HDF, MDF

1. What is HDF wood?

HDF wood is an industrial plywood product whose full name is High Density Fiberboard. This type of wood was developed on the basis of overcoming many disadvantages of wood chipboards such as MDF and MFC and improving the quality of the wood core. HDF fiber wood provides durability and load-bearing capacity with high density.

1.1 HDF INDUSTRIAL WOOD STRUCTURE

HDF industrial pressed wood is made from 80% - 85% natural wood. Utilizing leftover wood scraps, branches, tree tops and short-term regenerated wood as the main raw materials to create wood panels. After being boiled, the wood pulp will be dried at temperatures of 1000oC - 2000oC to remove all resin and water. HDF will usually be pressed under a pressure of 850 - 870 kg/cm2 to shape HDF wood panels with dimensions of 2000mm x 2400mm, thickness of 6mm - 24mm or other sizes as requested. Surface-treated HDF wood panels are sent to the cutting line according to predetermined sizes, then covered with a layer of wood grain and surface coating.

Quality HDF wood structure, meeting European standards.

The surface coating is made from Melamine Resin and glass-fiber so it is transparent, helping to keep the color long-lasting and the wood grain stable and protecting the surface layer of HDF wood. That's why HDF is the highest quality plywood among all types of plywood at the moment.

1.2 OUTSTANDING CHARACTERISTICS OF HDF WOOD

In order to comparing with  other types of industrial wood panels, HDF wood panels have many more outstanding characteristics. Therefore, this type of board is also prioritized for use in many projects from medium to high and very high traffic density.

• First: The surface of high-quality plywood is very smooth, not rough and free of wood chips. The wood panel has a solid texture, without tiny voids like in MDF.
• Second: HDF will usually be pressed under a pressure of 850 - 870 kg/cm2 to shape the HDF wood panel with very good strength, not deformed or broken when subjected to strong impact.
• Third: Wood pulp molecules are tightly bonded together so the ability to expand is very low, ensuring durability and limiting damage when exposed to water or high temperatures.
• Fourth: Super dense HDF wood panels have very good soundproofing and noise insulation properties.
• Fifth: Super dense wood core helps HDF wood panels have good termite resistance and is not damaged by insects.
• Sixth: Treated to meet health safety standards E1 - E2, industrial pressed wood is safe for health, does not cause allergies or poisoning in humans.

With many outstanding features, HDF is applied to many high-density projects.

Treated Surface HDF wood panels are sent to the cutting line to predetermined sizes, usually 2000mm x 2400mm, 6mm - 24mm thick or other sizes according to user needs and then coated wood grain layer and surface coating. The surface coating is made from Melamine Resin and glassfiber so it is transparent, helping to keep the color long-lasting and the wood grain stable and protecting the surface layer of HDF wood.

1.3 PROCESS OF PRODUCTION OF STANDARD HDF INDUSTRIAL WOOD

HDF industrial wood core is produced based on a process ensuring strict standards, strict treatment to produce plywood with extremely good quality. The process shall be complied with following 7 main steps:

• Step 1: After harvesting natural wood from the forest, the wood will be simply processed before being sent to the production factory.
• Step 2: HDF boards are classified and then sliced into thin pieces to be brought into the factory, ground into powder form, and produce HDF wood core. All types of industrial wood are generally this form of HDF.
• Step 3: Wood pulp is now mixed with glue and other additives, pressed with high temperature and pressure. Form wooden panels from 3-25mm thick.
• Step 4: The HDF wood panel now continues to be treated on both sides to increase its hardness and resistance to termites and blisters.
• Step 5: After processing both sides, the wooden board is rolled with a layer of wood grain surface coating. This surface layer is scratch-proof, waterproof, termite-proof... Usually made from Melamine Resin and combined with fiberglass.
• Step 6: Wooden boards will continue to be pressed under high pressure and temperature, to ensure that the layers are tightly bonded. At the same time, the surface of the boards is also polished.
• Step 7: Make locking seams for HDF industrial flooring. These locks are made according to the most commonly used standard today, the coaxial Uniclic system.

HDF industrial wood core is produced using a standard process with 7 steps.

After completing the locking process, high-quality wooden floor panels are sent for quality testing and canned before being released to the market.

1.4. POPULAR TYPES OF HDF WOOD

In the current industrial board market, we have many options due to the persity of types from origin to product quality. Not only domestically produced types but also imported wooden boards from abroad also account for the majority of the market. However, in general, there are two popular types of HDF plywood: white core HDF and green core HDF.

Natural white core HDF wood

This is the original type of plywood that retains the natural white color of the wood without going through any dyeing treatment, so it is very safe for health. In most of the market, you will come across this type of board. White core HDF wood fully meets the basic standards of high-quality industrial pressed wood.

• HDF is able for sound resistance and heat insulation.
• The structure of HDF board is a solid wooden frame that has been dried, is termite resistant, and limits warping.
• Diverse wood colors for choosing.
• HDF wood grain resembles natural wood.
• The surface is smooth and evenly colored, helping to harmonize the space of the project.
• Because the internal structure has high compression density, the moisture resistance is better than other types of industrial wood.
• The hardness of the wood is high and can be clearly felt when held. Experts say that this type of wood has much higher hardness than other industrial woods.
• High impact resistance.
• Friendly environment and safe for users as main ingredients being used are natural wood pulp and not using untested industrial dyes.

White core HDF wood fully meets the basic standards of high-quality industrial pressed wood.

In order to increase the aesthetics of plywood boards, we can cover surfaces such as Veneer, Laminate, Melamine,... with wood grain patterns, stone grain patterns... supporting clients many options, while ensuring durability, aesthetics and high quality.

Green core HDF wood

Another type of HDF wood panel available on the market is green core HDF wood panel. In general, there are many different opinions surrounding this type of green core plywood. Most users on the market assume that green wood core is the most water-resistant industrial wood available today. This view is both correct and incorrect. It is true that there are some types of high-quality HDF industrial wood imported from abroad such as Germany, Spain,... that have very good moisture and water resistance with extremely high compression force of up to 900kg/m3 which not all mass production lines can meet. The green color of the wood core is taken from natural, safe organic industrial colors. This characteristic green color is completely friendly and not harm the user's health or the environment. However, an important note is that this blue color will fade over time. It does not retain the same color fastness as the original. Because it is a natural color, it is not harmful to humans and the environment

What's not true is that because of the high level product classification markings from reputable factories around the world, many dubious domestic manufacturing facilities shall take advantage of this point to produce kinds of HDF wooden boards in which has low standards but is dyed the blue colors with untested industrial dyes  to become as super moisture-resistant wood. They use toxic dyes or green fabric dye to dye the wood and then inflate the price of the product to high level. They rely on ambiguity in transforming and providing information, bringing a false view deeply embedded in the subconscious of buyers that green wood core is produced from other raw materials so it has good moisture resistance. In fact, the green color of the wood core has no effect on the moisture resistance of the board, but the compression ratio is the deciding factor in whether the board is water-resistant or not.

HDFMR and HDF have almost the same features, the only difference is the green color of the wood core.

White core HDF pressed under a pressure of 900kg/m3 - 1050kg/m3 will certainly shall be better on water resistance than green core industrial board in which pressed under the pressure less than 700kg/m3. You may be deceived by non-transparent information, have to spend an undeserving amount of money to get a poor quality product, and have many potential toxic risks to your health when untested dyes which are used can cause poisoning and emissions into the environment. Please become the smart consumer!

1.5 HDF’s water resistance characteristic is good or not?

This is the question that many people are most interested in when choosing to buy HDF wood. The answer is yes! It depends on the HDF industrial wood production process. If produced using a modern and optimal process, the water resistance of a wooden board is very good. On the other hand, it also depends on its compression ratio. While the compression ratio of MDF wood is only 640kg/m3 - less than 700kg/m3, MFC wood is 160kg/m3 - 450kg/m3 which is quite low, HDF wood is compressed under pressure from 850kg/m3 - 900kg/m3 (even can even reach up to 1050kg/m3) many times higher than other types of boards. That's why HDF plywood has very good moisture and water resistant. According to some practical experiments, when soaking this high-quality board in water for 24 hours, the swelling level is only 6% - 7% (a level within the allowable threshold and quality assurance). If observed with the naked eye, we will not be able to recognize the difference, there is no surface blistering, nor warping. Therefore, if you are looking for a high-quality, water-resistant plywood product, HDF plywood is the number one for your choice.

1.6 HOW TO CHOOSE HIGH QUALITY STANDARD HDF WOOD

In order to choose a high-quality HDF industrial plywood product, bringing a "valuable" experience, you need to know the following criteria for evaluating high-quality HDF wood.

• When choosing wooden boards, you need to pay attention to the origin. A board that is transparent about the place of production and process will bring higher reliability than those without transparent information. Imported products also have higher quality because they are produced using modern processes and undergo many strict tests to meet international trade standards.
• Don't forget to check the relevant documents regarding product quality certification. The parameters of compression ratio, force-resistance, expansion, etc… are all keys for evaluating a good product.
• In addition to quality standards, health safety indicators are also very important. Normally, high-quality industrial woods meet E1 standards. Standard floor types E3, E4,... will contain high concentrations of Formaldehyde, causing respiratory problems and difficulty breathing for people with long-term exposure.

In addition, in the face of depletion of forest resources, you should also choose industrial boards produced from planted or regenerated forest materials.

With the advantage of sound insulation, this type of board is also used as doors for many building. They are especially useful for street-facing houses or crowded residential areas with a lot of noise. Using HDF wooden doors will bring safety and quiet space to your home. In fact, HDF industrial wood is also applied in many aspects of life. They can be created into many useful items based on the user's needs. No matter what application it is used for, we cannot deny the durability and high quality of this type of industrial wood. Hopefully, through this page you will have more useful information about types of industrial wood.

2. what is MDF industrial wood ?

MDF (Medium density fiberboard) or also known as Medium density fiberboard - is an industrial wood board product whose main component is wood fiber (or wood pulp) processed from softwood and hardwood. , adhesives and some other ingredients (Paraffin, hardeners...) are pressed under high temperature and pressure.

2.1 History of foundation & development

MDF has a not too long history of development. The first MDF board factory was built in 1964 in New York (USA) and has developed strongly in other North American and European countries since 1990 continuously until now. Till 1970, there were only 3 factories in the world in the US with capacity from 39,000m3/year to 133,000m3/year. However, by 2000, there were a total of 291 factories worldwide and the largest factory capacity reached 340,000 m3/year. To meet market requirements, industrialized countries have accelerated the construction of MDF industrial wood factories with an average annual output increase of 15.5%. In 1996, the world produced 17.53 million m3, and by 2001, the total output of MDF boards worldwide reached 29.056 million m3.

2.2 The structure of MDF

- MDF board's main components are wood fiber (or wood powder), adhesives and some other ingredients (Paraffin, hardeners...).

- Normally, the composition of MDF board includes about 75% wood, 11 - 14% Urea Formaldehyde (UF) glue, 6 - 10% water and less than 1% other ingredients (Paraffin, hardener...). For high humidity environments, Melamine resin or Phenolic & Polymeric Diphenylmethane Diisocyanate (PMDI) resin is added to the glue to create a moisture-resistant MDF material.

- The wood fibers (or wood pulp) in MDF are mainly made from soft woods. However, depending on the manufacturer's purpose, some hardwood components may be added to achieve the desired wood type.