Panel products: A perspective from furniture and cabinet manufacturers in the southern United States

Particle board and medium density fiberboard are primary composite panel pr oducts used in the manufacture of furniture, cabinets, millwork, molding, d oor parts, floor underlayment, laminate flooring, and many other products. The objectives of this study were to understand the southern U.S, furniture and cabinet manufacturer perspective in using these composite panel produc ts relative to plywood (a non-composite panel) and to determine their selec tion criteria. The study addresses technical, economic, and performance cha racteristics. It was found that nearly half of the total value of raw mater ials used by respondents in 1997 was comprised of these three panel product s. In all but one industry sector studied, respondents said they planned to increase usage of all three panel types. The main reason respondents use t hese products is that they are economical to use, while the main reason the y are not used is customer objections.