The Hidden Dangers of Particle Board
Posted on July 8, 2025
Most closet systems today are made from particle board, which contains formaldehyde—a known human carcinogen. The health risks associated with this toxic chemical are especially concerning in closed environments like closets, where ventilation is limited.
At Lundia USA, we’ve taken a different path. Our closet systems are made with solid wood. No formaldehyde. No particle board. Just clean, safe storage.
If you’re building or remodeling a closet, ask what’s behind the surface. Your health may depend on it.
To help understand the differences in wood, here are specific details on EVERY wood type available for closets:
Details on all forms of wood you can choose from...
Particle board is made of thousands of small wood chunks glued together with formaldehyde resin. It's is the least expensive material for making wood products. Particle Board is the core panel that is used for melamine panels
Melamine is simply particle board or MDF with a printed paper material attached to one or both sides of the particle board. It is the least expensive material for making wood products with a simulated appearance of real wood. This is the material used by California Closets, Closets by Design, Closet World, Container World, Ikea, Closet Maid and Home Depot.
MDF is particle board made with extremely fine wood particles instead of wood chunks. The benefit of MDF is that it is stronger than standard particle board and can be routed and/or painted. However, standard MDF contains more formaldehyde as more resin is needed to bond the smaller particles. This material is commonly used by cabinet makers as a lower cost alternative to plywood and covered with paper melamine, plastic laminate (HPL) or actual wood veneer.
Plywood is several layers or ply's of wood that are all glued together to form a plywood panel. There are numerous quality levels of plywood depending on the material, the amount of layers and the glue used to make the plywood. Glue on standard plywood contains formaldehyde, although not nearly as much as particle board. Glue on Soy Based Plywood is made out of soy bean and contains no formaldehyde. This is the material used most often by cabinet makers for custom cabinetry. This is typically considered the best material next to solid wood.
Solid Wood is cut directly from the tree and milled to different thicknesses. It is then surfaced/planed into dimensions prepped for final use....typically made in 3/4", 1", 1 1/4" and 2" thicknesses for cabinet use. The lumber industry describes the thickness of solid wood in "Rough" dimensions after it has been cut in the mill but before it is surfaced smooth into it's final thickness. That is why a 2" x 4" is actually only 1 1/2"thick. It was cut at 2"thick before being surfaced smooth. This is the material used by Lundia USA. It requires more skilled labor and much more involved manufacturing processes. A cabinet frame made out of melamine/particle board will have 4 pieces. That same frame made out of solid wood will require 14 separate solid wood parts.