MDF, plywood and other sheet materials are all specially engineered wood products, but can be quite different in the way they behave.
In many builders merchants jobs, like those seen at https://bmcareers.com/distributors-and-builders-merchants-vacancies/, staff regularly advise on MDF and plywood differences, helping customers match the right sheet material to strength and cost needs.
MDF
MDF is smooth, making it popular for furniture and shelving which doesn’t need to be strong but does need a smooth finish. However, MDF is quite heavy compared to plywood, and it does not handle moisture well.
Plywood
Plywood is made by layering thin sheets of wood veneer on top of each other, with each layer’s grain running in a different direction.
Because of this layered construction, plywood is much better at resisting bending and warping compared to MDF.
There are different grades of plywood, with higher grades having fewer knots and defects. Marine plywood, for example, is designed to resist moisture much better than the standard interior grades.
Other sheet materials
OSB are another common sheet material made from large wood strands that are compressed and glued together in layers. It is cost-effective and strong in large panels., but has a rough surface.
There are also particle boards, which are made from even smaller wood particles than MDF. These are generally the cheapest option but also the weakest.
