Composite Materials

Composite panels represent the lumber industries commitment toward innovation and environmental stewardship; this includes particleboard and medium density fiberboard. Applications for these products include cabinetry, furniture, fixtures, molding, and millwork. Most composite panels meet or exceed global emission standards and are made with a high percentage of recycled wood fibers including Post-Consumer Recycled Wood Fiber. We are pleased to offer these products from industry leading Sierra Pine and Flakeboard.

Particleboard

Particleboard is an engineered wood product manufactured from wood particles, such as wood chips, sawmill shavings, saw dust, and a synthetic resin or other suitable binder, which is pressed and extruded. Particleboard is a composite material that it is made up of larger pieces of wood, unlike medium-density fiberboard and hardboard. Particleboard and other composition boards have had a very positive impact on timber resources, stemming almost entirely from the use of recycled materials. Seventy-five percent of particleboard manufactured in Canada and the US is constructed entirely from recycled materials. The remaining twenty-five percent is constructed partially from recycled material and partially from virgin wood. This is still significantly more resource efficient than solid wood, even when considering that in many cases these panels will be covered with veneer. Particleboard is cheaper, denser and more uniform than conventional wood and plywood. It is substituted for them when appearance and strength are less important than cost. Solid wood is prone to warping and splitting with changes in humidity, whereas particleboard is not. This stability enables new design possibilities, without having to take into account seasonal variations. Wood Stock Supply carries a wide variety of thicknesses and sheet sizes from industrial grade panels through counter top quality (CTQ) panels.

Industrial Partical Board Thickness: 1/2" 5/8" 11/16" 3/4" 1-1/8"
49" x 97" Industrial PBC   Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
61" x 97" Industrial PBC         Yes  
49" x 145" Industrial PBC         Yes  
61" x 145" Industrial PBC         Yes  
24" x 145" Industrial PBC, CTQ         Yes  
30" x 145" Industrial PBC, CTQ         Yes Yes
36" x 145" Industrial PBC, CTQ         Yes  
MDF (Medium-density fiberboard)

Medium density fiberboard, or MDF, is a composite wood product similar to particleboard. It's made out of wood waste fibers glued together with resin, heat, and pressure. MDF is appropriate for many applications, from cabinetry to moulding, because it is smooth, uniform, and won't warp. MDF has many advantages over plank wood, particleboard, or high density fiberboard. It's very smooth because the wood fibers used in its manufacturing are uniform and fine. This makes it have low "tear out," which means that when sawed, the end has a smooth cut instead of a jagged edge. This also means that a coat of primer and a couple of coats of paint take well, leaving an attractive, finished surface unlike other composite wood products. MDF also has a mild reaction to moisture, meaning it won't warp or swell in high-humidity applications like a bathroom cabinet.

Builders use MDF in many capacities, such as in furniture, shelving, laminate flooring, decorative moulding, and doors. They value MDF for its insular qualities in sound and heat. Also, it can be nailed, glued, screwed, stapled, or attached with dowels, making it as versatile as plank wood. Usually, people working with MDF use a carbide saw fitted with a vacuum to reduce the amount of airborne dust. Since MDF is strengthened with resin containing formaldehyde, those being exposed try to reduce their risk of inhalation, or use special MDF with lower formaldehyde levels.

Some people prefer using MDF over regular lumber because it has a lower impact on the environment. MDF is solely made from waste products, the leftover scraps that would otherwise be dumped in a landfill. Today many MDF boards are made from a variety of materials. These include other woods, scrap, recycled paper, bamboo, carbon fibers and polymers, forest thinning and sawmill off-cuts.

Medium Density Fiberboard (All sheets are 49" x 97") Thickness: 1/4" 1/2" 11/16" 3/4" 15/16"
MDF Raw Exterior     Yes   Yes  
MDF Raw Interior   Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Melamine

Wood Stock Supply is pleased to offer TFL/Melamine from Roseburg Forest Products and Specialty Laminates. Both suppliers have extensive product offerings of patterns and colors. Order quantities available are as small as 1 Pack dependent on paper availability, up to a rail car load depending on your needs and availability.

Thermally Fused Melamine (aka TFM) is a resin impregnated decorative paper, thermally fused to the industrial grades of PBC, MDF, and a variety of Composite Core Crossband. Some cores are available featuring no added formaldehyde glue. Thermal fusion takes place under heat and pressure and permanently bonds the resin paper to the substrate. It is strong, hard, and durable making it an ideal product for a wide range of projects. Melamine is a cost effective and easy to use product that creates a surface that equals vertical grade High Pressure Laminate.

Melamine is resistant to acids, alkalis, and most food stains, giving it an attractive and durable exterior appearance that is excellent in kitchen cabinet, commercial casework, and shelving applications. Virtually any color effect can be achieved from the versatile wide range of specialty papers matching the most popular HPL colors and patterns. Melamine is available in matte, satin, gloss, and even faux wood grain finishes, and is offered in sheets 4' x 6' thru 5' x 12' most commonly offered in 49" x 97" and thickness starting from 1/4" and ranging on up.

Melamine Thickness: 1/4" 1/2" 5/8" 3/4" 1"
Almond   Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
White   Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Black   Yes Yes   Yes  
Fog Grey   Yes Yes   Yes  
Hard Rock Maple   Yes Yes Yes Yes  
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