Particleboard
Range
Particleboards panels are sold either in their raw form with a sanded surface or with a surface decorative overlay such as bonded melamine papers, vinyl, or wood veneers. The most common grades available are Standard, Moisture Resistant (MR) and Flooring. A range of sheet sizes are available with the most usual being 2400 x 1200mm, and 3600 x 1200mm and 3600 x 900mm for flooring grade. Various thicknesses are produced as shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2 THICKNESS RANGES GENERALLY AVAILABLE
| Type |
|
Nominal Thickness (mm) |
| Standard
|
Thin |
6 |
| Medium |
9, 12, 16, 18 |
| Thick |
25, 33, 38 |
| MR |
Medium |
9, 12, 16, 18 |
| Thick |
25, 33 |
| Flooring |
|
19, 22, 25 |
NOTE: Not all manufacturers produce all sizes
Mechanical and Physical Properties
In determining product quality, a range of properties are tested on regular production samples. These tests generally include density, internal bond, bending properties, formaldehyde emission and moisture resistance. Special tests to predict long term durability are applied to particleboard flooring.
Australian and Industry Standards (see AS/NZS 1859.1 and 1860.1) detail testing methods and give limit values for the mechanical and physical properties resulting from these tests. Surface properties for decorative overlaid panels are described in AS/NZS 1859.3. Also consult our Data Sheets (downloadable under Publications on this site) for typical values of AWPA member produced panels.
Special test behaviour such as acoustic or thermal properties may be available from manufacturers.
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