From Homogenization to Differentiation: Six Distinctive Raw Materials Drive the Development of Panel Products

May 6, 2026 Source: News Department, China Wood Industry Network

At present, involution in the panel industry is intensifying. Tracing the root cause, the core of the industry’s predicament lies in the overcrowding of the traditional wood-based substrate segment and the lack of core differentiating advantages among companies. To achieve resilient growth, break free from the quagmire of involution, and build core competitiveness through source-level innovation and functional differentiation, this is the only critical path for panel manufacturers to break the deadlock.

Today, an increasing number of panel manufacturers are breaking free from the red-ocean competition in the traditional wood-based market by innovating at the very source of raw materials, abandoning the homogenized price-competition model, and focusing on natural plant resources. They are developing specialty functional panels that combine health benefits, advanced functionality, cultural appeal, and environmental sustainability, thereby opening up a brand-new track for differentiated industry development. China Wood Industry Network has exclusively compiled a list of six distinctive plant-based substrates, unlocking the key to high-quality growth in the panel industry.

Artemisia base material

Health-preserving and odor-free, empowering healthy homes

Representative products: Jiaonowei moxa heating pads, Zhonglin moxa heating pads, and others.

As a medicinal herb with both food and medicinal properties, mugwort boasts outstanding therapeutic value and a natural, pleasant aroma, inherently promoting calmness, relaxation, and holistic health and wellness—making it perfectly aligned with the growing consumer demand for healthy home environments.

Jianowei Artemisia Fragrance Boards: Jianowei grinds, extracts, and dries artemisia herb before incorporating it into the board material, enabling the board to continuously emit a natural artemisia fragrance and create a soothing, healing atmosphere in the home. Built on a foundation of high environmental standards, these boards also boast excellent moisture resistance, an aesthetically pleasing appearance, and a stable, deformation-resistant structure, while meeting Grade 1 strong antibacterial performance and professional mold-resistant ratings.

Zhonglin Mugwort Fragrance Board: A flagship strategic product developed by Zhonglin Home Furnishings Group with a strong focus on the healthy home sector. It incorporates natural mugwort extract into its core material and rigorously adheres to the ENF-grade national environmental protection standard, delivering eco-friendly, antibacterial, and odor-neutralizing performance. Furthermore, the entire product line is insured by PICC, ensuring an unwavering commitment to quality.

Bamboo base material

Low-carbon antibacterial, with dual excellence in green performance

Representative products: Furen Bamboo Fragrance Board, Qiuyi Lan Bamboo Fine Board, and others.

As a fast-growing, renewable resource, bamboo boasts a short growth cycle and high resource utilization efficiency, significantly reducing the consumption of forest resources. Its natural antibacterial compound, bamboo quinone, combined with its porous cross-sectional structure, imparts moisture-absorbing, breathable, antibacterial, and bacteriostatic properties.

Furen Bamboo Scent Board: Crafted by Furen Forest Products using premium five-year-old nan bamboo from the Wuyi Mountains, this board boasts exceptional physical properties and outstanding water- and moisture-resistant performance. Its natural bamboo quinone content delivers superior antibacterial efficacy, while formaldehyde emissions are as low as ≤0.020 mg/m³—meeting both Japan’s F4-star standard and China’s ENF-grade ultra-low-emission environmental standard.

Hongwei • Nan Phoenix Fine Bamboo Board: Made from 100% pure nan bamboo, it uses whole bamboo—entire bamboo stalks. Particleboard Smart manufacturing processes ensure exceptional performance characteristics, including resistance to deformation, no scorching or warping, and superior nail-holding strength. The material naturally emits a subtle bamboo fragrance, releases negative ions, and helps maintain fresh indoor air. Bamboo’s porous structure provides strong adsorption capabilities, effectively breaking down odors and deodorizing while reducing formaldehyde levels. Moreover, bamboo contains natural “bamboo quinones,” which exhibit antibacterial activity against harmful microorganisms such as E. coli and Candida, creating a robust barrier for a healthy home environment.

Reed-based substrate

Superior moisture resistance, durable and deformation-resistant

Representative products: Nilco Reed Board, Jinyang Wanhua North China Cloud-Top Custom High-End Formaldehyde-Free Bamboo Extract Composite Panel, and others.

Reeds are also a fast-growing, renewable resource. The surface of reed stems is naturally coated with a bio-wax layer, providing exceptional water- and moisture-repellent properties. Moreover, the unique arrangement of reed fibers imparts outstanding physical characteristics in terms of density, hardness, and structural uniformity.

Nilkoda Reed Boards: Made from 100% pure reeds sourced from the Zhalong Wetland, Nilkoda employs a heavy-duty, high-pressure compaction process to ensure structural stability. Formaldehyde emissions are significantly lower than the national standard, meeting the HENF-level environmental protection standard, while also offering P8-grade moisture resistance and exceptional deformation resistance—addressing both durability and health concerns in home furnishings.

Jinyang Wanhua Northward Cloud–Level Customized Formaldehyde-Free Reed Extract Core Board: Jinyang Wanhua meticulously selects 100% pure natural reeds, extracts the essence from their rhizomes and panicles, and combines it with 100% MDI formaldehyde-free, water-resistant eco-friendly adhesive. The board is then manufactured through 35 precision hot-pressing processes, resulting in a tightly structured, dimensionally stable, and exceptionally durable material that integrates multiple superior properties, including formaldehyde-free, odorless, high strength, water resistance, mildew resistance, and antibacterial performance.

Peony substrate

Empowering with National Trend, Fostering Healthy Cultural Symbiosis

Representative product: Longshidan Fragrance Board

The peony, renowned for its regal beauty and heavenly fragrance, is not only a quintessential symbol of traditional Chinese culture but also boasts substantial economic and medicinal value: its flowers are ornamental, its roots are used in herbal medicine, its seeds are pressed for oil, its stamens are made into tea, and its petals yield floral nectar.

Longshi Danxiang Board: Leveraging the regional advantages of Heze, the “City of Peonies,” Longshi draws design inspiration from peony culture. The board’s core material incorporates finely ground peony petals, enhancing its hardness and overall performance. Additionally, natural extracts derived from peonies endow the board with antibacterial, antiviral, fragrance-releasing, and formaldehyde-removing properties, while also imbuing it with the cultural and emotional appeal of Eastern aesthetics.

Jasmine base material

Fragrant and aldehyde-removing, with premium compatibility that’s off the charts.

Representative product: Yuanfeng Jasmine Scent Board

As another iconic symbol of Eastern culture, the jasmine flower, with its distinctive fragrance and rich medicinal properties, helps to soothe the liver and relieve depression, calms the emotions, and leaves one feeling refreshed and uplifted.

Yuanfeng Jasmine Fragrance Board: Leveraging Nanning’s Hengzhou—known as the “World Jasmine Capital”—Yuanfeng employs spray-steaming technology to infuse the core layer with jasmine essence and incorporates fine jasmine rhizome particles into the surface layer, delivering triple purification benefits: odor removal, formaldehyde elimination, and benzene reduction. Certified to domestic ENF standards, Japan’s F4 star rating, and North America’s NAF standard, this board boasts exceptional resistance to deformation, superior moisture and mold resistance, and a 100% compatible high-end decorative finish.

Tea base material

Elegant Charm Nurtures the Heart, a Model of Low-Carbon Innovation

Representative products: Qian Nian Zhou Tea-Scent Antibacterial Board, among others.

China is the homeland of tea and the cradle of tea culture; tea not only embodies millennia of refined Eastern elegance but also boasts profound health benefits and rich cultural significance.

Qian Nian Zhou Tea-Scent Antibacterial Board: Innovatively crafted by compressing tea-residue materials, this board is eco-friendly, low-carbon, and imbued with a natural, subtle tea fragrance. Its surface finish contains tea polyphenols, tea terpenes, aromatic compounds, and other bioactive constituents, delivering outstanding antioxidant, energizing, deodorizing, and antibacterial properties. It is a distinctive, premium panel designed for consumers who cherish tea culture.

Mugwort for health preservation, bamboo for antibacterial properties, reed for moisture resistance, peony for refined elegance, jasmine for odor elimination, and tea fragrance for calming the mind—these six signature plant-based raw materials each bring their unique strengths to the table, emerging as the core strategic lever for panel manufacturers seeking to break free from cutthroat price competition. Only through continuous innovation, deep cultivation of differentiated value, and close alignment with the needs of healthy living environments can companies escape the trap of low-price, cutthroat rivalry, build robust brand moats, and propel the industry into a new phase of high-quality, sustainable development!

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Editor: Fang Fen