What Is The Thickness Of a Commercial Thick Chopping Board?
Whether a hotel brigade, a pub gastropub, a school catering unit, a butcher's prep area, or a stadium concession operation, when you step into a professional kitchen, the chopping board is much more than a mere kitchen accessory: It's a core piece of food preparation infrastructure. Unlike home boards, commercial chopping boards are engineered to withstand constant use, aggressive cleaning methods, high-volume throughput, repeated knife impact, and longer service life. And thickness is one of the largest technical differentiators.
So, What Thickness Is "Commercial Thick"? The standard category of “heavy duty / thick” refers typically to 40mm – 60mm thickness (approx. 4cm–6cm) This is not a random measure. This thickness supports: ➔ Better impact absorption ➔ reduced board flex
➔ longer usable life ➔ greater resistance to warping ➔ more stability on stainless prep tables This is why, in a serious commercial environment, catering chopping boards are usually much thicker than anything sold in the domestic retail aisle.
Why Does Thickness Matter So Much? The thicker the board, the longer you have until you reach that legally recommended "replace" point. Every knife stroke leaves a micro-deep mark on the surface. In commercial prepping environments, where a single board may see hundreds of cuts per hour, that adds up extraordinarily fast. Thinner boards simply wear out earlier, meaning they reach deeply scratched surface conditions sooner and hit "end-of-life" much faster. Thickness = value = lifespan. A thicker food service cutting board also maintains a flatter, more consistent working surface longer - and this directly supports better food hygiene compliance. The reason is that when a board stays flat, it is easier to sanitise, scrub, and visually inspect for contamination. The other angle here is physical safety. Once a board starts to warp, rock, or bow during work, the stability drops sharply. Instability is a knife hazard. And knife hazards become operator injury risks. Thicker commercial chopping boards are more resistant to deformation and keep a level working plane for longer, which contributes to both hygiene quality and safer blade control in every busy commercial kitchen.
The LDPE Professional Preference Most commercial facilities now utilise LDPE plastic, not wood. Because: ★ It's non-porous. ★ It cleans down faster ★ It meets modern UK food hygiene expectations. That's why high-volume UK kitchens are now ordering food-grade chopping boards and colour-coded systems to control cross-contamination. Can Thickness Be Customised? Yes - you can request bespoke chopping boards at different thicknesses depending on environmental type. For instance:
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Butchery preparation might require 60mm General prep is 40mm. Pastry stations might go a little thinner The thickness should match the task.
Final Point: Think Hygiene First It is not only a question of thickness. Commercial kitchens operate under tight audit and compliance expectations, so the material, finish, and even colour identification are as essential as physical durability. You need hygienic chopping boards made from approved polymers that do not shed particulates and maintain surface stability even after thousands of washing cycles. The right board also needs to have a non-porous surface so that bacteria cannot settle into the material when micro-scratches start to appear. So, when evaluating catering chopping boards for your commercial kitchen, don't just buy based on thickness or price: validate the material, validate the manufacturer, validate compliance, and confirm the supplier understands the requirements of UK food service. That is the kind of thinking that keeps prep zones cleaner, service safer, and customers protected.
Where To Buy The Right Board? If you want genuine commercial-thickness, food-service suitable LDPE boards, then you need to buy from specialists who supply the UK hospitality industry. Plastic Chopping Boards manufactures commercial-grade, heavy-duty, hygienic chopping boards in the UK and can supply the right thickness for your exact use case, including custom sizing for professional kitchens.
Contact Us Company Name: Plastic Chopping Boards Address: Unit 1, Darby Way, Narborough, Leicester, LE19 2GP Phone(s) : 01455 412 070 Email id:
[email protected] Website: https://www.plasticchoppingboards.co.uk/
