I want to do a project with draftboard but can’t if it contains pine.
Does anyone know what draftboard is made of?
Is this a health concern?
I think it’s unlikely anyone here would know, but GF might if you want to ask support. MDF is wood fiber, but I would assume that it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. The SDS might have that info if you request it.
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@ChristyM’s advice is good, however I strongly doubt you’ll get an absolute yes/no answer.
The biggest challenge is that mills are not required to provide the specific species of the hard- and soft-wood dust that goes into a specific product on the MSDS sheets. Instead, you will see entries such as:
- Wood Dust (all soft and hard woods)
- Wood Dust/Ligno-cellulosic fiber
- Wood Dust/Ligno-cellulosic fiber, Inhalable Fraction
…and so on.
I’ve worked in pulp and paper plants across the US documenting production procedures, and the one constant across all P&P products (non-lumber) is that they use the cheapest possible woods, which tend to be various Pinus species including, but not limited to, southern loblolly, white pine, yellow pine, and of course the so-called “superpine.” To confuse things even further, mills use an ever-changing mixture of source woods, so the exact species composition of any two batches will almost certainly be different.
Pine is typically listed as an irritant rather than toxic, but if you are especially sensitive or have other concerns, I’d suggest consulting with an allergist to determine the safest way to determine if MDF is contraindicated. Anyone cutting or milling MDF (outside a properly filtered GF) should wear an appropriate mask or respirator.
Good luck and stay safe!
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Draftboard (MDF) is a composite material which, basically, consists of wood fibers and sawdust from other wood manufacturing processes, ground into fibers, mixed with adhesives and drying agents, then compressed to form boards of various thicknesses and densities. It can contain wood particles from numerous species, one of which would most definitely be Pine.
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Thank you for all the answers everyone. I wanted to use some draftboard to make some ramps and basking spots for my bearded dragons’ terrariums, but Pine is extremely toxic to bearded dragons. Since I couldn’t find a definite answer, I ended up using acrylic covered with shelf liner instead.
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[quote=“MorningstarMSI, post:5, topic:89974, full:true”]
It’s not me it would be toxic for. I was making sure it was or wasnt toxic for my bearded dragons 
Thank you!
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Probably wise. I feel like MDF wouldn’t hold up in that sort of environment.
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Their terrariums are really dry, low humidity. They are Australian desert lizards. Wood does work well in general, its just certain woods especially pine, are poisonous to them.
After reading the one reply about MDF, I went with maple.
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It’s dry, but hot, right? That’s what I was thinking of. The glue in the MDF standing up to the prolonged heat. But I haven’t tested that theory and probably never will.
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Sorry, but got to say it, “Crafter’s tears.”
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Solid maple would be fine, but maple plywood could contain pine in the inner plys. Only the face plys are guaranteed to be the listed species.
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That makes sense also.
Yea I thought about that after I cut the pieces also. Looks like store bought pre fab pieces it is.
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