Plywood vs. MDF vs. Particleboard: What Is Actually Inside a Cabinet
The three materials behind almost every cabinet sold in the US, what each one does well, and why a wall-mounted piece changes the answer.
Ask what a cabinet is made of and you will get a finish name, not a material. Underneath the veneer or paint, nearly every cabinet is one of three engineered panels. Each has a place. A cabinet that hangs off a wall narrows the choice.
The three panels
| Panel | Made from | Strength | Water | Weight | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood plywood | Thin wood layers, cross-grained | Highest | Tolerates it | Lightest | Highest |
| MDF | Fine wood fiber, resin | Moderate | Swells if soaked | Heaviest | Middle |
| Particleboard | Coarse chips, resin | Lowest | Swells and crumbles | Heavy | Lowest |
What each one is good at
Plywood holds screws, resists sagging over long spans, and shrugs off the occasional leak. It is the box material for anything that carries weight or lives near water.
MDF is flat, stable and machines cleanly, which is why it is the standard for painted doors and fluted or slatted fronts. Paint on MDF does not telegraph grain or crack at the joints the way it can on solid wood.
Particleboard is fine in a dry closet where cost matters most. It is a poor choice under a sink and a worse choice hanging on a wall, because the fasteners pull through.
Why "floating" changes the answer
A freestanding cabinet rests on the floor. A floating cabinet hangs from its back rail and the load runs through the case joints. That makes fastener holding power and panel stiffness the two properties that matter most, and those are exactly where plywood leads.
How we build
- Plywood cases with a solid mounting rail, so every fastener bites into layered wood.
- MDF or plywood door and drawer fronts depending on the finish. Painted and fluted fronts are MDF; wood-veneer fronts are plywood.
- Sealed edges on every panel that could see water.
Questions to ask any cabinet seller
- What is the case made of, not the doors?
- What is the back panel thickness on a wall-mounted piece?
- Are the panel edges sealed?
Made in the USA
Every piece we write about is built to order in our Chicago shop and shipped factory-direct with free scheduled curbside LTL delivery.
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