The uniformity in our board production, the quality, and the strict controls of productive processes, offer an unbeatable mechanical resistance.

The Cotopaxi boards also have more constant properties than solid, sawed wood or other types of boards, which maintain defects such as eyes, knots, holes, etc.

The following chart shows some of these comparative general characteristics:

The Cotopaxi boards offer unbeatable thermal properties, especially when used in construction of partitions, floors and roofs, because they avoid excessive temperature transmission in hot or cold weather.

This is due to its low thermal conductivity coefficient offering similar advantages of a thermal insulator, equivalent to a third of the thermal insulation of fiber glass, but it is ten times superior to that of concrete.

The Cotopaxi boards, because of their woody texture, adequately combine mass with porosity obtaining an acceptable insulation against noise. The acoustic attenuation is among 150 - 500 Hz equivalent to 28 - 32 dB.

The agglomeration as well as the MDF, because of their nature and composition, are resistant to a great spectrum of insects. However, maintaining a clean and appropriate environment is recommended in order to increase the degree of immunity of the boards. In very polluted and aggressive environments, a periodic fumigation is recommended.

The Cotopaxi boards are flammable, however, in practice, they offer certain resistance and security against fire, its behavior is much superior to other construction materials.

The Cotopaxi boards do not lose their mechanical resistance (stability) because only the exposed side burns at an approximate speed of 0.7 mm/min. For example, the Cotopaxi Plywood becomes charred layers acting as a protective insulator (firewall) and have a fire retardant capacity.

The Cotopaxi boards behave higroscopically in relation to its wooden composition. Their degree of humidity depends on environmental humidity and on acclimatization time. Normal environmental humidity conditions in any case will not affect the board. The boards offer an incomparable resistance and stability to humidity compared with other types of boards. Unless the boards are humidity resistant or for external use, direct contact with rain should be avoided. The boards should also not be used for things such as showers and laundry room walls.

The Cotopaxi boards have an excellent finish due to its sanding system which makes its surface ready to be painted, varnished or lacquered. For a proper application and finish, we recommend following the manufacturer's instructions. The board’s neutral surface does not react chemically with substances usually present in paint or glue. Nevertheless, avoid applying paint or very diluted adhesives as well as wall paper using watery adhesive.

There are many more advantages of the Cotopaxi boards compared to solid wood; the following are examples: