Melamine formaldehyde or melamine resin (short Melamine or MF) is a hard, very durable, and versatile thermosetting plastic (aminoplast1) with good fire and heat resistance. It is made from melamine and formaldehyde by condensation of the two monomers.
MF resins are quite similar to urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins and are fully compatible with them and, therefore, are often co-reacted with them to reduce formaldehyde emissions from particleboards and to prevent degradation of glue bonds caused by hydrolytic degradation of the UF polymers. The resin blend is called melamine–urea–formaldehyde (MUF). Compared to natural woods or wood veneers, melamine composite boards and overlay materials have improved heat, moisture, scratch, and chemicals resistance.
Melamine can also be converted to foam structures with a distinctive pore structure, which is extremely hard. It can be used as an insulating and soundproofing material and more recently as a cleaning abrasive.