Fibreboard Specification Sheet: The Fields That Matter
Fibreboard is sold on a short specification line, and most disputes trace back to a field that was never written down. Dongstar publishes a thickness window from 2 mm to 30 mm, a tolerance band of ±0.2 mm to ±0.5 mm, and two sheet formats: 1220 × 2440 mm and 2100 × 2500 mm, the second limited to boards 9 mm and thinner. All of those figures come out of the manufacturer's own pages, read 29 Sept 2026. as standard
Key takeaways
- Thickness is quoted across 2 mm to 30 mm, with the listed steps 2.7, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 mm named among the standard steps.
- The large format stops at 9 mm: 2100 × 2500 mm is published only for boards inside that band.
- Tolerance runs from ±0.2 mm to ±0.5 mm, so a thin panel and an 18 mm panel do not carry the same allowance.
- Base board codes — green, red and black among them — decide what you are pricing before any face is bonded on.
Thickness is the first field, not the last
Buyers tend to open a quotation at the price and work backwards to the board. It is more reliable to start with thickness, because thickness sets everything downstream: the number of sheets per pallet, the weight per cubic metre, the cutting yield and the price band itself. The published list spans 2 mm to 30 mm and names 2.7, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 mm as typical steps, with other values available on request. A 2.7 mm board and a 30 mm board leave the same factory but they do not serve the same customer, so a quote that omits the figure is not yet a quote.
The tolerance column matters as much as the nominal number. The manufacturer states a band of ±0.2 mm to ±0.5 mm rather than one fixed value, which is honest and also instructive: thin boards are held tighter, heavier boards carry more allowance. If a downstream process is calibrated — a continuous press line, an edge bander, a CNC nesting table — the tolerance figure is the one to put in the purchase order next to the nominal thickness, not in a separate email thread. A sheet bought as a Medium Density Fibreboard panel is no different: the two figures travel together or the order is not yet complete.
What the base board codes tell you
Before any decorative face is applied, a fibreboard is a raw or modified panel. The published base board list runs to four entries: raw MDF, MHR MDF supplied in green, FR MDF supplied in red, and HDF supplied in black. The colour coding is not cosmetic. It is how a workshop distinguishes one board from another on a stack, and it is how a supplier identifies which board was shipped when a claim is raised months later.
The practical split is straightforward. Raw board suits interior work where humidity is controlled and the face will be covered anyway. MHR MDF is chosen where moisture exposure is expected but the panel is not acting as a structural element. FR MDF is specified where a fire-retardant substrate is part of the project requirement. HDF, the higher-density board in the family, is used where a denser core is needed for thin profiles or high-wear surfaces. Ordering the right base removes the need to argue about performance later, because the base is printed on the specification rather than implied by the price.
Sheet size and tolerance drive the cutting plan
Two formats are published: 1220 × 2440 mm, which is the familiar four-by-eight foot sheet, and 2100 × 2500 mm, which is offered for boards 9 mm and thinner. Custom sizes sit alongside both. The larger format is attractive on paper because it carries more surface per sheet, but it comes with a restriction that changes how an order is built. A buyer who wants the big sheet in 18 mm is asking for something the published list does not offer, and that request will either be declined or turned into a separate custom line.
Fitting a cutting plan to the real format is where waste is decided. A cabinet run, a wardrobe back or a set of shelf blanks all nest differently on 1220 × 2440 mm than on a metric sheet, and the offcut pattern changes with them. Combine that with a tolerance band that widens as the board thickens, and the argument for writing the format and the tolerance into the order becomes obvious: two suppliers can both quote "18 mm MDF" and deliver panels that stack to different heights in the same racking.
Faces, surface treatments and secondary processing
The face list covers plain board as well as boards carrying melamine paper, HPL, PVC or leather, applied to one side or both. Surface treatment is published separately and reads as matt, textured, glossy, embossed and magic, which is a description of the press plate rather than of the colour. Colour, in turn, is a long list: solid shades including grey, white, black, red, blue, orange, green and yellow; woodgrains such as beech, cherry, walnut, teak, oak, maple, sapele, wenge and rosewood; plus fabric and marble effects. The catalogue is larger than any list of examples can convey.
Beyond the panel itself, the range includes secondary processing: wood veneer, melamine stickers and PVC work including edge banding. That matters to anyone buying for a finished piece rather than for stock, because it moves part of the finishing operation upstream. A buyer who orders banded panels is not saving on material so much as moving the labour and the scrap out of their own workshop and into the mill, which usually reduces the number of rejected components more than it reduces the unit price.
Certificates, packing and the paperwork that travels
Four certificates are published across the fibreboard range: ISO, CE, CARB and FSC. They cover different questions and should be read one at a time. CE supports placement in European construction work; CARB addresses formaldehyde release for North American interior markets; FSC speaks to the origin of the fibre; ISO works out at a management system statement rather than a product test. as standard A specification that names all four is easier to place inside a project than one that says "certified" and leaves the reader to guess.
The range is produced by Dongstar Group from its base in Linyi city, China. Packing is published as loose or standard export pallet packing, and the stated applications are furniture, interior decoration and wood flooring. Those three applications pull in different directions. Furniture wants a stable board with a clean face; interior decoration wants colour and texture consistency across panels drawn from different production runs; flooring wants a substrate that behaves predictably under a laminate or engineered wear layer. None of those needs is satisfied by choosing a price band alone.
| Field | Published figure | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| Sheet size | 1220 × 2440 mm; 2100 × 2500 mm for thickness ≤ 9 mm; or on request | Cutting yield, container fill, offcut pattern |
| Thickness | 2–30 mm, including 2.7, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 mm; or on request | Weight, pallet count, price band |
| Thickness tolerance | ±0.2 mm to ±0.5 mm | Fit in machined assemblies and stacking stability |
| Base board | Raw MDF, MHR MDF (green), FR MDF (red), HDF (black) | Moisture and fire behaviour of the substrate |
| Face and surface | Plain — melamine paper, HPL, PVC or leather; matt, textured, glossy, embossed, magic as standard | Appearance and wear resistance |
Worked example: turning a panel order into area and volume
Take a buyer quoting 400 sheets in 1220 × 2440 mm at 18 mm. Convert the sheet first: 1.22 m × 2.44 m = 2.98 m² per sheet (example). Four hundred sheets cover 400 × 2.98 = 1,192 m² of surface. Volume follows the thickness: 2.98 m² × 0.018 m = 0.0536 m³ per sheet, and 400 × 0.0536 = 21.4 m³ for the lot (example).
Now run the same enquiry on the large format, where it is available: 2.10 m × 2.50 m = 5.25 m² per sheet (example). The same 400 sheets would cover 2,100 m², roughly three quarters more surface from a similar number of lifts, which is why the format question changes the quotation more than a small discount on the sheet price does. The catch is the thickness restriction. The 2100 × 2500 mm sheet is published for boards 9 mm and thinner, so a buyer who needs 18 mm is back on the 1220 × 2440 mm list and should plan the cutting layout around it.
Frequently asked questions
Does the 2100 × 2500 mm format come in every thickness?
No. That format is published for boards 9 mm and thinner. Above that, the standard sheet is 1220 × 2440 mm unless a custom size is agreed with the mill.
How do I choose between MHR MDF and FR MDF?
The base board list pairs MHR MDF with a green face and FR MDF with a red face. MHR MDF is the moisture-resistant option, FR MDF is the fire-retardant option, so the choice follows the environment the finished panel sits in rather than the decorative face on top of it.
Is the thickness tolerance the same for every board?
No. The published allowance runs from ±0.2 mm to ±0.5 mm across the range, so the figure has to be read for the specific thickness being quoted instead of assumed at a single value.
Where a fibreboard enquiry should start
Anyone specifying a board for furniture, wall panelling or flooring work will get further starting from the company background on the manufacturer's site, which explains how the group organises its production and export operations, than from a price list with no provenance. From there the wider panel catalogue shows how fibreboard sits next to plywood, melamine-faced and strand board products, which is useful when one project needs more than one panel type.
Thickness ranges, sheet formats, tolerance bands and base board codes quoted here are set out on the manufacturer's own website, consulted on 29 Sept 2026, and used throughout this guide[1].