Comparison of Industrial Wood Types in Interior Construction

Industrial wood is a type of wood produced from surplus, recycled and utilized materials from natural trees, instead of taken directly from the tree trunk. Industrial wood is increasingly used to replace natural wood because of its reasonable price, guaranteed quality, high aesthetics, and ease of construction. 

According to statistics from the Vietnam Timber and Forest Products Association, the rate of using industrial wood in furniture production has increased from 30% in 2010 to 70% in 2020. 

Currently, there are many types of industrial wood on the market such as MDF, HDF, Plywood, Melamine, Veneer, particle board and fiberboard. Each type has its own characteristics, so you need to carefully consider the quality, design, thickness, hardness... before choosing.

The article below compares common types of industrial wood used in interior design. Please refer to it if needed!

What is Industrial Wood? 

Industrial wood is wood produced from natural wood or wood scraps, processed, pressed and reinforced with adhesives. 

Industrial wood plays an important role in the current furniture manufacturing and construction industry:

• Natural wood alternative: Due to the increasingly scarce natural wood resources, industrial wood is a reasonable alternative solution, meeting the demand for wood in interior design.
• Reasonable pricing: Industrial wood is 20-50% cheaper than natural wood, suitable for many customers.
• High stability: Wood is less prone to warping, shrinkage, and termites than natural wood. It also has good resistance to force and impact, suitable for making frames, shelves, and racks.
• High aesthetics: The wooden surface can be painted, decaled, Melamine, Veneer to create many colors, beautiful wood grain, diverse for the interior.
• Easy to process and construct: With a smooth surface, industrial wood is easy to cut, drill, screw, and is convenient for interior construction.
• Diverse applications: Making cabinets, beds, tables, chairs, partitions, wooden floors, stairs, ceilings, wall panels and many other furniture.

Thus, with advantages in price, stability, ease of processing and aesthetics, industrial wood has been playing an indispensable role in the furniture manufacturing and construction industry. This type of wood not only meets diverse usage needs but also creates beautiful furniture products at reasonable costs for consumers.

Comparison of Popular Types of Engineered Wood

Industrial wood is divided into many types such as MDF, HDF, Plywood, Melamine, Veneer, particle board and fiberboard. Each type has its own structure, properties and applications.

MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)

MDF is an industrial wood made from natural wood fibers, crushed, mixed with glue and pressed into panels at high temperature and pressure. The density of MDF ranges from 600-800 kg/m3.

Advantages of MDF wood:

• Smooth, flat and uniform surface, easy for interior construction.
• Good bearing capacity, static bending strength reaches 30-40 MPa.
• Easy to machine, cut, drill, screw.
• Reasonable price, 20-50% cheaper than natural wood.
• Diverse colors and wood grain thanks to the ability to cover with Melamine, Veneer, and paint.
• Limit warping and shrinkage due to sudden changes in weather.
• More effective termite resistance than natural wood.

Disadvantages of MDF wood:

• Poor moisture resistance, easy to warp and swell when exposed to water. Thickness expansion rate after 24 hours of soaking in water reaches 12-15%.
• Durability and elasticity are lower than natural wood.
• Some types of wood can be harmful to the health of users.
• Cannot carve intricate details like natural wood.

MDF wood is often used to make kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, bookshelves, desks, and TV shelves.

HDF wood (High Density Fiberboard)

HDF wood is an industrial wood with a similar structure to MDF wood, produced from natural wood fibers pressed under high pressure and temperature. However, HDF wood has a higher density than MDF, ranging from 800-1000 kg/m3.

Advantages of HDF wood:

• The surface is harder and smoother than MDF.
• Good bearing capacity, static bending strength reaches 40-50 MPa.
• High durability, good impact resistance, less warping and shrinkage.
• Better moisture resistance than MDF. The thickness swelling rate after 24 hours of soaking in water is only 8-10%, lower than the 12-15% of MDF.
• Good soundproofing and heat insulation.

Disadvantages of HDF wood:

• Price is about 10-20% higher than MDF wood.
• More difficult to machine, cut, drill, and screw due to high hardness.
• Some types of HDF wood can be harmful to the health of users.
• Cannot carve intricate details like natural wood.

With advantages in hardness, bearing capacity and good moisture resistance, HDF wood is increasingly widely used in furniture production, especially products requiring high durability and good heat and moisture resistance such as wooden floors and wooden doors.

Plywood

Plywood is an industrial wood made from many thin layers of wood (veneer) arranged perpendicularly and glued together with glue. The common number of layers is 3, 5, 7 layers. These veneer layers are often made from natural wood such as birch, willow, pine.

Advantages of Plywood:

• Good load-bearing, bending and warping resistance. Static bending strength reaches 50-70 MPa.
• Hard surface, scratch resistant, highly aesthetic.
• High durability, withstand harsh weather, termite resistant.
• Reasonable price, cheaper than natural wood.
• Fireproof, heat resistant.

Disadvantages of Plywood:

• Poor water resistance, prone to blistering if kept wet frequently. Water absorption rate after 24 hours of soaking reaches 15-20%.
• Plywood edges are susceptible to chipping and cracking when impacted.
• Difficult to shape and bend like natural wood.
• The surface quality and wood grain are not as beautiful and uniform as MDF and MFC wood.

Plywood is often used to produce furniture that requires stability and the ability to withstand heavy loads.

Melamine Wood

Melamine wood is industrial wood (usually MDF or HDF) covered with a durable, beautiful layer of Melamine on the surface. Melamine is an organic compound, insoluble in water, heat resistant, and highly durable.

Advantages of Melamine wood:

• Hard surface, scratch-resistant, waterproof, easy to clean. Surface hardness reaches 2H-3H on the pencil hardness scale.
• High aesthetics with diverse colors and wood grain, beautiful gloss. Easily create imitation stone and natural wood effects.
• High durability, lifespan over 10 years.
• Environmentally friendly, less harmful to the user's health.

Disadvantages of Melamine wood:

• Cost is 10-20% higher than regular industrial wood.
• Melamine coating cannot be repaired or refurbished.
• Poor resistance to strong impacts, easily chipped edges.
• Heat and moisture resistance is worse than natural wood and some other types of industrial wood such as HDF.

Melamine wood is often used to make interior furniture such as kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, doors, tables, chairs, and decorative shelves.

Veneer Wood

Veneer wood is a thin layer of wood sliced ​​from natural wood, with a thickness of only 0.5mm to 2mm. This layer of wood is then glued onto the surface of industrial wood (such as MDF, HDF, particle board, plywood) to create interior products with the same aesthetics as natural wood but at a cheaper price.

Advantages of Veneer wood:

• Creates a natural wood look with unique wood grain.
• Easy to bend, shape, and process sophisticated decorative details.
• Has better resistance to warping and termites than natural wood.
• Price is 30-50% cheaper than natural wood.
• Environmentally friendly due to use of less natural wood.

Disadvantages of Veneer wood:

• Durability and load-bearing capacity are lower than natural wood and some other types of industrial wood such as MDF, HDF.
• Easily peeled and separated in humid, high temperature conditions.
• Difficult to repair or replace when damaged.
• The price is 20-50% higher than other types of industrial wood such as MDF, MFC.

Veneer wood is often used for wall cladding, making tables, chairs, doors, and high-end interior decorations.

Wood chips

Particle Board (PB) is a type of industrial wood made from wood particles, shavings and glue pressed into panels at high temperature and pressure.

Advantages of wood chips:

• Cheap price, suitable for families with tight budgets.
• Light weight, easy to transport and install.
• Smooth surface, easy to process, cut, drill, screw.
• Can be painted, covered with decal paper, Melamine, Veneer to increase aesthetics.

Disadvantages of wood chips:

• Poor durability and load-bearing capacity, susceptible to warping and termites.
• Poor moisture and water resistance. Easily blisters when exposed to water.
• Surfaces and edges are susceptible to chipping and cracking upon impact.
• Short lifespan, usually only 3-5 years.

Wood chips can be used to make cabinets, shelves, bookshelves, room dividers, picture frames, decorative shelves... 

Wood fiber board

Hardboard is an industrial wood made from natural wood fibers that are hot pressed into panels at high temperature and pressure.

Advantages of fiberboard:

• Hard, smooth surface, easy to process, cut, drill, screw.
• Better moisture resistance than particle board and some other types of industrial wood.
• Easy to bend and shape for interior products.
• Cheap price, suitable for many customers.

Disadvantages of fiberboard:

• Durability and load-bearing capacity are lower than MDF and HDF wood.
• Prone to blistering and warping if left in a humid environment regularly.
• The surface is easily scratched and not as shiny as Melamine-coated MDF.

Fiberboard can be used for partitions, wall panels, ceilings or to produce low-cost furniture such as cabinets, shelves, and bookshelves.

*Comparison table of popular industrial wood types:

Wood Type	Structure	Advantages	Disadvantages	Application
MDF	Finely ground wood fibers, mixed with glue, heat pressed	Smooth surface, easy to construct, reasonable price, diverse colors	Poor moisture resistance, low durability	Kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, bookshelves, desks, TV shelves
HDF	Finely ground wood fibers, mixed with glue, pressed at high temperature	Hard surface, good bearing capacity, good moisture resistance, high durability	Higher cost than MDF	Wooden floors, wooden doors, high-end furniture
Plywood	Multiple layers of thin wood glued together	Good bearing capacity, hard surface, reasonable price	Poor water resistance, difficult to shape	Furniture that requires heavy loads
Melamines	Melamine coated MDF/HDF wood	Hard surface, scratch-resistant, waterproof, easy to clean, highly aesthetic	High cost, difficult to repair, poor heat resistance	Kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, doors, tables, chairs, decorative shelves
Veneer	Thin wood layer glued onto industrial wood	Beautiful wood grain, easy to bend, cheaper than natural wood	Low durability, easy to peel, difficult to repair	Wall panels, tables, chairs, doors, high-end decorations
Wood chips	Wood shavings, glue, heat press	Low cost, light weight, easy to process	Low durability, poor moisture resistance, susceptible to chipping	Cabinets, shelves, bookshelves, room dividers, picture frames
Wood fiber board	Hot pressed wood fiber	Hard surface, easy to process, low cost	Low durability, prone to blistering and warping	Partitions, wall panels, ceilings, cheap furniture

What Criteria Should Be Used To Choose Industrial Wood For Interior Construction?

You should balance the factors of quality, design, thickness, hardness, standards/certifications, price and warranty when choosing industrial wood for interior projects.

Quality 

Choose engineered wood from reputable manufacturers that ensure high quality standards. Look for wood that is durable, resistant to warping, and has good moisture resistance, especially when used in humid climates like Vietnam.

For example: 

• Moisture-proof MDF: Has good water and moisture resistance, suitable for bathroom and kitchen spaces. The thickness expansion rate after 24 hours of soaking in water is only 5-8%, much lower than normal MDF (12-15%).
• HDF wood: Has 20-30% higher density and hardness than MDF, good bearing capacity, less prone to warping and termites.
• Multi-layer Plywood: Made from 5-7 thin layers of wood arranged perpendicularly, with high bending and impact resistance.

Models

Engineered wood can be painted, laminated or surfaced to simulate a variety of natural woods. Choose the color and pattern that best suits your interior style and space.

According to a survey by the Ho Chi Minh City Handicraft and Wood Processing Association, the trend of using light-colored wood such as white and gray is very popular, accounting for 60% of customer preferences. In addition, natural wood grain patterns such as oak and walnut are also always popular choices.

Thickness and hardness

The thickness and hardness of industrial wood directly affect the durability and load-bearing capacity of the product. 

For example: 18mm thick MDF board has good load-bearing capacity, suitable for table tops and cabinet doors. 12mm MDF board is thinner and can be used for partitions and drawers. In terms of hardness, HDF board has a hardness of up to 800-900 kg/cm2, suitable for high-load-bearing applications.

Standards and certifications

Check to see if the engineered wood complies with environmental and health standards and certifications that are non-toxic, such as CARB (California Air Resources Board) or FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) standards.

• California's CARB P2 standard stipulates that the Formaldehyde content in industrial wood must not exceed 0.09ppm, ensuring health safety. 
• FSC certification shows that wood is harvested from sustainably managed forests that are environmentally friendly. In 2022, 248 Vietnamese wood enterprises were granted FSC certification.

Price and warranty

Industrial wood prices range from 150.000 – 500.000 VND/sheet, depending on the type and thickness. When comparing prices, you should also consider the quality of the product, do not choose low-quality products because of cheap prices.

In addition, products with long-term warranties (5-10 years) often come from reputable brands and have more guaranteed quality. According to statistics, the rate of customers who are satisfied and return to buy from companies with good warranty policies is up to 70%.

Questions About Engineered Wood

What are the advantages of industrial wood compared to natural wood? 

Industrial wood has many advantages over natural wood such as:

• Prices are 20-50% cheaper.
• High stability, little shrinkage, warping.
• Easy to machine, cut, drill, plane, polish.
• Variety of colors and wood grain.

Choose natural wood or industrial wood when making furniture?

Choose natural wood or industrial wood when making furniture depends on the purpose of use, furniture placement, design style, budget, aesthetics and durability. 

Industrial wood furniture is becoming a popular choice for many families thanks to its reasonable price, diverse designs and good resistance to humidity. However, furniture made from high-quality natural wood still retains its own appeal, especially in high-class living spaces such as villas or luxury townhouses, where the delicate beauty and durability of natural wood are highly valued.

How to distinguish between types of industrial wood? 

To distinguish between types of industrial wood, it is necessary to rely on structure, density, properties and surface. 

• Structure and density: MDF (600-800 kg/m3), HDF (800-1000 kg/m3), Plywood (cross-glued layers), Melamine (Melamine coated), Veneer (thin wood layer glued to the surface).
• Properties: Hardness, strength, moisture resistance, scratch resistance.
• Surface: Color, wood grain, gloss, smoothness.

What is the difference between MDF and HDF wood?

MDF and HDF differ in density, static bending strength, moisture resistance and price. Specifically as follows:

• Density: MDF (600-800 kg/m3), HDF (800-1000 kg/m3).
• Static bending strength: MDF (30-40 MPa), HDF (40-50 MPa).
• Moisture resistance: HDF is better than MDF, the thickness swelling rate after 24 hours of water immersion of MDF is 12-15%, HDF is 8-10%.
• Price: HDF is about 20-30% higher than MDF.

Which interior space is Melamine wood suitable for? 

Melamine wood is suitable for interior spaces such as living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and commercial spaces. 

• Living room: Diverse colors, glossy, luxurious.
• Kitchen: Moisture resistant, scratch resistant, easy to clean.
• Bathroom: Waterproof, moisture-proof, safe.
• Commercial space: Various colors, scratch resistant, easy to clean.

How many steps are there in the interior construction process with industrial wood?

The interior construction process with industrial wood includes 4 main steps:

• Design and technical drawing.
• Prepare construction materials and tools.
• Cutting and processing industrial wood.
• Assemble and finish the product.

How to clean and preserve industrial wood furniture properly? 

To clean and preserve industrial wood furniture, you need:

• Use a soft cloth, clean water or warm water diluted with neutral soap to wipe.
• Wipe in the direction of the wood grain, avoid rubbing hard, dry immediately after wet wiping.
• Vacuum, clean crevices and grooves periodically.
• Avoid exposing wood to direct sunlight and high temperatures.
• Spray termite insecticide periodically every 2-3 months.

What is the current trend of using industrial wood in interior design? 

Some trends in using industrial wood in interior design today:

• Using industrial wood covered with Melamine, Veneer with natural wood color.
• Combine industrial wood with other materials such as metal, glass, stone to create highlights.
• Prioritize environmentally friendly industrial wood with low formaldehyde.

Which unit should I hire to design and construct the interior? 

With many years of experience in the profession, SmartDecor is proud to be a reputable name trusted by many customers. 

Package Interior design and construction services Ours includes:  

• Consulting on product selection suitable for space and needs.
• Interior design from rough to finished.
• Design and construction, production of furniture on request.

Reasons to choose SmartDecor for interior design and construction: 

• With a team of experienced architects and technicians, well-trained and working professionally and dedicatedly.
• Diverse and rich design styles, suitable for customer requirements and market trends.
• Meets many different design styles from modern, classic to industrial.
• Professional construction process, ensuring construction progress and quality as designed.
• Commitment to construction 100% similar to design, even with complex details.
• Provide detailed, transparent quotes with no unexpected costs.
• Attractive warranty policy, accept to remake or return furniture if customers are not satisfied.

Contact us for more details!