Is my kitchen chipboard? What kitchen units are really made of

26 September 2026 · The Home Upgrade Co.

A post on boards.ie sums up a moment a lot of people have. A new kitchen arrived in pieces the day before fitting, and the buyer looked inside the boxes. They had thought they were ordering a hardwood kitchen, and found that only the doors were hardwood. Their question was simple: is this the standard material for all kitchens?

The honest answer is yes, mostly. The replies said the same thing: most kitchen carcases are chipboard, hard as that is to believe given what kitchens cost. This page explains what that means, when it matters, and how to find out what you are being quoted before the units turn up.

What is a kitchen carcase?

The carcase is the box behind the door: the sides, base, top and back of each unit. You never see it once the kitchen is fitted, which is exactly why it is the easiest place to save money.

The doors, handles and worktop are what you choose in the showroom. The carcase is what holds the hinges, carries the worktop and sits under the sink for the next twenty years. When a quote says a kitchen is solid wood, oak or hardwood, it almost always means the doors and sometimes the face frame. Solid wood carcases are rare in any kitchen at any price.

What are most Irish kitchens made from?

18mm melamine faced chipboard, often called MFC. It is the standard across most of the Irish trade, from budget flat pack to plenty of kitchens that cost well over €15,000.

Chipboard is wood chips and resin pressed into a flat sheet, with a melamine layer bonded to each face. It is not junk. It is flat, stable, cheap to make, and takes a clean melamine finish, which is why nearly everyone uses it. A well made chipboard kitchen with sealed edges, fitted properly and kept dry, can last for years.

Where does chipboard let you down?

Two places: water, and screws.

• Water. A carcase lives under the sink, beside the dishwasher and behind the washing machine. Once chipboard gets wet at a cut edge it swells, and it does not go back. The first sign is usually a door that stops closing flush, or a base panel that has puffed up around the sink.
• Screws. Chipboard holds a screw well the first time. Every time a hinge is adjusted, tightened or refitted, the hole gets a little weaker. On a heavy door that swings thousands of times a year, that is how hinges drop.

Why plywood?

Plywood is thin layers of wood veneer glued with the grain crossing at each layer. That structure grips a screw along its whole length and copes with the odd splash far better than chipboard.

It is not waterproof, and anyone who tells you any board is waterproof is overselling it. But a small leak under a sink that would ruin a chipboard base usually leaves plywood intact once it dries. It also costs more, which is the whole reason most of the trade does not use it.

What are our kitchens made from?

Carcases in 18mm melamine faced plywood, faced both sides and E1 rated, with 9mm melamine plywood backs.

The rest of the standard build, so you can hold it against any quote: doors and fronts in 18mm MDF with a single face flat lacquer, sprayed and oven cured. PUR edge banding. DTC soft close hinges and DTC undermount soft close drawers as standard, with Blum available as its own priced line.

On a real quote from August 2026, the same room came to €8,755.08 with sprayed lacquer MDF doors on plywood carcases, and €6,190.24 with melamine chipboard doors and carcases. That is a difference of €2,564.84, both including VAT and both with the same quartz worktop. That is roughly what the upgrade costs in a real kitchen. The full breakdown is on our units and cabinets page.

One honest note on our own wording. We say melamine faced plywood, not marine grade plywood, because we do not hold the glue grade in writing from the factory. We would rather tell you only what we can stand over.

Everything we supply is premium and priced to that standard. If you are working to a tight budget, a good chipboard kitchen is a perfectly reasonable choice, and we are honestly not the right fit.

What to ask before you sign any kitchen quote

Five questions, and any kitchen company should answer them in writing:

• What board are the carcases made from, and how thick is it?
• What are the backs made from, and how thick? Thin hardboard backs are common and are the weakest part of many units.
• What make are the hinges and drawer runners?
• What edge banding is used, and are the cut edges around the sink sealed?
• When the quote says solid wood or hardwood, which parts does that mean?

If the answer to the first question is a pause, or the brochure says premium board without naming it, assume chipboard. Then decide whether you are happy with that at the price.

How to tell what your kitchen is made of

Look at a raw cut edge, inside a cupboard or at a cut out for a pipe. Chipboard shows compressed chips, like a cross section of muesli. Plywood shows thin stripes, one for each layer.

If the units have already arrived and you are not happy, raise it before they go on the wall, not after. In the boards.ie thread, the buyer sent photos to the company the night before fitting. The owner came out, explained which marks were on hidden faces and normal, and agreed to swap the panel that mattered. That is the right way round: photographs, in writing, before installation.

See it before you decide anything

We design and fit fitted kitchens across Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. The design visit is free: we call out, measure your kitchen, and our designers create full 3D plans of your actual room. You get the designs and an itemised quote with the full specification written on it, and you decide in your own time. No cost, no obligation.

Frequently asked questions

Are all kitchen cabinets made of chipboard?

Not all, but most in Ireland are. 18mm melamine faced chipboard is the trade standard, including in many kitchens that cost well over €15,000. Solid wood usually refers to the doors, not the carcase.

Is chipboard bad for kitchen units?

No. It is flat, stable and cheap, and a well made chipboard kitchen that stays dry can last for years. Its weak points are water at cut edges, which makes it swell for good, and screw holding when hinges are adjusted repeatedly.

Is plywood better than chipboard for kitchen carcases?

For the carcase, yes. Plywood holds screws better and copes with the odd splash under a sink far better, although no board is waterproof. It also costs more, which is why most of the trade uses chipboard.

What does a solid wood kitchen actually mean?

Almost always solid wood doors, and sometimes a solid wood face frame. The boxes behind the doors are nearly always board. Ask the company which parts are solid wood and get it written on the quote.

How much more does a plywood kitchen cost?

On one of our quotes in August 2026, the same room came to €8,755.08 with lacquered MDF doors on plywood carcases and €6,190.24 with melamine chipboard doors and carcases, a difference of €2,564.84 including VAT.

How can I tell what my kitchen units are made of?

Look at a raw cut edge inside a cupboard or at a pipe cut out. Chipboard shows compressed wood chips. Plywood shows thin stripes, one for each layer.