"What is manufactured wood?" is one of the questions we get asked most often, and this article is focused on helping our customers understand the answer to this question, in order to make the best decision for them when purchasing wood furniture. Making furniture is expensive, and requires complex manufacturing processes that take raw materials like wood, metal, or glass and turn them into precise pieces that fit together to make a piece of furniture. So it's no wonder that there are many terms to grasp, or that it can all get confusing.
The most common question we get asked before we get asked about manufactured wood is: "Is this desk solid wood?" What a customer typically means when they ask this question is, "Is this desk real wood or is it that flimsy, light, fake wood stuff that falls apart after a few months?"
Well, to answer either question we have to untangle the questions and the underlying assumptions, and hopefully in a few words we will all be on the same page about what solid wood furniture is, what manufactured wood furniture is, and what the cheap fake wood furniture is.
First, solid wood furniture is furniture that is made of only the wood of a tree and the hardware to keep it together--it is crafted out of large hunks of wood into smaller portions in the manufacturing process, and then assembled to form an impressive piece of furniture that is very heavy and very sturdy (and typically quite expensive). Here is a picture of a solid wood desk we have on the site:
Below is a picture of the desk I am sitting at while I write, from Bestar, one of our best selling manufacturers. It is made of manufactured wood and I will tell you this desk is very sturdy, quite heavy, and well made.
So what is that cheap, light, flimsy, fake wood stuff you were thinking of? That furniture is made of something most people call particle board. There is a huge difference between particle board and manufactured wood. One is made of real wood (manufactured wood) and the other contains no wood whatsoever. They call it particle boardto make it sound like it has wood, but it does not. You will find very cheap furniture at Walmart or other inexpensive stores made of this, and typically such furniture will not last more than a year. We sell nothing made of particle board on the site. I hope that explains a bit better what manufactured wood is, and gives you more confidence as you search our site!
Check out some of our solid wood desks
More furniture from Bestar, our top manufactured wood manufacturer
Thank you so much for the great explanation of the different types of construction materials. You have helped so many of us and done a great service.
This article is excellent. I also thought MDF was particle board. Thanks for the great information.
I always thought particleboard = MDF, but clarifying this doesn’t make me any more impressed with MDF.
Excellent information!
Thank you, that was very informative and put in terms that gives the understanding of the difference of all three terms I have been reading… Thank You!
How well is the seat of a dining room chair going to hold up if it is NOT solid wood?
Interesting and informative article, thank you.
i love it
THANKS SOOO MUCH HELP FOR HOMEWORK
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JoVonne
June 29, 2020
Thank you for the explanation, I’m more informed. You’re right…the Walmart furniture doesn’t last long and now I’m on the hunt for new bookshelves.