Particleboard

Particleboard, also known as chipboard, is an engineered wood product manufactured from wood chips or jute-stick chips and a synthetic resin or other suitable binder, which is pressed and extruded. Particleboard is often confused with oriented strand board (also known as flakeboard, waferboard, or chipboard), a different type of fiberboard that uses machined wood flakes and offers more strength.

Particleboard is cheaper, denser and more uniform than conventional wood and plywood and is substituted for them when cost is more important than strength and appearance. Particleboard can be made more appealing by painting or the use of wood veneers on visible surfaces. Though it is denser than conventional wood, it is the lightest and weakest type of fiberboard, except for insulation board.