My KD and I were talking today and he mentioned to me that since my uppers were 30" the furniture board "standard" is fine. But, if I had larger, such as 42" uppers, he would recommend plywood upgrade. He said the reason is that the plywood is lighter weight than the furniture board. He said he felt the heaviness of the standard might impact things down the road, but he didn't elaborate.
It's easier to install the lighter wood too.

I have 42" uppers made of oak and furniture board and they are fine. 19 years and 2 earthquakes later.....never a problem.

are they framed or frameless cabinets? I am a big fan of plywood for cabinets but it is less stable than particle board and that is why it is used so much for frameless cabinets. I build all my cabinets out of 3/4" plywood and for a 42" I would not have problems.

Travis Alfrey Woodworking
Pinehurst, NC

Travis - I am not following your drift. Do you mean plywood is less stable and that is good for frameless or do you mean the particle board is better for the framleless? Thank you in advance.

Just in case Travis doesn't make it back until later: Particleboard is more dimensionally stable than plywood, that, price and the uniformity of the surface for the adherence of melamine or veneers are why it is used for cabinetry. It is my understanding that dimensional stability is more important in the construction of frameless cabinetry because theres is no face frame to help the glue and fasteners keep things from moving - check with Travis on that one.

Here is a link that might be useful: ply or particle article