Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) is generally made of wood dust and 10% formaldehyde resin as the binder.
It gives off about 0.11 parts per million (ppm) of formaldehyde, the very top end of what is allowed by California’s CARB 2 limits. In fact, CARB 2 has to allow for a higher level of formaldehyde off-gassing in MDF compared to other engineered woods because it simply gives off more formaldehyde.
MDF is fairly slow to off-gas formaldehyde because of its composition and density. It can take years before the off-gassing comes to a completion.
MDF board is used because it’s a very stable product and has the least movement from humidity swings. It’s also strong and holds screws well.
It can be formed into flat panels or molded into all kinds of shapes. It can come unfinished, primed, with a wood veneer, or with a melamine plastic laminated to it.
MDF is used in cabinets – frequently as the doors, furniture, solid core doors, interior trim and molding, decorative wall paneling, and laminate flooring.
Standard MDF sheets are made with formaldehyde but MDF can be specified as NAF (no-added-formaldehyde). Since wood naturally contains formaldehyde, it cannot be called formaldehyde-free, technically. No Added Formaldehyde implies that the formaldehyde emission is less than 0.04 ppm. The natural level of formaldehyde in wood is about 0.01 ppm.
MDF looks very similar to HDF (high-density fiberboard, hardboard) which is practically the same product, but denser.
Particleboard (chipboard) is low-density fiberboard.
My post on engineered woods goes more into detail on those types, if that is what you were looking for.
Fibers for MDF include:
- Hardwood and softwood dust
- Rice straw
- Wheat straw
Formaldehyde-free resins (glues) include:
- MDI – Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate – off-gasses isocyanates, though the companies claim this cures into a polyurethane. I pick up a strong odor off engineered wood products made with MDI which takes many months to go down, in my view. I personally do not find MDI to be an improvement over formaldehyde, though it can be for those sensitive to formaldehyde fumes.
- Soy Glue – There has been talk of developing a soy glue for MDF, like the type used on plywood, but this has not come to market yet.
- Plant-Based Glue – There is one company on the list claiming plant-based glue, but having looked at their patents I’m not clear on what this is. Be sure to get a sample to see this first, especially if you are sensitive to chemicals.
1. Rice Straw MDF
Rice straw MDF is produced from rice straw fibers, an agricultural waste product. It has good natural mold resistance. Rice fiber MDF panels could be used for furniture, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, window frames and doors, moldings, acoustic panels, interior doors, and flooring.
Columbia Forest Products, the company that makes plywood with soy-based glues, has an agreement with a factory to produce rice stray MDF. And though the agreement was signed in 2018, the product is not on the market as of early 2022.
The company intends to use pMDI (polymeric methylene-diphenyl-diisocyanate) glue, with a hope to find a more naturally derived adhesive to take its place.
Stay tuned!
2. Medex I and II by Roseburg
Medex is an MDF made with MDI glue made by the large company Roseburg
Roseburg also makes an MDF called Medite made from MDI. Both are free of formaldehyde glues.
One of their Medite lines is MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME which is acetylated wood fibre with the manufacturing technology of MEDITE MDF. This should mean it uses the same glue as the regular Medite. Acetylated wood is treated with acetic anhydride. The treatment renders the wood harder, more dimensionally stable, and immune to insects. Some acetic acid is left in the wood and it does smell like vinegar.
Where to buy: Distributers are located in the Western United States and BC Canada.
PURE Kitchen Cabinets use Medex.
3. Evertree
Evertree is a unique MDF made with a plant-based binder manufactured in France.
This is the only company I know of using a plant-based resin. It is made from rapeseed and sunflower seeds they say. Though looking through their various patents, it wasn’t clear which patent refers to the glue currently being used.
They claim is that it is free of formaldehyde and isocyanates and that composite wood panels produce the same level of emissions as solid wood (0.01 ppm), which is ten times lower than the EU standard (E1).
Contact: https://www.evertree-technologies.com/en/contact-us/
4. Medite, UK
Medite ECOLOGIQUE, and Medite, CLEAR are MDF made in the UK without formaldehyde. They are made with MDI, the company has said in an email.
They say it is made with mixed softwood, polymerized resin, and paraffin wax. Polymerized resin is such a general term that we don’t know what that really is.
Medite ECOLOGIQUE and Medite CLEAR were developed for use in environmentally sensitive interior applications such as museums, laboratories, art galleries, nursing homes, hospitals, nurseries, and schools.
Medite CLEAR is a panel product suitable for use in non-stressed applications like cabinets, display cases, furniture, fixtures, and moldings.
These are not the same products as Roseburg’s Medite.
Contact:
https://www.lathamtimber.co.uk/products/panels/mdf/zero-added-formaldehyde
https://mdfosb.com/en/products/medite-clear
5. NU Green, Canada
NU Green MR50 is a no-added-formaldehyde MDF by Uniboard.
NU Green MR50 MDF can be used in residential and commercial applications such as food service industries, institutional buildings, healthcare establishments, kitchens, and bathrooms. It is available as raw panels or laminated with melamine.
The glue used is MDI, they also list paraffin wax and urea as additives along with hardwood and softwood dust.
It is manufactured at a Mont-Laurier facility.
Where to buy: They have distributors in the US and Canada.
6. Wheatboard
Wheatboard, or Ecoboard, is made from 100% wheat straw, an agricultural fiber that is left over after harvests. It is a formaldehyde-free product, they use pMDI.
Formaldehyde emissions for this product have been measured at 0.02 mg/L, which is one-tenth of the amount allowed by the European E0 standard. This minimal formaldehyde emission is naturally occurring in the straw stalks.
Modenus makes cabinets with Wheatboard MDF.
7. Georgia-Pacific Ultrastock MR
Manufactured with 100% NAF resin, MDI binders, Methylene Bisphenol Isocyanate (MDI), and Polymeric MDI (pMDI).
It provides the same physical characteristics and workability as UltraStock Premium panels
It can be used on interior window and door trim, baseboards, and laminate flooring that may become wet from mopping, condensation, or foot traffic.
Where to buy: They have distributors and suppliers across North America. This has been carried at Lowes in the past.
8. Lowes Unbranded NAF MDF
You can buy or special order no added formaldehyde MDF made with MDI binder from Lowes.
(I have not seen no-added-formaldehyde MDF at Home Depot).
Related Posts:
- Non-Toxic Cabinets
- Non-Toxic Doors
- Non-Toxic Flooring
- Review of Engineered Wood Types
Corinne Segura is an InterNACHI-certified Healthy Homes Inspector with certifications in Building Biology, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, and more. She has 10 years of experience helping others create healthy homes. You can book a consult here.
Anne Ehrsam-Holland
We are building a new home & are open to being a test site. 913 705 0942
Christine
I am thankful for this article, since my husband and I had a flood of sorts in our house from a leaky pipe in one upstairs bathroom. The living room bamboo flooring was water damaged, but I think the grooves could be sanded down and then covered with a finish. We are weighing whether or not to just get new flooring – but your article alerted me to the pitfalls of such materials and their glues giving off toxic chemical emissions. At least, I am now aware of the pitfalls related to replacing wood flooring.
Liz
Still not enough information. Did not answer my question.
Where can I purchase MDF free furniture?
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
This article doesn’t claim to be about MDF-free furniture nor formaldehyde-free MDF furniture so that is probably why it did not answer your question dear
Brooke
Hi Corinne!
I am looking into DuraSupreme painted cabinets and they use HDF (High Density Fiberboard). How do you feel about that? Is there a certification I need to require?
Are you still MCS free??
Thanks so much!
Corinne Segura
Yes im healed from MCS, i was already healed for a while before I posted about it. HDF see the article on engineered woods. Whether it’s low enough formaldehyde for you is individual If its the back panels you can seal it, see posts on sealing in VOCs.
Brooke
That’s wonderful! Glad to hear you’re still healed!
I will look at the article you have recommended.
Thank you!
Meredith
Hi Corrine,
I am shopping for new furniture for my daughter who is very sensitive/medically complex. Is the furniture from
Pottery barn safe? The wooden furniture is made of solid wood and MDF so I’m not sure if the MDF is safe. Thanks in advance!
Meredith
Hi Corinne,
I am shopping for new furniture for my daughter who is very sensitive/medically complex. Is the furniture from
Pottery barn safe? The wooden furniture is made of solid wood and MDF so I’m not sure if the MDF is safe. Thanks in advance!
Ruth Kalin
Dear Corinne,
Can you tell me — is CARB2 compliant MDF (in cabinet doors) considered a health risk as a carcinogenic material? Or is the formaldehyde level low enough that the risk it is not significant?
Also, one friend suggested putting an exhaust fan in my kitchen window to draw out the fumes. What do you think of this idea? (My kitchen stays warms year around. It is a galley kitchen in a very well-insulated apartment. I usually have windows open even in the dead of winter. Even though it is a galley kitchen, there is room for a small table, where I eat. I’m will be installing cabinetry right next to the table.)
Thank you for any help you can give. This is driving me a little crazy. There don’t seem to be many other options with the particular contractor I am using (who I am happy with and who is doing the job affordably and with cabinets that are, other than the doors, solid wood). But I want, of course, to have a healthy, safe kitchen.
Ruth
Corinne Segura
CARB levels are related to health but they are not making any clear claims. GreenGuard Gold makes more explicit claims about being a healthy level of formaldehyde and VOCs.
Mariane
Hi Corinne,
We just placed a laminate flooring in the kids playroom but I totally dismissed the baseboard. My handy land just picked up a baseboard and I am sure it’s probably MDF. What are alternatives to MDF baseboards? When he placed them I noticed a strong odor in the room, he painted with ecos paint and used afm safecoat caulking. Would you worry about the formaldehyde in this room? Whatever smell went away in a couple days but i was hoping the ecos paint could help seal some formaldehyde.
Corinne
solid wood baseboards are the alternative
Corinne
I don’t make a general or public call on what is an acceptable level of formaldehyde for someone, I mainly advise people who are chemically sensitive after getting to know them and their level of sensitivity and after they have tested the product for themselves.
Maureen
Great article. Would you personally choose hardwood in your home or would you consider medex cabinetry?
Corinne
personally, for cabinetry if I was going new I would use a mix of solid wood and formaldehyde based products. I don’t consider MDI glue better than formaldehyde personally. I no longer have MCS though.
Lisa
Hi Corinne – thank you so much for all you do!! this may be a strange question, but is the “slow” offgassing you mentioned from MDF in some ways “better” in terms of short term exposure to the material? In other words, if you are only going to be in a house for a year and something is slow to off gas because it is dense- is it emitting smaller amounts over a longer period of time? thank you!
Corinne
In terms of MDF versus plywood no, the initial offgassing is higher than plywood. In terms of MDF sealed with say 3 coats of shellac to majorly slow down offgassing, that could be better than something that offgasses quickly.
Brooke
Hi Corinne!
I don’t personally prefer MDF moldings, like baseboards, crown molding, etc. Are you able to recommend a company that sells CARB2 Compliant fingerjoint trim? Or would CARB2 Compliant MDF be the better choice as far as sensitivities are concerned?
Thanks so much!
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
fingerjoint is better than MDF, but solid wood is better than both. Everything should be carb compliant these days
Brooke
Thank you! I did ask one company I have used before; Southwest Moulding Co. and they do not have Carb2 certified or formaldehyde free finger-joint, but only formaldehyde free MDF products. (they were not sure of the certification) Which I find odd. Do you happen to know any vendors specifically?
Corinne Segura, Building Biologist
i dont