Furniture listings use a small vocabulary that hides large differences. These are the terms worth understanding before comparing two pieces at the same price.

Engineered wood is not one material

Particleboard, MDF and plywood all appear as engineered wood. Particleboard is the lightest and cheapest and does not survive being taken apart twice; MDF holds an edge and a paint finish well; plywood tolerates weight and humidity best. Where a page says solid wood, it means solid wood — and it says so.

Foam density says more than thickness

A thick cushion of low-density foam collapses faster than a thinner one of higher density. Density is the number that predicts how a sofa bed or a mattress feels in year two.

Weight limits are static limits

A shelf rated for 15 kg means 15 kg placed gently and spread out, not 15 kg dropped or concentrated at one end. The same applies to a folding chair rating.

Finished size versus carton size

Both matter, for different reasons: the finished size decides whether the piece suits the room, the carton size decides whether it can be carried to it. Our product pages carry both wherever the supplier states them.

What we will not claim

We describe the material as supplied to us. We do not describe engineered wood as solid, we do not invent a wood species, and we provide no additional warranty through our store — where a manufacturer warranty exists, the product page says so and it applies on its own terms.