What are the advantages of veneered chipboard/MDF over solid wood?

When it comes to furniture, wood isn't always just wood. This often leads to misunderstandings when shopping in-store or on an online shop's website. Two camps often emerge: some consider solid wood to be superior, while others deem veneered chipboard to be inferior. In this trend blog post, we aim to shed light on and explain why veneered wood panels – especially for designer furniture – have advantages over their solid wood counterparts.

Old Clichés about Chipboard

When it comes to "chipboard", everyone thinks of harmful emissions. However, the current formaldehyde content of such a wood panel is extremely low. It doesn't even reach the value of an apple (approx. 7 mg). Modern chipboard is sold with E1 class quality. This means for the customer that no more health-hazardous emissions are released. As a certified wood-based material, it must not emit more than 0.124 mg/m³ (0.1 ppm) of formaldehyde.

We live in a time where great importance is placed on increased environmental awareness. Here, chipboard is often considered harmful. However, the opposite is true: more chipboard panels can be produced from a single tree than solid wood panels. They were developed precisely to maximise the utilisation of wood material. As a result, chipboard is much more sustainable than solid wood and its products. While the utilisation rate of a tree used to be only 40%, this value can now be increased to 80%. This demonstrates the efficiency in handling the renewable resource wood.

Veneer Solid Wood Comparison – left veneer, right solid wood

What is the difference between chipboard and MDF?

Chipboard consists of glued wood chips. They are pressed into shape during manufacturing. In contrast, MDF panels are made of glued fibres, which are also pressed into panels. For the customer, the visual difference is not apparent from the outside. However, this doesn't matter, as only the area of application and purpose are important here. One cannot say that a chipboard or an MDF panel is better, because it depends on the application area.

Advantages

of chipboard:
• low weight (e.g. for high-quality wall cabinets)
• thin thickness possible (e.g. for panels, delicate fronts)

Advantages of MDF panels:

• high load-bearing capacity/stability due to high density (e.g. for table tops, large wardrobe doors, shelves)

MDF Cross-section – without veneer

Veneered Chipboard Cross-section

Current State of Production Technology

Chipboard is a German invention. In the 1930s, Max Himmelheber developed a way to increase the utilisation rate of trees. This involved using branches, sawdust, and wood chips. The basic principle remains the same today, only the production process has changed. Nowadays, there are fewer chips and less glue in the panels. This leads to a weight saving of 30%. In addition, the ingredients have been optimised, and the pollutant content reduced. European legislation has further favoured this direction and development.

Chipboard Production Pfleiderer Holzwerkstoffe GmbH – Source: www.pfleiderer.com

Why is Chipboard so Popular?

Lacquered furniture is not made of solid wood, because one wants to see the naturalness of this wood. Many customers would like to acquire such a piece of furniture. But the effort would be much higher, and after such a measure, nothing of the beautiful solid wood would be visible.

Livitalia Wall Unit C46 in Light Oak

Chipboard is better and more popular due to two things: bonding with pore-free melamine or veneering with real wood. Both variants offer versatile application possibilities depending on the area. Pore-free melamine forms the perfect base for a good lacquer finish. The refinement of a wood chip-pressed panel with real wood veneer is a good alternative to solid wood panels. Real wood veneer is a high-quality natural product. The wafer-thin wood sheets cut from tree trunks form the basis for veneering. Here, lightweight wood panels are glued with the veneer wood and thus refined. The beautiful wood look is particularly evident through the visible grain and a tactile structure on the piece of furniture.

Veneered Front of a Designer Sideboard

Why is Veneered Chipboard Better than Solid Wood in Some Areas?

Designer furniture involves very specific constructions and forms. Here, veneered chipboard scores with its flexibility. In contrast to solid wood, it allows for the production of different thicknesses and easier processing. The result is more functional products. Furthermore, wall-mounted furniture also plays a significant role. A shelf or wall cabinet made entirely of solid wood would be too heavy. Veneered chipboards have a lower weight. Therefore, veneered furniture is also lighter compared to solid wood furniture. Due to their special static properties, they do not warp with temperature fluctuations and do not develop cracks. Thus, drawers and doors remain permanently operable even with small gaps. This is in contrast to solid wood, where the "wood works".

Another aspect is the already mentioned environmental protection, meaning that veneered chipboard is more ecological than solid wood panels.

Solid Woods: Are beautiful for nature lovers, otherwise durable, robust, and improve the indoor climate.

Veneered Chipboards: Are versatile, lightweight, surface-finished, coated, compacted, sealed, water-repellent, sustainable, and low-emission.

Veneered furniture piece with natural grain and knot inclusion

Conclusion: Today's veneered chipboards enable lightweight yet stable veneered wood furniture for very specific designs and requirements. These pieces of furniture do not warp and do not develop cracks. The quality has been greatly improved, and the pollutant content extremely reduced. Therefore, it is no coincidence that 71% of furniture produced in Europe is made from refined chipboard or MDF panels.

Livitalia Wall Unit C25 made of veneered chipboard

Mira Celini

Interior Designer at Livarea

As an interior designer at Livarea – since 2012 one of Germany's leading online shops for designer furniture – I help customers create their dream homes. My tips come straight from practice: honest, inspiring, and always with an eye for the extraordinary.

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