What is Particle Board?

Particle board is a type of manufactured wood. The particles that are referenced in this wood’s name are comprised of a collection of wood shavings and scraps that are granulated and blended with a resin before being pressed and extruded into a board form. The scraps used to form particle board can be any wood byproduct collected at a saw mill such as saw dust or wood shavings. It is the granulized nature of the wood used in constructing particle board that makes it different from plywood.

Extruding is a process in which a shape is created by using high pressure to push a material through a die cast. For particle board, nearly any shape is possible to create. This is advantageous because wood type construction can be mimicked even while making extremely complex curves and edges that would require much more difficult preparation if actual hard wood was used. The disadvantage to using particle board is that it is not very strong when compared with other pressed woods. This type of substance can be laminated with coverings that give it other properties such as the waterproofing achieved with vinyl skin. This is a great material to use when low cost is of higher importance than strength.