WoodengineeredEngineered

MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard)

Uniform sheet made from wood fibre bonded with resin. No grain, so it routes and machines identically in every direction and takes paint without a grain raise.

Stock forms — Board section and side elevation, end grain showingannual ringsend graintwLside elevation
MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) — stock formsSymbols only — no stock sizes are published

Properties

Family
Wood
Category
engineered
Density
0.75 g/cm³ · 750 kg/m³

Densityhow mdf (medium density fibreboard) compares

Density of MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) — 0.75 g/cm³MDF (Medium Den…0.75Water1.00Aluminium2.700369g/cm³
0.75 g/cm³ — 750 kg/m³Water 1.00 · Aluminium 2.70

Applicationswhere mdf (medium density fibreboard) is normally specified

CabinetryPainted furnitureMouldingsWorktops

Practical notes

  • Density varies with board thickness and manufacturer
  • Swells permanently if it takes on water — not for wet areas
  • Fine dust; extract at the tool

Lumber sizeswhat mdf (medium density fibreboard) weighs in each nominal size

Lumber size database

Dressed sizes are the same for every species — a 2x4 is 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 in in oak as much as in spruce. What changes is the weight, and that is derived here from mdf (medium density fibreboard)'s density of 0.75 g/cm³.

Tools used on itmatched on the wood family, not on this page

All tools

Which tools work a material is a property of the family (Wood), not of the individual species — so this list is the same on every wood page, and changes when the tool data changes rather than when this paragraph does.

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