All about the density of chipboard

Chipboard layers are made from wastes from sawmills and woodworking factories. The main differences in physical and mechanical characteristics are the size of the chipboard, its thickness and density. It is interesting that products of the highest quality can even surpass wood in some parameters. Let's take a closer look at everything about particle board density.

The density of the chipboard directly depends on the quality of the material used for the base. It can be small - 450, medium - 550 and high - 750 kg / m3. The most demanded is furniture chipboard. It has a fine structure and a perfectly polished surface, the density is at least 550 kg / m3.

Chipboard layers are made of one-, two-, three- and multi-layer. The most popular are three-layer ones, since there are coarser chips inside, and two outer layers are small raw materials. According to the method of processing the top layer, polished and unpolished slabs are distinguished. In total, three grades of material are made, namely:

• the outer layer is even and carefully sanded, without chips, scratches or stains;
• slight delamination, scratches and chips are allowed only on one side;
• rejection is sent to the third grade; here the chipboard may have uneven thickness, deep scratches, delamination and cracks.

Chipboard can be of almost any thickness. The most commonly used parameters are:

• 8 mm - thin seams, with a density of 680 to 750 kg per m3; they are used in the production of office furniture, light decor parts;
• 16 mm - also used for the production of office furniture, for rough flooring that serves as a support for the future floor, for partitions inside the premises;
• 18 mm - cabinet furniture is made with it;
• 20 mm - used for rough flooring;
• 22, 25, 32 mm - various tabletops, window sills, shelves are made from such thicker sheets - that is, parts of structures that bear a large load;
• 38 mm - for kitchen countertops and bar counters.

As part of the chipboard there is formaldehyde or artificial resins, therefore, according to the amount of substance released by 100 g of the product, the plates are divided into two classes:

• E1 - the content of the element in the composition does not exceed 10 mg;
• E2 - permissible formaldehyde content up to 30 mg.

Particleboard of class E2 is usually not made, but some manufacturing plants allow this version of the material for sale, while distorting the marking or not applying it. Determining the class of formaldehyde resins is possible only in the laboratory.

Quite often, manufacturers are dishonest about the manufacture of chipboard, violating the established production technologies. Therefore, before buying, you need to check its quality. To determine quality, the following criteria should be considered:

• there should be no smell at a distance of about a meter from the material; if it is present, this indicates an excess of the amount of resins in the composition;
• if an object can be stuck into the side without effort, it means that the chipboard is of poor quality;
• in appearance, the formation should not seem overdried;
• there are edge defects (chips), which means that the material was poorly cut;
• the surface layer should not peel off;
• a dark color indicates a large presence of bark in the composition or that the plate is burnt;
• a red tint is typical for materials from burnt shavings;
• if the chipboard is of poor quality, then there will be several colors in one package; a uniform and light shade corresponds to high quality;
• in one package, all layers must be the same size and thickness.

For the density of chipboard, see the video.