Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)
MDF is a wood-based material. It has the highest density among wood-based materials. In addition, it has the lowest ductility and the highest thermal conductivity. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare MDF to other wood-based materials (top) and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Compressive (Crushing) Strength
10 MPa 1.5 x 103 psi
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
4.0 GPa 0.58 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
0.5 %
Poisson's Ratio
0.25
Shear Modulus
2.5 GPa 0.36 x 106 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
18 MPa 2.6 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
1700 J/kg-K 0.41 BTU/lb-°F
Thermal Conductivity
0.3 W/m-K 0.17 BTU/h-ft-°F
Thermal Expansion
12 µm/m-K
Other Material Properties
Density
0.75 g/cm3 47 lb/ft3
Dielectric Strength (Breakdown Potential)
0.5 kV/mm 0.020 V/mil
Common Calculations
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
3.0 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
71 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
6.7 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
20 points
Thermal Diffusivity
0.24 mm2/s
Thermal Shock Resistance
27 points
Followup Questions
Further Reading
Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material, Forest Products Laboratory, USDA Forest Service, 1999
CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook, 4th ed., James F. Shackelford et al. (editors), 2015