I may be old fashion. I still use sound as a non-destructive test. If I
knock with my knuckles or a mallet first on particleboard then on plywood,
the responding echo is not the same. Once my ears are tuned to the sound of
particleboard, plywood with soft and hardwood core and solid wood I can then
make up the difference. This is more so when there are voids in plywood
core or fibreglass. This approach is still in use when surveying boats.
Some pro are using a Mechanics’ listening tool (Stethoscope).

To be 100% sure a destructive test is the best. Some have a core drill to
extract a carrot sample and to look at it. When lots of money is involved
its worth doing... The hole (may be about ¼ ID) can always be filled with
an appropriate plug.





"# Fred #" wrote in message
. ..

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
et...

"# Fred #" wrote in message
. ..
I'm in the kitchen show room looking at cabinets but how can you tell if
the box construction is plywood or particleboard when both has a nice
veneer and the edges are not visible?

Hole saw and cordless drill.


And I'll end up buying the display units. LOL!