Short answer: A cork board is a board faced with cork, used to pin up notices, notes and pictures. Cork is the bark of the cork oak. Its cell structure lets pins go in easily and mostly recovers when they are removed.
What two sources say about Cork board
| Source page | Publisher | What the page says |
|---|---|---|
| Bulletin board | Wikipedia | A bulletin board is a surface for posting messages, also called a pinboard, cork board or notice board. Cork is common because notices are easy to add and remove. |
| Cork: structure, properties, applications | Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University | Cork is the bark of the cork oak and is about 15 per cent solid. When a pin goes in, a narrow band of cells collapses, so little force is needed and the hole nearly closes afterwards. |
Key points
- A bulletin board is a surface for posting notices, and cork board, pinboard and notice board are alternative names. [1]
- Cork is common because items are easy to pin and remove. [1]
- Cork is the bark of the cork oak, from managed cork oak forests. [2]
- Cork is about 15 per cent solid, the rest being air. [2]
- A pin collapses only a narrow band of cells, so the push force is small. [2]
- Cork recovers most of the deformation, so the hole nearly closes when the pin is removed. [2]
Cork board compared with Magnet board
| Aspect | Cork board | Magnet board | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| How items are held | Pins pushed into cork | Magnets | [1, 2] |
| Wear | Pins can wear cork over time | Avoids the wear pins cause | [1] |
| Surface material | Cork, the bark of cork oak | Magnet-receptive surface | [1, 2] |
Where sources differ
Cork board, pinboard, notice board and bulletin board overlap. Confirm that the surface is real cork and not a foam or fabric pinboard.
Questions to ask a supplier about Cork board
- [ ] Is the surface natural cork sheet or cork composite?
- [ ] What is the cork thickness?
- [ ] What is the backing material and how is the cork bonded?
- [ ] Which frame type and size are available?
- [ ] How does it hold pins after repeated use?
Read next on this site
- Cork and pin boards: what the material is and how it behaves
- Pin boards and cork boards, made in Noida and packed under your label
- Agglomerated, natural and expanded cork explained
More terms and explainers
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Sources: [1] Wikipedia, fetched 2026-11-12; [2] Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, fetched 2026-11-12. As of 2026-11-12. General information, not legal, customs or tax advice. Wording is paraphrased from the pages linked; your written quote and contract govern.