MDF vs. Particle Board

[packerfan 10+ year member]

Ah, perfect, two very conflicting viewpoints, any other suggestions?

Unless your doing a big wall or just a big box, use mdf but if its just a small box save some money and go with PB. just my 2 cents.

 

[Nikuk 5,000+ posts]

well.... what was the conclusion here?

 

[CarlB 10+ year member]

http://www.jlaudio.com/tutorials/boxdesign/index.html

"Avoid using particle board at all costs as it is too flaky (literally), doesn't hold screws well and swells like a sponge when water hits it. In short, particle board comes from the Pit of Hell. Avoid it at all costs."

 

[bamaboy 5,000+ posts]

are you buildind the ported box or sealed one from re. Thats a good combo for subs and amp. i have SX with Viper 1200.1 which is pretty much same amp as urs, you will be happy if you build the box right

 

[radel2dope 10+ year member]

are you buildind the ported box or sealed one from re. Thats a good combo for subs and amp. i have SX with Viper 1200.1 which is pretty much same amp as urs, you will be happy if you build the box right

I just bought an RE 35.1, so Im wondering if I should go with the SX or XXX now

 

[DARKHART 10+ year member]

Wow, where do i start..."worst sounding wood on earth" Haha, ok, ive used partical board on 95% of my boxes and i have yet to notice a difference between PA and MDF...second of all, the closest cabinet shop charges $45 a sheet of MDF, and the closest HD is 30 miles...you will not hear a difference between a properly build PA box and MDF box.

Finally someone with some common sense.... particular board will be just fine if the enclosure is built and braced properly. All this nonsense about not using it is just that...nonsense. Granted MDF would be a better choice but in your case use the PB. As for that "worst material ever" statement on JL's site...garbage! We've been building sub enclosure in this industry for both home and car use decades before there ever was a JL Audio. I remember when they first hit the market, alot of the vehicles sporting their subs had PB boxes.

In a real world "joe averge" application, PB would be just fine if built right....... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[drpeeb 10+ year member]

Finally someone with some common sense.... particular board will be just fine if the enclosure is built and braced properly. All this nonsense about not using it is just that...nonsense. Granted MDF would be a better choice but in your case use the PB. As for that "worst material ever" statement on JL's site...garbage! We've been building sub enclosure in this industry for both home and car use decades before there ever was a JL Audio. I remember when they first hit the market, alot of the vehicles sporting their subs had PB boxes.In a real world "joe averge" application, PB would be just fine if built right....... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

PB is not only just as good a material for sub boxes, in all circumstances ... dare I say, maybe better. Here's my comparison:

Equals

- They both swell when wet, so no difference there. Not sure why that would matter anyway.

- A bunch of folks on here already weighed in and it seems consensus that there's no audible difference between them.

- I, and others weighing here, have pre-drilled and countersunk many screws in PB, and not a problem. If you don't pre-drill, big splitting problem. If you don't counter-sink, big splitting problem.

Points for PB

- Cheaper than MDF

- Weighs quite a bit less

Points for MDF

- ???

 

[mendon mafia 10+ year member]

the only real issue with particle board is splitting when screwing it together.

PB is just as rigid (if not more so) as mdf and weighs less. That being said there should be no audible difference. And even if it were less rigid you could always uses dowels or threaded rod to brace the box which many people, including myself do anyways.

Ive never built a box from it but if you use good glue and brads i dont see why it wouldn't work. or if you wanted to use screws be sure to counter sink and pre-drill all your holes a good amount to avoid splitting.

I guarante all the PB boxes that everyone claims they have seen break or "blow apart" it was due to a split that was already there caused by a screw or screws. also could be due to poor gluing which jeasily could happen to an mdf enclosure if you dont know what you are doing.

FYI Most house floors and exterior walls are made from PB. if it wasn't strong they wouldn't use it. just my 2 (maybe 3) cents

 

[gotparts90 10+ year member]

I would rather build out of crappy plywood than PB. can you find some void free birch? that's even better than mdf.

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

hhhhmmm, you've got that backwards.
MDF = Sawdust & glue (hence the ginormous mess).

Particle board = coarsely recycled & pressed scrap wood.

For what it's worth, I have actually seen plywood & particle board enclosures blow apart. Was fun.

Get MDF. Unless you are doing something small.

With poor bracing, anything can fall apart.

As for plywood, birch enclosures work well, and they're out of plywood.

Particle board isn't good to use because of it's density. Commercial companies (mainly home theater people) use Particle Board in some of their enclosures. If it works, use it. However, it's not as dense as, say, birch or MDF/HDF. If you can, use some birch plywood. The more plys the better. If you do this, do not, I repeat, do NOT use nails or screws. This will separate the layers and ruin the box. Just use glue.

 

[tyler_fitz 10+ year member]

god damnit i cant believe i wasted my time reading this old ass 4 yr old thread.

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

PB is not only just as good a material for sub boxes, in all circumstances ... dare I say, maybe better. Here's my comparison:
Equals

- They both swell when wet, so no difference there. Not sure why that would matter anyway.

- A bunch of folks on here already weighed in and it seems consensus that there's no audible difference between them.

- I, and others weighing here, have pre-drilled and countersunk many screws in PB, and not a problem. If you don't pre-drill, big splitting problem. If you don't counter-sink, big splitting problem.

Points for PB

- Cheaper than MDF

- Weighs quite a bit less

Points for MDF

- ???

You're forgetting DENSITY.

Make a box out of paper, scream into it. Make a box out of MDF, scream into it.

Notice the difference.

 

[dreamer33917 10+ year member]

Look keep it simple mdf is not that expensive first of all... And you get 5 free cuts when you buy a sheet at. Just have your measurements on you and they will cut the sides ,top ,back ,bottom and front making it way easier to transport home. And unless you have a crazy box all you will have left to do is cut your holes. And maybe make some angle cuts and liquid nail and screw it together . I figure 25 for wood, 5 for liquid nail and clear silicone , 2.50 wood screws, 4 bucks for 4 bags of polly fill ,hell 2.50 for spray glue and 5-10 for carpet your at like 40-55 bucks thats not bad, with tax figure 60... Whatever you do have them make the cuts they have vacuum saws on a cut table so measurements are dead on and its fast and saves a lot of time and its safer on your lungs considering most cutting done there

 

[thch 10+ year member]

I was just about to post the same thing. but it seems this thread is quite old.

 

[drpeeb 10+ year member]

You're forgetting DENSITY.
Make a box out of paper, scream into it. Make a box out of MDF, scream into it.

Notice the difference.

You think the density of PB is the same as paper?? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Particle board is less dense than MDF, but not enough to be audible.

Anybody gonna do a sound test so people can stop wasting their money on MDF, and carrying around sub boxes that weigh much more than needed?