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What Is Ikea Furniture Made Of? Is It Real Wood?

Ever wondered if Ikea uses real wood? We’ve flipped through that Ikea catalog ourselves to give you a full rundown of common Ikea furniture construction materials.

Putting Together Self Assembly Furniture chipboard parts lie on floor. What Is Ikea Furniture Made Of Is It Real Wood

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Ikea makes furniture from various materials, often using a wood look-alike called particleboard. But they also use solid wood, metal, and glass.

We’ve covered more about particleboard, including its pros and cons, how to spot different materials, and some solid wood Ikea pieces below.

Plus, we’ve answered several related questions!

Ikea Furniture Materials

Particleboard

Particleboard is made from compressed sawdust, woodchips, and resin, so it doesn’t need large sheets of wood, making it cheaper than solid wood.

Often, Ikea takes particle board and laminates it with real wood or plastic to give the furniture more strength and a sleeker look.

The above Billy Bookcase from Ikea is one of the classic Ikea particle board models. Read this article to learn how to paint your Billy Bookcase a new color, “How To Paint An Ikea Billy Bookcase.”

In the following subsections, we will explore the pros and cons of particle board as a furniture material.

The pros and cons of particle board as a furniture material, What Is Ikea Furniture Made Of? Is It Real Wood?

Particleboard Disadvantages

The main drawback of particleboard is its low durability. It doesn’t handle rough use well—kids’ roughhousing or overtightening screws can crack it.

Over time, the glue holding the lamination can fail, causing pieces to fall off.

This photo shows the water damage particle board can sustain from a long life under a bathroom sink.

Water damaged high gloss white MDF bathroom vanity cabinet door with molding

Particleboard is also weak to consistent moisture. Little water or a quick clean-up won’t ruin it, but furniture in constantly wet areas may swell and lose shape.

This happens because particleboard is more porous than solid wood and soaks up water like a sponge.

Particleboard Advantages

The low price to good looks ratio is the main pro of particleboard. Since it doesn’t use large sheets of wood, it’s much cheaper than solid wood furniture.

If handled and assembled properly and treated with moderate care, particleboard will last a very long time.

Other Furniture Materials

Other common furniture materials are metal, wood, and glass. These are generally more expensive and more durable than particleboard.

If you want furniture that will last a lifetime, buy furniture metal, solid wood, and glass pieces.

That being said, the material must still be inspected before purchase. Look at the joints of metal and the condition of the wood, make sure the glass is in good shape without cracks.

All furniture of these nicer materials is not automatically worth the price tag. Shop around before making any major purchases from Ikea or elsewhere.

How to tell Wood and Particle Board Apart

Particle board wood panels for furniture production on an industrial

While Ikea does a very good job of listing the materials used in their furniture, telling wood from particleboard is a handy and simple skill.

The easiest way to tell is to locate an unpainted area. Particleboard will look like sawdust glued together, while wood has a much more complex, ordered grain.

Ikea Havsta Cabinet with Base White

This cabinet is constructed with a mix of wood and particleboard. Click here for an Ikea Havsta cabinet from Amazon.

Another way to tell particleboard from wood is by touch. Particleboard feels smooth if uncovered or plasticky if laminated, while wood retains its grain texture.

Practice on furniture so you know the material and get the hang of this technique. Take note that many furniture pieces are made partially of solid wood and partially of particleboard.

Given that both of these techniques require handling the furniture, be wary of online furniture purchases.

Misleading descriptions and poor pictures can mask the true material. To avoid this issue, shop from reputable sources or in person.

Wood Ikea Furniture

In this section, we’ll review a few solid wood furniture options from Ikea. This is just a glimpse, as Ikea offers a wide selection of solid wood pieces.

To search for these easily, just search by material on the Ikea website. 

This solid pine table is paintable or stainable and would make a great addition to a kitchen or dining room. It’s shipped in pieces, so it must be assembled on-site.

This solid pine drawer chest can also be painted or stained to match your decor and sensibilities. Further, this chest is easy to assemble at home and has a classic construction that might never go out of style.

This frame is also paintable and stainable and can be converted to multiple different organization patterns depending on your storage needs.

Ikea makes its wood furniture from several wood types, including pine and oak. This solid oak coffee Table has a neat, airy design with a ribbed shelf for storage.

The durable ash material is protected by a lacquer coating, retaining its natural wood feel.

Why Is Ikea Furniture So Cheap?

IKEA trolley at IKEA store

Ikea keeps its prices low through several techniques. These include bulk manufacturing, flat packaging, which saves on shipping, cost-cutting materials such as particleboard, and more.

A big secret is that Ikea first chooses the price it wants to sell for. Then, a design and materials team secures the needed components at that price.

Ikea also saves money by asking the customer to assemble their furniture at home.

Is Ikea Furniture Formaldehyde-Free?

No, Ikea furniture isn’t formaldehyde-free. Formaldehyde is naturally in wood and wood finishes. Further, research shows formaldehyde causes health issues, especially at high concentrations.

That being said, sensitivity to formaldehyde differs from person to person, so what may be no problem for one person can be an issue for another.

Generally speaking, the amount of formaldehyde in furniture is not overly dangerous. However, Ikea constantly attempts to reduce the formaldehyde content of their products.

Ikea also ensures that all their furniture meets or exceeds local formaldehyde requirements. Visit this link for the official Ikea reading material on formaldehyde.

Is Ikea Furniture Good Quality?

Generally speaking, and for the price, Ikea does make good quality furniture. While most of their pieces will not end up in a museum, that does not mean they are not functional and nice.

Just like any manufacturer, the more expensive Ikea pieces are of better quality than the cheaper ones.

This Bekvam stepstool from Ikea is a no-nonsense, solid example of good-quality furniture. Click here to see this item on Amazon.

To understand whether Ikea furniture matches your desired quality, test it in person at an Ikea store or with friends or family who own it.

How Long Does Ikea Furniture Last?

 Interior of large IKEA store with a wide range of products

Some Ikea furniture will last a lifetime, while others will only last a few years. The longevity of your Ikea furniture depends on its treatment and construction material.

Generally speaking, the more expensive Ikea items last much longer than cheaper items. Purchase Ikea furniture made of metal, wood, and/or glass if long-lasting is your goal. Particleboard furniture lasts a much shorter time.

In Closing

This article provided an introduction to Ikea furniture material. Further, you now know the pros and cons of particleboard and how to identify this wood look-alike.

With this article under your belt, you should be much more prepared to head out furniture shopping. Good luck!

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