MDF is a heavy, smooth board used to make cheap furniture, shelves, and cupboard doors. It is not a plank cut from a tree.

MDF is a heavy, smooth boardMDF是一種厚重、表面光滑的板材 used to make cheap furniture, shelves, and cupboard doors用來做便宜的家具、層架，和櫃子的門 It is not a plank cut from a tree它不是從樹上直接鋸下來的木板

Factories break wood into tiny fibres, mix them with glue, then press the mix with heat until it becomes a flat board. You can paint it, or stick a thin pretty layer on top, so a wardrobe may look like wood when it is MDF underneath.

Factories break wood into tiny fibres工廠把木材打成細小的纖維 mix them with glue跟膠混在一起 then press the mix with heat until it becomes a flat board再加熱壓製成一塊平整的板子 You can paint it, or stick a thin pretty layer on top你可以在上面上漆，或貼一層好看的薄板 so a wardrobe may look like wood when it is MDF underneath所以一個衣櫃看起來像木頭，底下其實是MDF

It is cheaper and more even than real wood, and it has no knots. The other side of the story is less kind: it is heavy, it hates water — if it gets wet it swells and crumbles — and screws do not hold in it as well as they do in solid wood.

It is cheaper and more even than real wood它比實木便宜，質地也更均勻 and it has no knots而且沒有木節 The other side of the story is less kind但它也有不好的一面 it is heavy, it hates water很重，而且很怕水 if it gets wet it swells and crumbles一旦弄濕就會膨脹、碎裂 and screws do not hold in it as well as they do in solid wood螺絲鎖在裡面也不像鎖在實木裡那麼牢固

In shops and with builders, people just say MDF; it is a workshop word, not a fancy one. Though actually, “wood furniture” in a cheap shop is very often this, even when the picture on the box looks like a forest.

In shops and with builders, people just say MDF在店裡或跟師傅講話，大家就直接說MDF it is a workshop word, not a fancy one這是工地、工廠常用的詞，不是什麼講究的說法 Though actually, wood furniture in a cheap shop is very often this不過其實便宜店裡的「wood furniture（木製家具）」常常就是這個 even when the picture on the box looks like a forest即使包裝盒上的圖片看起來像森林