Renovation guide · Millwork
Plywood, MDF or particleboard? What built-ins are made of
Most cabinets and built-ins are made of panels, not boards cut from a tree. The three common ones are good at different things, and it’s worth knowing which one you’re getting.
5 min readUpdated By SS Carpentry and Renovations
Key takeaways
- Plywood is layers of veneer: it holds screws near its edges and barely swells for good if it gets wet.
- MDF is pressed fibre: smooth, even and easy to machine, and widely used for painted doors, mouldings and trim.
- Particleboard is pressed chips, usually under a melamine or veneer face; it’s the main material in ready-to-assemble furniture.
- All three are covered by Canada’s formaldehyde limits since 2023. Look for a “CANFER compliant” or “TSCA Title VI” label.
What’s the difference between plywood, MDF and particleboard?
All three are wood glued back together, and the difference is the size of the pieces. Plywood is thin sheets of veneer, each layer turned so its grain crosses the one below. MDF (medium-density fibreboard) is wood broken down to fibres, coated in resin and pressed flat. Particleboard is wood chips pressed the same way, with fine particles at the faces and coarser ones in the core.
- A: Plywood: thin wood veneers glued in layers, the grain crossing from one layer to the next
- B: MDF: wood fibres pressed into an even board with a smooth face
- C: Particleboard: wood particles, finer at the faces and coarser in the core
- D: A decorative face: particleboard is usually overlaid, for example with melamine or veneer
Where is each one strong?
| Panel | Good at | Watch for | Typical uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plywood | Holding fasteners close to its edges without splitting; barely swells for good if it gets wet | Hidden knots and voids inside, unless ordered with a solid core | Cabinet and furniture panels, decorative wall panels |
| MDF | A smooth, even face and edges that machine, sand and paint cleanly | Standard grades are made for dry interiors | Painted doors, mouldings, trim, cabinet components, millwork |
| Particleboard | A flat, smooth face for melamine or veneer | Standard grades are made for dry interiors; edges are coarser unless the core is fine | Ready-to-assemble furniture and cabinet boxes, under a decorative face |
None of them is simply the best. A painted door suits MDF, which its maker calls ideal where painting and deep machining are needed. A box screwed together close to its edges suits plywood. Particleboard’s fine face takes a melamine or veneer overlay well, which is why it sits under so much ready-made furniture.
Which one handles water best?
Plywood. The Wood Handbook notes it undergoes minimal irreversible thickness swelling if wetted, unlike most panels made from particles. Standard MDF and particleboard are usually bonded with urea-formaldehyde resin, and moisture breaks that bond down. The wax added at the mill gives only limited-term water resistance.
That matters under a sink, in a vanity and anywhere near a dishwasher. Moisture-resistant grades exist for exactly those places: one Canadian maker sells a moisture-resistant MDF for kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms.
Which one holds a screw best?
Plywood’s crossing layers let fasteners sit very near its edges without splitting it. MDF and particleboard are tested for screw holding on both the face and the edge, and the edge figure is the lower one: one maker’s particleboard is rated 900 N on the face and 800 N in the edge.
For anything heavy, the panel shouldn’t be what carries it. Behind our custom TV feature walls, the bracket goes into 2×6 timber and ¾″ Baltic birch backing fixed to the studs, and the panelling goes over it. Our guide to what holds a wall-mounted TV up has the rest.
Do these panels give off formaldehyde?
Some do, from the glue, and Canada limits how much. Since January 7, 2023, composite wood panels sold in Canada must stay under federal emission limits, and finished goods like furniture and cabinets may only use certified panels.
| Panel | Limit |
|---|---|
| Hardwood plywood | 0.05 ppm |
| Particleboard | 0.09 ppm |
| MDF | 0.11 ppm |
| Thin MDF | 0.13 ppm |
Panels carry a label with the maker, the lot number and “CANFER compliant” or “TSCA Title VI compliant”, the matching US rule. Some makers go further with no-added-formaldehyde (NAF) panels. Structural plywood and OSB, the sheathing in walls and floors, sit outside the rule because their glue is a moisture-resistant type.
What should you ask about a built-in?
- What are the boxes made of? Plywood, MDF or particleboard, and how thick.
- What’s near water? A sink base or vanity is the place for plywood or a moisture-resistant grade.
- What carries the weight? A TV or anything heavy belongs on solid backing fixed to the studs, not on the panel alone.
- Is it labelled compliant? Ask for the panel’s formaldehyde label or the cabinet maker’s statement.
Cabinetry on our kitchens is built in-house or supplied, and panelling for TV walls is milled in our workshop. Our guide to planning a kitchen or bathroom covers the decisions that come before materials, and the panel choice is part of the other home renovation work we do around Ottawa too: ask what each part is made of at the estimate.
Guidance only. Panel grades vary by maker and product line; the technical sheet for the exact panel sets what it can do.