OSB vs Plywood vs Particle Board vs MDF

Structural strength, durability, moisture resistance, cabinet and furniture performance, cost comparison, and a complete decision matrix every panel...

Structural strength, durability, moisture resistance, cabinet and furniture performance, cost comparison, and a complete decision matrix every panel material compared head-to-head.

QUICK ANSWER: WHICH PANEL SHOULD YOU USE?

Construction sheathing and subfloor: OSB or CDX plywood OSB costs 15 - 25% less; plywood edges perform better in moisture. Cabinet boxes: plywood only holds screws, resists moisture, lasts 30+ years. Cabinet door panels (painted): MDF smoothest painted surface, no grain bleed. Furniture (stained, natural wood): plywood. Particle board: avoid for anything structural, anything in kitchens, or any application with moisture risk. Use it only for interior shelf cores and budget furniture where longevity isn’t the priority.

Walk into any home improvement store and you’ll find four panel materials competing for space in the same aisle: plywood, OSB, particle board, and MDF. They all come in 4×8 sheets. They’re all made of wood. And they can all feel similar in your hands at the store. But they perform entirely differently in real applications, and choosing the wrong one is a common and expensive mistake.

This guide cuts through the confusion. It covers every head-to-head comparison structural, moisture, cabinet, furniture, cost, and longevity with honest verdicts and a complete decision matrix so you know exactly which panel to use for every application.

What Each Material Actually Is

Before comparing them, it helps to understand what each material is made from. The manufacturing process drives most of the performance differences.

Plywood

WHAT IT IS: Structural panel made from thin wood veneer sheets (plies) glued together in alternating perpendicular grain directions

HOW IT’S MADE: Logs are rotary-peeled into continuous veneer ribbons, dried to precise moisture content, glued in cross-laminated layers, hot-pressed, then sanded and graded

COMMON GRADES/TYPES: CDX (C/D, Exposure 1), BCX, ACX, Baltic birch B/BB, marine grade, MDO, pressure-treated

BEST FOR: Cabinet boxes, furniture, subfloor, roof and wall sheathing, flooring, anywhere structural performance and moisture resistance matter

AVOID FOR: Applications requiring an ultra-smooth painted surface (MDF is better) or extreme budget-sensitivity where structural performance is secondary

OSB (Oriented Strand Board)

WHAT IT IS: Structural panel made from wood strands 3–4 inches long, compressed in oriented layers with resin binder

HOW IT’S MADE: Logs are debarked and flaked into strands, dried, blended with resin and wax, oriented in layers (face strands parallel to long dimension, core strands perpendicular), then hot-pressed into panels

COMMON GRADES/TYPES: Exposure 1 (standard), Exposure 2, ZIP System (integrated weather barrier), LP SmartSide components

BEST FOR: Roof sheathing, wall sheathing, subfloor, structural applications where CDX plywood would be used but at lower cost

AVOID FOR: Cabinet boxes, finished furniture, anything visible or decorative, applications with sustained edge moisture exposure

Particle Board (Chipboard / Particleboard)

WHAT IT IS: Non-structural panel made from wood chips, sawdust, and wood processing waste compressed with resin binder

HOW IT’S MADE: Wood waste materials are ground to fine particles, blended with urea-formaldehyde or similar resin, mat-formed, then hot-pressed. Density is more uniform than plywood or OSB.

COMMON GRADES/TYPES: Standard particleboard, industrial particleboard, melamine-faced particleboard (most common in budget furniture)

BEST FOR: Budget furniture cores, interior shelf substrates behind laminate, flat-pack furniture (IKEA-style), non-structural interior applications

AVOID FOR: Cabinet boxes, subfloor, roof sheathing, wall sheathing, any application with moisture exposure, any application requiring screw holding in the edge

MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)

WHAT IT IS: Dense, uniform panel made from very fine wood fibers compressed with resin under heat and pressure

HOW IT’S MADE: Wood is broken down to individual fibers, mixed with resin, mat-formed to uniform density throughout, hot-pressed to final thickness. No grain direction perfectly uniform.

COMMON GRADES/TYPES: Standard MDF, moisture-resistant MDF (MR-MDF), fire-retardant MDF, ultra-light MDF, HDF (High Density Fiberboard)

BEST FOR: Painted cabinet door panels, painted furniture faces, painted wainscoting, routed trim and molding profiles, speaker boxes, any application where a perfectly smooth painted surface is needed

AVOID FOR: Structural cabinet boxes, subfloor, roof sheathing, any application with moisture (even kitchen steam), any application requiring edge screws

Plywood vs OSB: Structural Strength

This is the most practically important comparison for anyone doing construction choosing between plywood and OSB for sheathing, subfloor, or any structural panel application. Both are APA-rated structural panels. Both serve the same applications at equivalent span ratings. The real performance differences show up in specific conditions.

WHERE THEY PERFORM THE SAME

For standard structural applications roof sheathing at 16-inch rafter spacing with 1/2 inch panels, subfloor at 16-inch joist spacing with 3/4 inch panels, wall sheathing OSB and plywood meet identical APA performance standards. An OSB panel with a 32/16 span rating and a CDX plywood panel with the same rating will perform identically under structural load in controlled conditions. Building codes in virtually all US jurisdictions accept either material for the same structural applications.

WHERE PLYWOOD HAS GENUINE ADVANTAGES

The differences show up at the edges and in moisture conditions:

Performance Factor	Plywood	OSB	Winner
Structural bending strength	High — cross-ply construction	High — strand orientation	Equivalent at same span rating
Shear strength (lateral loads)	High	Comparable (slightly lower in some tests)	Plywood slight edge in high-wind zones
Edge swell from moisture	Moderate — edges swell less, recover better	High — edges swell significantly and don’t fully recover	Plywood
Face swell from moisture	Moderate	Moderate	Equivalent
Nail/screw holding at face	Excellent	Good	Plywood
Nail/screw holding at edges	Excellent	Poor — strands don’t hold edge fasteners well	Plywood significantly
Dimensional stability in wet/dry cycling	Good	Fair — more movement with humidity changes	Plywood
Performance after sustained rain exposure	Good — Exposure 1 rated	Fair — edge swelling can cause panel telegraphing	Plywood
Weight (3/4”, 4×8 sheet)	55–65 lbs	60–75 lbs	Plywood slightly lighter
Cost (3/4” CDX vs OSB)	$40–$55 per sheet	$28–$40 per sheet	OSB by 15–25%

THE OSB EDGE SWELL PROBLEM EXPLAINED

When OSB panel edges absorb moisture rain during construction, or a leak later — the wood strands swell and the panel edge puffs up. Unlike plywood, OSB edges don’t fully recover to their original dimension when they dry. On a roof deck, this permanent swelling at panel joints creates ridges that telegraph through finished asphalt shingles as visible ‘picture framing.’ On a subfloor, edge swell causes floor squeaking at panel joints. CDX plywood edges swell less and recover better because the continuous grain structure of the cross-plied veneers restrains swelling more effectively than the compressed strand structure of OSB.

WHEN TO CHOOSE OSB VS PLYWOOD FOR STRUCTURAL APPLICATIONS

Budget new construction, dry climates, tight construction schedule — Choose OSB

If cost is the priority, the construction schedule is fast (deck covered before significant rain), and the climate is not coastal or persistently wet, OSB saves 15–25% on structural panels with no meaningful performance penalty in normal conditions.

Premium builds, re-roofing, coastal or high-humidity climates — Choose CDX Plywood

When the deck will be exposed to weather for more than a day or two during construction, when the highest-rated roofing wind warranties are required, or in coastal and high-humidity environments, CDX plywood’s better edge performance justifies the cost premium.

High-wind and seismic zones with engineered shear walls — Choose CDX Plywood (engineer-specified)

Engineered shear wall systems frequently specify plywood for higher allowable shear values. Never substitute OSB for plywood in an engineered shear wall specification without written approval from the engineer of record.

Plywood vs Particle Board: Durability

This is the comparison that matters most for cabinets and furniture. The difference between plywood and particle board in these applications isn’t a matter of degree it’s a fundamental difference in long-term performance.

HOW THEY’RE DIFFERENT AT A STRUCTURAL LEVEL

Plywood is made from continuous wood fiber oriented in cross-laminated grain directions. The fiber is intact the same cellulose and lignin structure that gives solid wood its strength. Particle board is made from ground wood particles with no continuous fiber orientation. The resin binder holds the particles together, but there is no underlying grain structure to resist splitting, hold fasteners, or resist moisture swelling.

This fundamental difference drives every performance outcome in the comparison.

Performance Factor	Plywood	Particle Board	Winner
Screw holding — face	Excellent — cross-grain fiber grips screw threads	Fair — compressed particles grip initially but loosen over time	Plywood significantly
Screw holding — edge	Very Good	Very Poor — edge screws strip easily on first removal	Plywood dramatically
Hinge screw retention (doors)	Excellent — stays tight for decades	Poor — loosens within 5–10 years of door cycling	Plywood dramatically
Shelf pin hole durability	Excellent	Poor — holes enlarge with shelf load over time	Plywood significantly
Moisture resistance	Good — handles kitchen humidity and incidental spills	Poor — swells permanently when wet	Plywood significantly
Weight (3/4”, 4×8)	55–65 lbs	70–85 lbs	Plywood — lighter by 15–20 lbs
Sag resistance (shelves)	Excellent	Fair — sags noticeably on 24”+ unsupported spans	Plywood
Surface quality (painted)	Good with prep	Excellent with laminate face	Depends on finish type
Cost per sheet	$55–90 (birch/maple)	$25–40	Particle board by 50–70%
Expected lifespan (kitchen)	20–40+ years	10–15 years typical	Plywood dramatically

THE MOISTURE FAILURE MODE

Particle board’s relationship with moisture is irreversible. When particle board absorbs water — from a plumbing leak under a kitchen sink, from kitchen steam and condensation over years, from a bathroom humidity cycle — the ground wood particles swell and the resin binder loses its grip. The panel expands, becomes soft and crumbly, and does not return to its original dimensions when it dries. The damage is permanent.

Plywood in the same conditions shows some moisture effects — face veneer may check slightly, the panel may swell marginally — but the continuous fiber structure and cross-ply construction resist the catastrophic failure mode that ends particle board cabinets prematurely.

WHY BUDGET CABINET LINES USE PARTICLE BOARD

The answer is simple: particle board costs 50–70% less than birch or maple plywood per sheet. A kitchen’s worth of cabinet boxes represents $800–1,500 in materials with plywood, vs $400–$700 with particle board. Budget manufacturers and big-box cabinet lines use particle board to hit price points. The trade-off is a cabinet that performs well for 10–12 years then starts showing hinge problems, shelf sag, and moisture damage around year 10–15. Plywood cabinets absorb the higher upfront cost and deliver 25–40 years of reliable performance.

Plywood vs MDF: Cabinets & Furniture

This is the nuanced comparison — because unlike the plywood-vs-particle-board comparison where plywood wins almost everywhere, the plywood-vs-MDF comparison has real split verdicts depending on the application.

MDF’S GENUINE ADVANTAGES

MDF has two real advantages over plywood in specific applications:

Perfect paint surface: MDF has no grain, no variation in density, no direction. Paint applies uniformly and builds a smooth film without any grain telegraphing through the finish. For painted cabinets and painted furniture, MDF produces a smoother finish than any plywood species without grain-filling prep work.
Perfect machineability for routed profiles: MDF routes and shapes without tear-out, grain reversal, or inconsistency. Cabinet door profiles, decorative molding, and edge treatments machine more cleanly in MDF than in any wood-based panel.

WHERE PLYWOOD WINS DECISIVELY

Performance Factor	Plywood	MDF	Winner
Screw holding — face	Excellent	Good	Plywood slightly
Screw holding — edge	Very Good	Very Poor — MDF edges crumble	Plywood dramatically
Moisture resistance	Good	Very Poor — swells badly when wet	Plywood dramatically
Weight (3/4”, 4×8)	55–65 lbs	85–95 lbs	Plywood — 30 lbs lighter
Structural strength	Excellent	Fair — not structural	Plywood dramatically
Painted surface quality	Good with prep	Excellent — no grain	MDF
Routed profile quality	Good	Excellent — no tear-out	MDF
Stainability	Excellent (with conditioner)	Poor — absorbs stain unevenly	Plywood dramatically
Natural wood appearance	Yes — real wood grain	No — looks artificial stained	Plywood
Cost (standard grade)	$55–90 (birch/maple)	$40–60	MDF slightly
Wall-mounted cabinet weight	Less stress on hardware	More stress on hardware	Plywood

THE PROFESSIONAL RULE FOR CABINETS AND FURNITURE

Professional cabinet shops use both materials, but for different components. This is not a compromise — it’s the correct specification for each:

Cabinet boxes (sides, top, bottom, shelves): Plywood always. MDF’s poor edge screw holding fails at hinge locations. Its weight adds stress to wall mounting. Its moisture sensitivity is unacceptable in kitchen conditions.
Painted cabinet door panels and painted furniture faces: MDF. The smooth, grain-free surface produces the best painted finish. Efficiency and results both favor MDF here.
Stained door panels and natural wood furniture: Plywood with hardwood face veneer. MDF cannot be stained to look like wood the result is always artificial.
Drawer boxes: 1/2 inch plywood (Baltic birch B/BB) for sides, 1/4 inch plywood for bottoms. MDF drawer sides hold drawer slide screws poorly.

THE MDF KITCHEN CABINET PROBLEM THAT SHOWS UP AT YEAR 5

Some kitchen cabinet lines use MDF for both box construction AND door panels as a cost measure. The door panels look fine painted — that’s MDF doing what it does well. But the hinge screws are in MDF box sides, and MDF edge screw holding degrades faster than particle board. By year 5–8, doors start sagging as hinge screws loosen in the MDF edges. By year 10, adjustment is no longer possible because the holes have stripped. The lesson: use MDF where it helps (door panels), never where it hurts (structural box components).

Which Is Cheapest? Cost Comparison by Application

Cost depends heavily on grade, thickness, and application. Here’s a comprehensive 2026 price comparison across all four panel types.

PRICE PER 4×8 SHEET (2026)

Material	Grade/Type	Thickness	Price Per Sheet	Notes
OSB	Exposure 1	7/16”	$12–$20	Cheapest structural panel; standard wall/roof sheathing
OSB	Exposure 1	1/2”	$16–$24	Standard 16” o.c. structural sheathing alternative to CDX
OSB	Exposure 1	3/4”	$28–$40	Subfloor; cheapest structural 3/4” panel
Particle Board	Standard industrial	3/4”	$25–$40	Budget furniture and shelf cores
MDF	Standard	3/4”	$40–$60	Cabinet door panels, painted furniture
CDX Plywood	C/D, Exposure 1	1/2”	$28–$38	Standard roof/wall sheathing
CDX Plywood	C/D, Exposure 1	3/4”	$40–$55	Subfloor, heavy sheathing
Domestic Birch Plywood	B/C or A/C	3/4”	$55–$90	Cabinet boxes, furniture
Baltic Birch	B/BB	18mm (5×5)	$70–$110	Professional cabinet standard
Maple Plywood	A/C	3/4”	$65–$100	Painted kitchen cabinets

TOTAL INSTALLED COST: 10-CABINET KITCHEN (MATERIAL ONLY)

Box Material	Sheets Needed	Material Cost	Lifespan (kitchen)	Long-Term Value
Baltic Birch B/BB	24–30 sheets	$1,700–$3,300	30–40+ years	Best — $55–85/year amortized
Domestic Birch Plywood	22–28 sheets	$1,200–$2,500	25–35 years	Very Good — $45–70/year
Particle Board (NOT recommended)	20–25 sheets	$500–$1,000	10–15 years	Poor — $40–$75/year + replacement
MDF for boxes (NOT recommended)	20–25 sheets	$800–$1,500	8–12 years	Poor — $80–$130/year + hinge failures

THE TRUE COST OF CHEAP CABINETS

Particle board cabinet boxes cost $600–1,500 less than plywood for a standard kitchen. But they typically need full replacement within 15 years, vs plywood that runs 30+ years. Add the labor cost of a kitchen cabinet replacement ($3,000–$8,000+) and the ‘cheap’ particle board option costs significantly more over the kitchen’s life. This is why the value case for plywood box construction is strong even at higher upfront cost.

Which Is Strongest? Structural Strength Ranked

Strength in panel materials isn’t a single number — it depends on which type of strength you’re measuring. Here’s how each material ranks across the key strength properties.

Strength Property	Plywood	OSB	Particle Board	MDF	Notes
Bending strength (face-to-face)	Excellent	Excellent	Poor	Fair	Plywood and OSB equivalent at same span rating
Tensile strength (pulling apart)	Excellent	Good	Poor	Fair	Plywood’s continuous fiber provides best tensile
Shear strength (lateral loads)	Excellent	Good	Poor	Fair	Plywood preferred in engineered shear wall systems
Screw holding — face	Excellent	Good	Fair	Good	Plywood and OSB both adequate for most uses
Screw holding — edge	Excellent	Poor	Very Poor	Very Poor	Critical difference for cabinets and furniture
Impact resistance	Excellent	Good	Poor	Fair	Plywood handles dropped tools and impacts best
Hardness (surface)	Good (depends on species)	Good	Moderate	Moderate	Hardwood plywood face is harder than OSB surface
Stiffness per unit weight	Excellent	Good	Poor	Fair	Plywood most efficient strength-to-weight ratio
Moisture-exposed strength retention	Good	Fair	Very Poor	Very Poor	Plywood maintains strength best when wet

THE ANSWER TO ‘WHICH IS STRONGEST?’

Plywood. In almost every strength category that matters for real applications — bending, tensile, shear, screw holding, impact, moisture-exposed strength — plywood either matches or exceeds the other materials. OSB matches plywood for structural bending and shear in dry conditions. Particle board and MDF are not structural materials and should not be compared to plywood or OSB for any load-bearing application.

Decision Matrix: Which Panel for Every Application

Use this table as your definitive reference. For every application, it shows which material to use and why.

Application	Best Choice	Second Choice	Avoid	Key Reason
Roof sheathing (16” o.c.)	OSB 1/2”	CDX Plywood 1/2”	Particle board, MDF	OSB meets spec at lower cost; CDX if wet exposure is concern
Roof sheathing (24” o.c.)	CDX Plywood 5/8”	OSB 5/8”	Particle board, MDF	5/8” required at 24” spacing; plywood for better edge performance
Wall sheathing	OSB 1/2” or 7/16”	CDX Plywood 1/2”	Particle board, MDF	OSB cost-effective; plywood for high-wind engineered walls
Subfloor (16” o.c.)	3/4” T&G CDX or OSB	OSB 3/4”	Particle board, MDF	Glue-and-nail; CDX for better edge performance at joints
Subfloor (24” o.c.)	1-1/8” T&G Sturd-I-Floor	3/4” CDX plywood	Particle board, MDF	1-1/8” rated for 24” span; code requirement
Base cabinet box sides/bottom	3/4” plywood (Baltic birch)	3/4” birch/maple ply	Particle board, MDF, OSB	Hinge screw retention; moisture resistance; longevity
Upper cabinet box sides	1/2” plywood (Baltic birch)	1/2” domestic birch	Particle board, MDF, OSB	Lighter weight for wall mounting; adequate for uppers
Cabinet backs	1/4” plywood	1/4” Baltic birch	MDF, particle board	Non-structural; plywood squares the box reliably
Painted cabinet doors	3/4” MDF (panel only)	3/4” birch ply with grain fill	CDX, OSB	MDF provides best painted surface; no grain bleed
Stained cabinet doors	Hardwood veneer plywood	Solid wood	MDF, particle board	Real wood grain visible; MDF stains look artificial
Adjustable shelves	3/4” plywood	Solid wood	MDF, particle board	Sag resistance at span; pin hole retention
Furniture carcass (stained)	3/4” Baltic birch B/B	Hardwood veneer ply	MDF, particle board	Real wood grain; structural; edge appearance
Painted furniture panel	3/4” MDF	3/4” birch plywood	CDX, particle board	Smoothest painted surface; route profiles cleanly
Drawer box sides	1/2” Baltic birch	1/2” domestic birch	MDF, particle board	Slide hardware; dovetail joinery; edge screw holding
Finished plywood floor	3/4” birch or maple A/C	3/4” oak plywood	CDX, OSB, MDF, particle board	Face veneer quality; stain acceptance
Subfloor under hardwood	3/4” T&G CDX	OSB 3/4” T&G	MDF, particle board	Structural; moisture cycling; nail holding
Garage/workshop walls	1/2” CDX plywood	3/4” CDX plywood	OSB (edge quality)	Screw holding anywhere on surface; impact resistance
Exterior siding (T1-11)	T1-11 5/8” (plywood-based)	MDO plywood siding	OSB, MDF, particle board	Structural siding; weather resistance
Workbench top	3/4” doubled CDX or birch	Solid wood	MDF, particle board	Heavy impact; screw holding; structural
Speaker enclosure	3/4” Baltic birch B/BB	3/4” MDF	CDX, OSB	Void-free for acoustics; MDF acceptable for non-resonance

THE ONE RULE THAT COVERS 80% OF DECISIONS

If the application is structural, load-bearing, outdoors, in a kitchen or bathroom, or involves screws near an edge: use plywood. If the application is interior, non-structural, painted, and involves flat face surfaces only: MDF is worth considering for the paint quality benefit. If the application is construction sheathing and budget matters: OSB. Particle board is correct only for non-structural interior applications where longevity beyond 10–15 years isn’t required.

OSB vs Sterling Board: Are They the Same?

Sterling Board is a brand name for OSB (Oriented Strand Board) used primarily in the UK and Irish markets — it’s the same engineered wood panel product as OSB sold in North America under the generic name. The manufacturing process, panel structure, and performance characteristics are identical.

The confusion arises because ‘sterling board’ became so common in British construction that many people use it as the generic name the way North Americans use ‘OSB.’ If you’re in a UK or Irish context and someone says ‘sterling board,’ they mean OSB. The structural grades, moisture exposure ratings, and applications are the same. Everything in the OSB sections of this guide applies directly to sterling board.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is plywood stronger than OSB?

At equivalent thickness and span rating, plywood and OSB have comparable structural strength for the bending loads that matter in roof and floor applications. The meaningful advantage plywood has over OSB is at the panel edges: OSB edges swell more when wet and don’t fully recover, which can cause visible ridging under shingles and floor squeaking at subfloor joints. Plywood also has higher published allowable shear values in some engineered applications. For general structural use, both are adequate; for premium applications in wet climates or engineered shear systems, plywood is the better specification.

Is plywood stronger than particle board?

Yes, dramatically. Plywood is a structural panel material; particle board is not. Plywood holds screws reliably in both the face and edge, resists moisture without permanent swelling, handles bending loads without sagging at normal shelf spans, and lasts 25 to 40+ years in kitchen conditions. Particle board holds screws adequately in the face initially but loses holding capacity over time as the compressed particles degrade, fails catastrophically at edges (screws strip easily on first removal), swells permanently when wet, and typically lasts 10 to 15 years in kitchen conditions before showing significant failure.

Is MDF better than plywood for cabinets?

Neither material is universally better they excel in different components. For cabinet box construction (sides, bottom, shelves, top): plywood is better in every practical way. MDF edge screw holding is poor (hinge screws loosen), MDF is 25 to 30 lbs heavier per sheet (adds wall mount stress), and MDF swells badly in kitchen moisture conditions. For painted cabinet door panels: MDF is better. Its grain-free surface produces the smoothest painted finish without grain telegraphing, and it routes cleanly for door profiles. Professional cabinet shops use both: plywood for structure, MDF for painted door panels.

What is OSB used for that plywood isn’t?

OSB and plywood are largely interchangeable for structural sheathing applications — OSB isn’t used for applications where plywood isn’t used. The difference is cost: OSB costs 15 to 25% less than CDX plywood at equivalent thickness and span rating, making it the dominant choice in new residential construction where cost is the primary driver. Some ZIP System and LP SmartSide products are OSB-based and include integrated weather barriers or pre-primed surfaces that add functionality not available in standard CDX plywood.

Can you use particle board for kitchen cabinets?

Technically yes — many budget kitchen cabinet lines do use particle board box construction. But it’s not recommended for a kitchen you plan to use for 20+ years. Particle board hinge screws loosen within 5 to 10 years of daily door cycling. The shelf pin holes enlarge under repeated load. The panel swells permanently from kitchen steam, condensation, and minor spills. A particle board kitchen cabinet that looks adequate in year 1 is showing visible problems by year 10 to 12. For a kitchen renovation meant to last a full 20 to 30 years, plywood box construction is the correct specification.

What’s the difference between MDF and particle board?

Both are resin-bonded wood composite panels, but they’re made from different wood waste streams and have different density profiles. Particle board uses coarser wood particles (chips and shavings) and is less dense overall. MDF uses very fine wood fibers and is pressed to higher, more uniform density. MDF has a smoother surface, routes more cleanly, and holds screws slightly better than particle board. Both fail similarly in moisture and neither should be used for structural applications. MDF is the preferred material for painted cabinet door panels; particle board is primarily used for furniture cores and flat-pack furniture.

Which is best for a shed: plywood or OSB?

For shed walls and roof sheathing, OSB is the cost-effective choice — it meets structural requirements and costs significantly less than CDX plywood. For shed interior walls where you’ll be mounting tool storage, shelving, or workshop equipment, CDX or BCX plywood is strongly preferred over OSB because screw holding at any point on the wall surface is dramatically better. OSB edge screw holding is poor, and if you’re attaching French cleat systems or heavy shelving to OSB wall panels, the fasteners won’t hold reliably.