MDF, Letron and chipboard differences and how to distinguish them! (Part 2)

MDF, Letron and chipboard

Practical ways to distinguish Letron, chipboard and MDF

Since we briefly took a glimpse of these products materials in previous part of this article, in this article we explore some method to easily detect Letron from chipboard and MDF as well from these two.

Letron is not very resistant to scratches, moisture and abrasion, but it is still one of the most popular coatings for covering chipboard or even MDF.

So, quite frankly, Letron is a thin coating that is glued to wood products such as chipboard to improve its final appearance; But for this reason, chipboard accompanied by a Letron paper cover is also called a Letron chipboard. Therefore, whenever we talk about Letron wood material, we mean chipboard covered with Letron coating.

The way to distinguish letron, chipboard and MDF from each other

Note that generally it is not possible to distinguish these wood products from the veneer, because all the main texture of the wood is covered by veneers of different thicknesses. Therefore, the only way to distinguish these cases from each other is to see naked or peeled wood without its cover. In this case, the distinction between MDF and chipboard is quite clear and it is easy to distinguish between the two.

So, if a person is faced with a cross section of chipboard or MDF, he can recognize the material, even at a small thickness of the board. For example, in the case of boards where the main wide surfaces are coated but the side diameters, which have a thicker strip, still show the raw texture inside the board. But after coating and final finishing of the boards, it is not possible to identify their type of material for the customer and the buyer who is not in the process of manufacturing and only sees the final product. In such cases, the part of the wood that shows its raw texture must be found.

For example, the hinge of a cabinet or cupboard door is a place that has no special coating and shows the raw texture of the inner board. In the same way, the customer and the buyer can observe the raw texture of the interior wood before installing the hinges on the wooden door of the cabinet or cupboard or similar products.

In this case, if a person is exposed to chipboard, he can easily recognize the pieces of wood with his eyes. It is the presence of these small, thin pieces of wood that makes the overall texture of chipboard rough and inhomogeneous. Also, no matter how hard you try to make the chipboard, the final product can not have a smooth and polished surface. Because the size and shape of the chips in the chipboard are different from each other, and this prevents the creation of a perfectly smooth surface.

Of course, this lack of smoothness of the chipboard surface is not to the extent that the veneer does not adhere well to it, but in any case, the ups and downs of the chipboard surface can be seen closely with the naked eye.

On the other hand, the inner texture without MDF veneer is a homogeneous texture, almost one color and smooth. As mentioned, the shape of the very chopped and fine MDF chips makes the MDF cut look smooth, even, uniform and much softer than chipboard.

If we touch the chipboard, its rough texture is felt under the skin, and even a grain of wood chips or chips may enter the skin of the hand, but the only thing that the skin of the hand feels in contact with MDF is probably wood powder or pollen, which would eliminate due to the final coating of the board.

Finally, the detection of Letron depends on the internal core. If the core is a chipboard base, the present product is considered to be Letron, otherwise it is MDF.

MDF, Letron and chipboard differences and how to distinguish them! (Part 1)

MDF, Letron and chipboard

In order to be able to distinguish between wood products, we need to have basic information about each of them. Before explaining practical ways to detect wood products such as MDF, Letron and chipboard we will briefly explore these materials. Testing the quality and performance of these products is time consuming, but the fastest way to compare products such as MDF and chipboard is to look at their appearance and compare their appearance.

Introduction to wooden products materials

What is MDF?

MDF or medium density fibreboard is a medium density wood plank that is between LDF and HDF in terms of strength and strength, which are light and heavy wood planks, respectively. These wood chips, as the name implies, are made of wood chips and are not integrated into the tree trunk. In fact, wood chips are used in various forms in the production of wood products, one of which is MDF. So, when we face MDF texture and its cross-section, we do not expect to see wood knots and the main wood texture.

A press machine is used to better put these pieces of wood together and make a strong wooden board. In this way, the wood chips that are to be converted to MDF are pressed by a press and heat machine to stick together to form a single board. Medium density corrugated board is used for heavier applications that require high strength and weight bearing.

But in addition to heat and pressure, a material with an adhesive nature such as resin helps to stick wood chips together in MDF. The resin provides a substrate for the wood chips to be placed between them to form a homogeneous composition. MDF from very fine wood chips; Which is made almost of the nature of wood powder. The combination of resin and wood powder creates a homogeneous appearance and a single color, and a completely flat wooden board.

What is a chipboard?

One of the first wood boards invented was a chipboard. Chipboard is made of wood chips that are placed under a press and heat machine to form a flat plank of wood with a specific size and diameter.

Chipboard was originally one of the best alternatives produced to natural wood, and its invention showed that it would have a fruitful future. As the following types of laminated and composite wood boards were made.

Two options of chipboard and MDF together

Both MDF and chipboard are green products made from recycled wood; In such a way that intact natural wood is not damaged to make them, and all the materials produced are woods that have been used before and have a waste amount to be used to make chipboard.

But in the meantime, the qualities of these products are also different from each other. The method of construction and the shape and type of materials used affect the quality of chipboard and MDF. Each of these chipboards and MDF products is used for a specific purpose, and the qualities contained in these materials are suitable for a limited range of tools and equipment. It makes sense to go for MDF for high product quality and use chipboard for lighter and less important tasks. That is why before buying these products, we should know them and be aware of the differences between them.

What is Letron?

Letron, also known as Paper Foil or Finish Foil, is a paper cover that is used as a coating on chipboard. This means that to improve the final appearance of the chipboard, veneers are placed on it so that the chipboard has a varied and desirable appearance and covers the not so high quality inside.

Letron is produced in rolls in different sizes and designs, and then a part or plate cut from the same thin paper roll is glued to the chipboard surface with glue and a pressing machine.

In the second part of this article we will explain some practical ways to detect these materials here …