’s easy to differentiate between MDF and your regular old particle board by the density of the material.
MDF = Medium Density Fiber.
Particle board is typically used inside cabinets, as it doesn’t provide a good paintable surface.
MDF can be routed, cut into simuated panel doors on cabinets, and even cut into trim pieces. It paints out well.
It sounds like you have some shelves out of particle board, if it’s crumbling like that. btw MDF isn’t good for shelving either, as it lacks the rigidity to hold it’s form well in it’s typical 3/4" dimension.
ps, we use OSB, or Wafer board 1/2" for most roof decking
I was once working on a series of bookshelves. I was trying to decide between using particle board and MDF. I bought a sheet of each, took it home, ran some tests, built a couple models, and decided that the particle board was easier to use. In my experience, MDF is really crumbly and is not good for this sort of construction. You can do more with it, as Skillet said, and it’s paintable, but it’s too crumbly and weak.
MDF is an acronym for medium density fiberboard as others have indicated.
It is a subset of particleboard. The fibers in MDF are very homogenous, and as a result the panels are very smooth and have even density. The edges can be routed and subsequently painted or otherwise finished. The exceptional smoothness of the panels makes them well suited to paint. It’s good for veneering and laminating with plastic laminate as well. Some of the better grades are touted as consisting of all the same species of wood.
Ordinary particleboard is made of different size chips, as you have pointed out. The edges are not suited for a finish of any kind. It’s usually rougher, and thus not so well suited to paint. Laminating it with plastic laminate is, however, quite common.
On construction sites you may have seen OSB, or oriented strand board. That is the type of panel that has very large shavings in it. OSB is unsuited for cabinet or fixture work at all. On the other hand, OSB is very strong, and is rated for sheer. (It can be used to reinforce stud frame walls, making them stronger.)
Working with MDF is dusty work. It produces very fine sawdust that settles on everything. For craftsman used to working with plywood there will be a bit of a learning curve. It is a very popular material though, and many fasteners have been developed that work well with MDF.