Melamine Faced Plywood vs MDF vs Particle Board: Which to Choose for Furniture

All three panels can carry a melamine surface, and all three are sold as "melamine board". They behave very differently once they are cut, screwed, loaded or exposed to moisture. This comparison sets out where each one belongs.

Comparison at a Glance

Where Plywood Core Wins

• Hinge and runner positions that carry repeated load
• Cabinets near sinks, appliances and plumbing runs
• Long shelves and wide spans that must stay flat
• Furniture that will be shipped, handled and re-assembled
• Projects where screw fixing is used instead of cam-and-dowel fittings

Where the Alternatives Make Sense

MDF gives the smoothest machined edge and takes routing and profiling well, which makes it a strong choice for door fronts and shaped components. Particle board remains the cheapest way to produce large volumes of flat-pack furniture for dry interiors, and it performs acceptably where cam fittings rather than screws carry the load. Neither is a substitute for plywood in a moisture-risk position.

How to Decide in Practice

Start from the failure mode you cannot accept. If the risk is a hinge pulling out of a door, a shelf sagging across a span, or a cabinet swelling after a leak, plywood is the correct panel. If the priority is the lowest cost per square metre for a dry, lightly loaded interior, particle board will do the job. If the requirement is a perfectly machined decorative edge, MDF is hard to beat. Most real furniture programmes use more than one of the three, and the specification should say which panel goes where.

Frequently Asked Questions