Particle board is a manufactured wood product that is utilized in most of the commercially-produced furniture available today. Particle board is inexpensive, stable and because it is manufactured from scraps and recycled lumber, it is considered environmentally-friendly. When it has a veneer applied to the surface, particle board can even look like hardwood to the untrained eye.

However, there's one thing particle board isn't.

It isn't hardwood.

That being said, there are some advantages as well as considerable disadvantages to using particle board. In Can Particle Board Be Used in Fine Woodworking Projects?, we discuss whether there is a use for particle board in fine woodworking projects.