ALTERNATIVES TO PLYWOOD

MADE BY:-RAGHAV AGGARWAL (A03)

SOHAM BHANUSHALI (A07)
KASHISH KUKREJA (A025)
VANSHAJ MEHROTRA(A029)
BETINA NERIKAT(A033)
ALTERNATIVES TO PLYWOOD
• BLOCK BOARD

• PARTICLE BOARD

• MEDIUM DENSITY FIBRE

• WOOD PLASTIC COMPOSITES

 BLOCK BOARD
• At their core, blackboard sheets are made up of solid blocks of
wood (also called strips or battens). These solid wood blocks
are placed adjacent to each other lengthwise across the board
and then the front and back surfaces of the board are covered
with hardwood veneers.
 MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF
BLOCKBOARD
• Blockboards are engineered wooden boards that are made
using softwood blocks for the core andhardwood veneer for
the surfaces. They are made of rectangular blocks stuck
together arranged along the length of the board, then it is
faced with veneer.
• These blocks are dried to reduce the moisture content by 12%.
This is done to increase its strength and durability as for all
timber. For the front & back, single hardwood ply layers are
used as face veneer.
• The outer layers are firmly pressed over the core blocks
using hot press blockboard machines. These machines
generally use steam as the main heat source.
 SIZES AND COST
Blockboard sizes in Sq. Feet
8' x 4'
8' x 3'
7' x 4'
7' x 3'
6' x 4'
6' x 3'

Standard blockboard thickness: 16mm, 19mm and

25 mm.
Face Veneers: 4 mm on each side
The price of blockboards in India ranges anywhere
from (60 - 100 – not sure) depending on size,
thickness and wood used.
 Advantages Disadvantages
The stability of block boards are well They are weaker, don’t have long durability.
enough stability, these can even show
stability in humid environment those have
moisture resistance.

BWP, one variety of block board are Deterioration of block board is not guaranteed.
stronger enough and resistant to both water
and humidity.

They are inexpensive due to use of softwood If the strips inside are from cheap, low quality
wood, may be attacked by insects. ;

The lightweight of block board made it
convenient to use. The bulk of the board
made up of core block are also popular for
its light weight as made from softwood and
easy for transportation.
Block boards are lighter in weight so not much
dependable hard material. The unwanted gap
between softwood strips make them difficult to
work for carpenters

They can hold screw, nail and laminating Screwing and nailing must be done carefully
coat and for this, it is easy to work on it. It otherwise it may crack.
can take varnish, paint, and laminate coat
on the surface by using glue.

For warping or twisting this is a good choice Shrinkage and swelling of the board may occur.
for its resistance quality.
 TYPES OF BLOCKBOARD
ON THE BASIS OF USAGE:
• 1. Interior Grade:
Suitable for indoor use, such as for furniture used inside the
home or for doors. These types are also called MR grade
(Moisture Resistant) blockboard.
• 2. Exterior Grade:
• This type of blockboard is suitable for outdoor use and it also
known as BWP or BWR grade blockboard. BWP stands for
Boiling Water Proof and BWR stands for Boiling Water
Resistant.
 TYPES OF BLOCKBOARD
ON THE BASIS OF THE MATERIAL OF THE CORE:

• Softwood:
The core blocks are almost always made from softwood obtained
from softwood trees (e.g. Pine wood is very popular in India).

• Hardwood:
While softwood core is the most common, some manufacturers do
manufacture blockboards that have a core made from hardwood
strips as well as hardwood veneers on the outside. Such types of
boards are denser, heavier, stronger and also generally costlier.
 USES AND APPLICATIONS
• Unlike plywood which has a tendency
to sag in the middle, blockboard is
stiffer and is less prone to bending for
making long book shelves.

• For making tables and benches

• Blockboard Doors and Solid core
flush doors
• Single and double beds, and
Settees (Diwan) for sitting.
• Lengthy wall panels.
 LIMITATIONS
• Not as strong as plywood or good quality solid wood
The major disadvantage of blockboards is that since
softwood is used in its making, it is not as strong as quality
solid wood or hardwood plywood. So when it comes to
furniture making, plywood is the preferred choice of
material .

• Minor disadvantage for carpenters

The blocks that form the core, may have small gaps
between them. Sometimes the nails that are driven
through the board surface may not go into the wood but
rather in the gaps between the blocks, which can affect the
holding strength of that nail.
 SUSTAINABILTIY
• Since small softwood blocks are used for its core, spare wood
blocks strips or battens can be reused to make blockboards,
making to environmentally sustainable.

COMPANIES
• Century Ply - Manufactures block boards in both the MR and
BWP grades.
• Kitply - its block boards are branded as Kitboard, Kitboard
Gold, and Swastik Commercial MR Grade.
• Greenply - Makes blockboards in both internal and external
grades.
 TYPES OF PARTICLE BOARD
• Laminated Particle Board: Laminated particle board is
manufactured by attaching a thin layer of laminates on the surface
of plain particle board.
• Veneered Particle Board: Veneers are a very thin slice of wood
which is obtained from a tree log. Veneered particle board is
manufactured by attaching veneer on the top surface of the plain
particle board.
TYPES OF PARTICLE BOARDS:
• Cement Bonded Particle Board: As
the name implies, this board
uses cement as a bonding agent and has high resistant to
moisture, fire and rot. Due to cement content, these
boards are more durable, fire-resistant and termite
resistant.

• Melamine Particle Board: A sheet of melamine-impregnated

decor paper is attached on the top surface of the plain
particle board under heat and pressure. Melamine particle
boards are very durable and have resistant to scratches.
 MANUFACTURING PROCESS
• Particleboard or chipboard is manufactured by mixing wood
particles or flakes together with a resin and forming the
mixture into a sheet.
• The raw material is fed into a disc chipperwith between four
and sixteen radially arranged blades.
• The particles are then dried, and any oversized or undersized
particles are screened out.
• Resin is then sprayed as a fine mist onto the particles.
• After the particles pass through a mist of resin sufficient to
coat all surfaces, they are layered into a continuous carpet.
• This 'carpet' is then separated into discrete, rectangular
'blankets' which will be compacted in a cold press.
• A scale weighs the flakes, and they are distributed by rotating
rakes. In graded-density particleboard, the flakes are spread by
an air jet that throws finer particles further than coarse ones.
• Two such jets, reversed, allow the particles to build up from
fine to coarse and back to fine.
• The formed sheets are cold-compressed to reduce thickness
and make them easier to transport. The entire process is
controlled to ensure the correct size, density and consistency of
the board.
• The boards are then cooled, trimmed and sanded. They can
then be sold as raw board or surface improved through the
addition of a wood veneer or laminate surface.
 ADVANTAGES OF PARTICLE BOARD DISADVANTAGES OF PARTICLE BOARD

Low Cost: Low on strength:

Compared to plywood furniture of similar dimensions, It is less dense and can easily get damaged while handling.
particle board furniture costs less than half.

Ready-made furniture: Low life, low durability:

Particle boards are machine manufactured to desired Not long lasting, last for around 2 to 3 years .
dimensions, and thus standard pieces of furniture can be
manufactured

Light-weight: Cannot support heavy loads:

furniture made from these boards is relatively easy to Particle boards are almost never used in applications where
transport and move around. the boards will be subjected to heavy weights.
 ADHESIVES/RESINS USED
• Familiar white carpenter's glue holds particle board as tightly as it
does wood and is the best choice for joining particle board to itself
or to other wood products. After applying the glue to one of the
surfaces you're joining, you need to clamp it to the other until the
glue dries. The resulting bond is stronger than the particle board
itself.
• COMPANIES IN MUMBAI

• Greenply Industries Ltd.

• S. M. Traders
• Star Panels board
MEDIUM DENSITY FIBRE ( MDF )BOARD
• Medium-density fibreboard is an engineered wood product made by
breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibres,
often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and a resin binder
 MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF MDF
• Chip production - The trees are debarked after being cut. The debarked
logs are sent to the MDF plant, where they go through the chipping
process. A typical disk chipper contains 4–16 blades. Any resulting
chips that are too large may be re-chipped; undersized chips may be
used as fuel.

• Chup washer- The chips are then washed and checked for defects.
Chips may be stored in bulk, as a reserve for manufacturing.

• Fibre production

• Sheet forming
MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF MDF
 SIZES AND COST
• 8*4, 8*6, 7*6, 7*4, 6*4

• Thickness-
2.3mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 5.5mm,
6mm, 8mm, 11mm, 13mm, 15mm,
18mm, 25mm and 30mm.

• Cost- The cost of the mdf varies

depending on their size and thickness.
Starting from ₹5 per square foot to ₹75 square foot.
 ADVANTAGES OF MDF DISADVANTAGES OF MDF

MDF is generally cheaper than plywood. MDF will soak up water and other liquids like a sponge
and swell unless it’s very well sealed on all sides and
edges.

The surface of MDF is very smooth which makes it great Because it consists of such fine particles, MDF doesn’t
surface for painting hold screws very well

MDF is very consistent throughout, so cut edges appear Because it’s so dense, MDF is very heavy which can
smooth and won’t have voids or splinters. make it more difficult to work with.

The consistency and smoothness of MDF allows for easy MDF contains VOCs (eg. urea-formaldehyde) so care
cutting of detailed designs (such as scrolled or scalloped needs to be taken while cutting and sanding to avoid
designs) using a scroll saw, band saw or jigsaw. inhalation of the particles.
 ADHESIVES/RESINS USED
• Mdf adhesive

• Evo bond

• Fevi bond

• Titebond melamine glue

 USES AND APPLICATIONS OF MDF
• Often used in school projects
because of its flexibility

• Slatwalls panels are used in the

shop fitting industry

• Is primarily used for indoor

applications due to its poor
moisture resistance.
 WOOD PLASTIC COMPOSITES ( WPCs )
• Wood-plastic composites are composite materials made of
wood fiber/wood flour and thermoplastic such as PE, PP,
PVC, or PLA.
• In addition to wood fiber and plastic, WPCs can also contain
other ligno-cellulosic and/or inorganic filler materials.
 MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF WPC
• Wood plastic composites are produced by thoroughly mixing
ground wood particles and heated thermoplastic resin.
• Polyethene based WPCs are by far the most common WPCs
used .
• In some manufacturing facilities , the constituents are
combined and processed in a pelletizing extruder. The pellets
are then re-melted and formed into the finished desired shape.
• Other manufacturers complete the finished part in a single
step of mixing and extrusion.
 SIZE AND COST (PER SQ FEET )
• Commonly it is available in a board size of 8x4 feet.
• The thickness may wary from 6mm to 40mm

• 6mm thick board :- 23Rs

• 17mm thick board :- 55Rs
• 18mm thick board :- 70Rs
• 25mm thick board :- 110Rs
 USES AND APPLICATIONS

• Modular kitchens
• Furniture (doors)
• Wet prone areas
• Kitchen cabinets
• Bathroom vanities
• Wall paneling
• LCD fittings
• Sliding wardrobes
 ADVANTAGES OF WPC DISADVANTAGES OF WPC

Used in water prone areas . Doesn’t sog a lot in moisture The cost of WPC material is high compared to the other
materials used for same purposes.
WPC material is highly fire resistant. It provides fire WPC material doesnt have the natural wood texture. The
protection and keeps your furnishings safe. natural wood feeling is missing especially when furniture
and doors are prepared.

WPC can be moulded into different shapes and sizes. If Has lesser impact strength and is too rigid.
you are looking for a designer door or window, WPC
gives a very rich look and freshest polishing.
It is an environment friendly material which is safe to Plastic components in them is seen as a sign of weakness
use. It remains untouched and unaffected from climatic and a mark of inferior quality.
conditions and provides security from water, fire and
chemicals.
 ADHESIVES/RESINS USED
• Adhesives should be free of formaldehyde .

• Adhesives should be solvent free .

• Jowat adhesives can be used .

• Loctite adhesives can also be used .

 SUSTAINABILTIY OF WPC
• It is a quite sustainable material to use . It offers a very low
environmental footprint and has superior performance
compared to the other materials used for the same applications
.

• Wood pulp added a renewable material to the process,

reducing dependency on petroleum-based raw materials.

• Wood-plastic composites feature the benefit of reduced melting

temperature, resulting in lower energy costs for producers, and
further reducing the product’s environmental impact