How is Particle Board Made?

Particle board has been in use since the 1940s, often used in place of the more expensive plywood as subflooring or instead of natural hardwoods in furniture manufacturing. At one point in its history, however, particle board was considered an expensive designer material, reserved for use in exclusive homes and upscale furniture factories. Modern particle board is now made primarily by combining discarded wood shavings, chips and sawdust with a strong resin and pressing the mixture into serviceable boards and planks. The process of making particle board begins with real wood. Most particle board manufacturers use waste wood products collected from commercial woodworking factories, although some virgin wood may be used as well. All of this recycled wood fiber and sawdust is stored in large containers before being processed into particle board. The wood particles are usually dried, then sorted to eliminate overly large or small pieces. Once this mechanical sorting has been completed, ...  more