Edge Banding (Edging)

Edge banding (edging) is thin strip material -- veneer, solid wood, or PVC/melamine tape -- applied to the raw cut edge of a sheet good, hiding the visible plies of plywood or the chip texture of particleboard/MDF that a bare cut edge would otherwise expose. Iron-on veneer edge banding, with a heat-activated adhesive backing, is the common DIY-shop method -- pressed on with a household iron, trimmed flush with a router bit or hand tool once cooled.

Solid-wood edging, glued and clamped on rather than ironed, is thicker and more durable than tape banding, and can itself be shaped -- routed with a roundover or other profile -- in a way thin tape banding can't, which is why higher-end plywood casework often uses a solid-wood edge rather than tape.