Hardboard, also calledhigh-density fiberboard (HDF),[1] is a type offiberboard, which is apressed wood orengineered wood product.[2] It is used in furniture and in the construction industry.
Hardboard is similar toparticle board andmedium-density fiberboard, but isdenser, stronger and harder because it is made out of explodedwood fibers that have been highly compressed.[3]
The density of hardboard is higher than 500 kg/m3 (31 lb/cu ft),[4] usually about 800–1,040 kg/m3 (50–65 lb/cu ft).[5] It differs from particle board and medium-density fiberboard in that the bonding of the wood fibers requires no additional adhesive, the originallignin in the wood fibers sufficing to bond the hardboard together,[6] althoughresin is often added.
Hardboard is produced in either a wet or dry process. The wet process, known as the Mason Method,[7] leaves one smooth side and one textured side as a wire mesh is used to allow moisture to escape. Dry processed hardboard is smooth on both sides.Masonite is produced using the wet process only. In Europe today, the same type of fibreboard product generated by the wet process, is named asNatural Fibre Board, and this is a registered trademark.
A product resembling hardboard was first made in England in 1898 by hot pressing waste paper.[8] In the 1900s, fiber building board of relatively low density was manufactured in Canada. At around the same time the first commercially produced MDF was developed in 1966 inDeposit, New York, United States. In the early 1920s, improved methods of compressing wet wood pulp at high temperatures resulted in a higher density product.[8]
Unlikesolid wood, hardboard is veryhomogeneous with no grain. Awood veneer can be glued onto it to give the appearance of solid wood. Other overlays includeFormica,laminated papers, andvinyl. It has many uses, such as a substrate. It is used in construction,flooring, furniture, home appliances, automobiles andcabinetry, and is popular among acrylic and oil painters as a painting surface due to its economical price (though it must be coated withgesso orcanvas before use).[9] Hardboard has often been used as the surface material inclipboards, especially older models. It is also used as the final layer in many skateboard ramps and thehalf-pipe. Hardboard is also used extensively in theatrical environments, often used as the final painted surface of a stage and on walking surfaces of constructed scenery. Hardboard is also used to make puzzles, game boards, and other toys.
Tempered hardboard is a hardboard that has been coated with a thin film oflinseed oil and then baked; this gives it more water resistance, impact resistance, hardness, rigidity andtensile strength. An earlier tempering process involved immersing the board in linseed oil ortung oil until it was 5 to 6 percent saturated, and heating to 170 °C (338 °F).[10] Tempered hardboard is used in construction siding.
Perforated hardboard, also called pegboard, is tempered hardboard that has a uniform array of1⁄8-or-1⁄4-inch (3.2 or 6.4 mm) holes in it, into which tool-hanging hooks or store fixtures can be placed.
Hardboard has become less popular in the construction industry in recent years due to new environmental targets[11] to procure more sustainable temporary protection materials.
| Lumber/ timber | |
|---|---|
| Engineered wood | |
| Fuelwood | |
| Fibers | |
| Derivatives | |
| By-products | |
| Historical | |
| See also | |
