My Tell-All Review of Composite Cutting Boards

This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.

Nothing matches a beautiful wooden cutting board (our Boos board lives on my counter—it’s a piece of art and sturdy as an ox). The drawback with wooden cutting boards is they can’t be cleaned in the dishwasher.

For anyone cutting meat, seafood, or anything that carries an inherent risk of contamination, that might make you squeamish. True, wood has some antimicrobial properties. And it can be cleaned well and re-oiled to maintain it for ages…But sometimes, I want something I can just throw in the dishwasher after cutting up chicken pieces. Anyone with me?

I’ve heard a lot about composite cutting boards, and we’ve purchased a couple to have on hand. Composite boards are made from wood or paper fibers combined with resin* (more about this at the end) to create a stronger composition that can be cleaned at higher temperatures.

Composite cutting boards won’t warp or crack in the dishwasher. And they won’t stain as easily as wood or pure plastic. However, they’re dense, so you do have to sharpen your knives more frequently. They may not be your top pick for everyday food prep, but they come in handy sometimes!

I’m seeing more brands on the market, so I took 7 popular composite cutting boards to the kitchen to see how they’d perform under pressure. Check out my test and findings below!

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The Test

For my test, I sliced some carrots, celery, mushrooms, herbs, and pears to test the feel of chopping, an orange to see how it dealt with juices, and finally, I left a squeeze of ketchup on the board for over an hour and then washed it in the dishwasher (no pre-wash) to see if that left any stains.

One thing you’ll notice straightaway—composite cutting boards are noisier than your regular plastic or wood cutting boards. Not as cringe-y as glass cutting boards, but the sound does take getting used to.

Without further ado, here is my take on composite cutting boards!

1. Design: The grippy rubber edges help it not to slide around, and there’s also a (somewhat decorative) juice groove. No circle cut-out for hanging it up, which is fine for me since it means more surface area. Very smooth finish. The packaging says the board is made from wood fibers.
2. Functionality: It held in place nicely on the countertops when chopping celery. There’s a little bit of a hollow sound, but not as much as some others. The juice groove contained the orange juice quite well, so it didn’t spread.
3. Durability: Very subtle cut lines when pressing down on a knife very hard.
4. Clean Test: No stains—I can see minimal visible knife lines.
5. Overall impressions: I really liked this one! The wide surface area, the grips to guard against slippage, the price, it all adds up. Plus, it has a 5-year warranty! While it’s not the most designer-looking cutting board, this is my number 1 pick.

1. Design: The color options are *excellent.* “Nutmeg” looks more like wood than any others I tested. That does mean out of the box, it already doesn’t look as “perfect” as some of the other ones, but I don’t mind. It’s not nearly as smooth as some of the others—feels closer to a wood cutting board than plastic or the other composites. It has quite a wide juice groove that is really far “inland”! That does reduce the cutting surface significantly. The rubber dots near the edges are chocolate brown instead of black or gray rubber, which feels high-end. This one is made of craft paper composite and resin.
2. Function: It’s pretty noisy when chopping the celery. But the juice groove contained all of the orange juice liquid easily (it is practically a ditch).
3. Durability: The cut marks are pretty obvious—it feels softer than the other options (which is better for knives).
4. Clean Test: This came out of the dishwasher looking a little “cloudy,” especially in the juice groove—like it would need to be oiled to restore color.
5. Overall impressions: Aesthetically and feel-wise, this one is closest to a natural wood cutting board! The company appears to value sustainability: they are GreenGuard certified and their products are made in the USA. Though I docked a little for durability and wash resistance, thanks to the natural look and helpful, subtle grips, this one takes 2nd out of 7.

1. Design: I like the dark color. There’s a hole in it to hang it—I’m not going to do that but it’s an option. It’s matte and smooth—smoother than the Natural Fiber one. This one is made from wood fibers and is FSC-certified.
2. Functionality: A little bit slippy when chopping celery. Not quite as loud chopping as other boards that have grips. When chopping oranges, liquid pools up and is very visible on the chopping board. That could be good to know where the wet spots are. 
3. Durability: It did take on some cut lines in it, but overall it held up well.
4. Clean Test: The knife lines look more prominent after a turn in the dishwasher on a darker-toned board. No stains though.
5. Overall impressions: This is a great option, especially if you prefer boards without a juice groove for larger surface area. The color is beautiful and it held up well. It’s my 3rd choice out of 7.

1. Design: This feels like the Jeep of cutting boards. This board is thick, and I feel like it stays put well. Some assembly required: There’s an extendable rubber tray that you can insert into the side of the board to catch your cuttings or trimmings. The board has some visible “spackling” with a nice tone and a tiny bit of texture. It’s the largest of the ones we tested and not subtle! I thought the cup was made of rubber, but it’s actually polypropylene (PP) and TPE (a combo of rubber and PP.) Bummer.
2. Functionality: You can lean the catcher off the side of the counter near your body to sweep in the pieces you want (or want to discard conversely). Speaking of juices, the “moat” was shallower than many others so the juice ran a lot farther down the board.
3. Durability: Very subtle cut lines when pressing down on a knife very hard.
4. Clean Test: No stains—I can see minimal visible knife lines. The tray takes a little longer to dry.
5. Overall impressions: While the tray is a neat trick, I think I’d have to get used to it? It feels like it’s in the way of my downward momentum. You can use it without the tray, but the juice groove dead-ends into a waterfall situation, so liquids wouldn’t be contained. The company has a heartwarming origin story, and you’ll probably impress your friends with this one (it was on Shark Tank after all). It’s just not for me, so I’m giving it a 4 out of 7.

1. Design: Same shape/design as BestCook with slightly less rounded edges. Has a matte look with a little bit of “stick” to the texture—it’s not quite as smooth. Feels a little thinner. It’s made from 80% sustainable pine wood fibers mixed with phenolic resin (a synthetic plastic), and it’s FSC-certified.
2. Functionality: A bit slippery on the counter when chopping celery. Orange juice pooled up and then ran off when tilted.
3. Durability: The board did disguise cut marks—they actually didn’t show up very much!
4. Clean Test: No stains—I can see minimal visible knife lines.
5. Overall impressions: It’s just OK. Not great, not terrible. I prefer some grips so the board doesn’t slip around. You might chose this one if you want a very thin board to save on storage space. It takes 5th out of 7.

1. Design: This one is made from “paper fiber and resin” and has a matte, pressed smooth finish. But why is it angled—is this like a countertop edge-styling thing? I can’t for the life of me understand why it’s angled.
2. Functionality: My first reaction with the celery? Very loud chopping—like there’s almost no “give”. This one has no “moat,” so the orange juice ran over the edge when it got close.
3. Durability: Minimal visible cut lines when pressing hard.
4. Clean Test: No stains—I can see minimal visible knife lines.
5. Overall impressions: Because it’s flat on both sides, it slips around more easily. It looks fine, but it’s nothing worth writing home about. This one takes 6th place out of 7.

1. Design: The rubber grips make it stick on the counter and are pretty subtle design-wise. I like the little juice groove for liquids. Great size and weight. However, it does look the most like “faux” wood to me. It’s made from recyclable wood with durable resin.
2. Functionality: I think because it’s lifted off the ground more than some others, it creates a loud hollow sound when chopping that’s really unpleasant. The juice groove worked nicely to contain the orange juice.
3. Durability: No visible cut lines.
4. Clean Test: No stains—I can see minimal visible knife lines.
5. Overall impressions: My rating would have been higher except that it was the loudest one! I can hear the echoes of my chopping reverberate in my ears. Yes, the price per board is good, but I don’t like it. This takes last place.

Final thoughts? I’m not giving up my trusted wooden cutting board anytime soon, but it’s nice to have one of these on hand for a quick dishwasher-safe option that’s not 100% plastic!

*If you’re trying to go fully plastic-free, note that resins are either naturally sourced (i.e. tree sap) or synthetic compounds. I didn’t hear back from any companies as to the source of their resin, so assume they could have some plastic components.

Want more of our product tests? Check these out!