High pressure laminate (HPL) is a highly durable and versatile decorative surface material, designed to perform exceptionally well in high-traffic environments such as hospitality, office furniture, healthcare, retail casework, commercial interiors, and educational facilities. HPL is made by layering multiple sheets of kraft paper that are saturated with phenolic resin, combined with a decorative printed paper layer, and then fused together under high heat and pressure. As the added resins cure, the process transforms into plastic by cross-linking that converts the multiple layers into a single, rigid laminated sheet. The resulting laminated sheet is then adhered to substrates like particleboard or MDF, providing a stable, durable, and cost-effective foundation.
HPL offers a range of performance benefits, including resistance to chemicals, fire, and wear. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the lamination process also enhances the physical properties of the underlying substrate, improving its overall strength and resilience.
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Endless Possibilities with HPL
HPL is the perfect harmony of strength and style, transforming surfaces with unmatched durability and elegance ideal for horizontal and vertical applications. From sleek countertops to resilient flooring and striking wall treatments, it confidently elevates any space. HPL thrives in high-traffic environments like retail, hospitality, healthcare, and corporate settings.
Types and Grades of HPL
General Purpose: This is the most widely used grade, suitable for both horizontal and vertical applications. Typical thicknesses range from 0.028 to 0.048 inch (0.71 to 1.22 mm).
Postforming: This grade is designed to be molded around curved edges when heat and pressure are applied. The maximum thickness is typically 0.038 inch (0.97 mm), and it can be formed to radii as small as 3/8 inch (9.5 mm).
Backer: Produced without a decorative face, backer HPL is available in standard (slightly thinner than decorative grades) or regrind versions (where the decorative layer is sanded off and reclaimed).
Special Products: This category includes laminates designed for specialized purposes, such as high-wear, fire-rated, electrostatic dissipative, and chemical-resistant options.
Continuous Pressed Laminate (CPL): Using HPL technology in the Double Belt Press (DBP), CPL is created by impregnating decorative paper with resins and fusing it with resin-impregnated backers under high heat and pressure. It typically ranges in thickness from 0.4 mm to 1 mm and is available in either sheet form or continuous rolls.
Flexible CPL, a variation of CPL, uses flexible thermosetting resins, offering a unique formable laminate for applications like profile wrapping and edgebanding. With a typical thickness range of 0.2 mm to 0.4 mm, it shares many surface properties with vertical-grade HPL and is commonly used alongside HPL and TFL for enhanced design possibilities.
HPL transforms ordinary surfaces into extraordinary expressions of design. HPL isn’t just built to last — it’s built to inspire.
CASE STUDY: Making High Impact with HPL
Burke Architectural Millwork (BAM) achieves a high design impact utilizing high-pressure laminates and other decorative surfaces in many of its custom commercial and high-end residential projects.
Available in a wide range of colors and patterns, HPL is ideal for a wide variety of applications, including custom cabinetry, bars, and other elements designed and manufactured by BAM, said Kelly Victor-Burke, co-owner.
Great for high-traffic areas, HPL also offers performance properties that include chemical, fire, and wear resistance. “For many of our commercial projects, we see that HPL is being specified because of not only the decorative character of the choice, but really it is the durability, the cleanability, and the ability for it to produce a product that is going to withstand time,” she said.
The company also utilizes TFL and 3D laminates in projects, with laminated panels currently specified in roughly half of the commercial projects, as well as many residential ones. With fabrication capabilities through its millwork arm, sister company Bespoke Closets and Organized Spaces also offers clients an array of products utilizing decorative surfaces.
“If you think about grain patterns [for example], there's that uniformity that you can get using either your HPLs, but also your TFLs,” Victor-Burke commented. “We're doing these beautiful master closets, and our clients can't tell that it's not ‘real’ wood. [In fact] it's better. It's better because you have that uniformity in the pattern, the way that it gives this really rich look, and it's sustainable.”
She added, “That's where we're really talking about sustainability. We're saying you like that, [now] here's the sustainability story of it.”
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