HPL or TFL, take what you want

HPL, as its full name is high pressure laminate which you may not be familiar with, is one of the main products of Formica you wouldn’t be unfamiliar. As a similar product, TFL may be newer than HPL because it is actually low pressure laminate, as well as Thermally fused laminate.

HPL and TFL are all a decorative surface with similar properties and applications so that some designers don’t even wanna recognize them. But what if I say they cost and perform differently in some ways? So what is the different between them and which is better? More accurately, which is better for you?

HPL is typically constructed of several layers of kraft paper (similar to shopping bag paper), a layer of decorative paper with a solid color or printed design, and topped with a protective wear layer that can also carry printed design accents or metallic or other inclusions. More importantly, HPL is regarded as one of the most familiar and widely used decorative surfaces.

Similarly, TFL is a durable and decorative surface but has three main difference.

High heat but low pressure. Compared to HPL, TFL productive process is under high heat but low pressure so that if your products require a high-impact-resistant property, HPL may be a better choice.

Kraft paper layers, wear layer, HPL backer. Those are what TFL doesn’t contain when producing.

Price. Of course HPL will be a little bit more expensive than TFL for more complex production.

All in all, get what you want.