Sheet materials guide: plywood, MDF, melamine & OSB
Compare plywood, MDF, melamine and OSB. Standard sheet sizes, weight, typical uses and how to choose the right material for your project.
Most cabinet, furniture and sign projects are built from a handful of standard sheet materials. Picking the right one — and knowing the standard size — is the first step to an efficient cutting list.
Plywood
Plywood is built from cross-laminated veneers, which gives it excellent strength in both directions and stable behaviour with humidity. Birch ply is popular for cabinet carcasses; hardwood ply (oak, walnut) for visible furniture parts; marine ply for wet environments. Common sheet sizes are 2440 × 1220 mm (8 × 4 ft) and 2500 × 1250 mm in Europe.
MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard)
MDF is dense, perfectly flat and machines cleanly — ideal for painted doors, jigs and CNC parts. It is heavier than plywood (~720 kg/m³) and weaker on screw pull-out, so edges meant for fasteners often need inserts. Standard sizes are 2440 × 1220 mm and 2800 × 2070 mm.
Melamine / MFC
Melamine-faced chipboard (MFC) is the workhorse of flat-pack cabinetry: pre-finished, cheap and available in dozens of decors. It chips easily, so a scoring blade or a fresh, fine-tooth blade is recommended. Typical sheet: 2800 × 2070 mm, 18 mm thick.
OSB
Oriented Strand Board is structural sheathing for floors, walls and roofs. Cheap and strong, but rough — not for fine furniture. Standard size: 2440 × 1220 mm.
Choosing for your project
- Kitchen and wardrobe cabinets → 18 mm melamine carcass + plywood or MDF doors.
- Built-in shelving → 18 mm birch plywood for visible quality.
- Painted furniture → 18 mm MDF, sealed edges.
- Workshop jigs → 12–18 mm MDF.
- Sub-floor and sheathing → 18–22 mm OSB.