Engineered wood flooring is composed of two or more layers of wood in the form of a plank. The top layer (lamella) is the wood that is visible when the flooring is installed, and is adhered to the core (or substrate) which provides the stability.

Engineered wood is the most common type of wood flooring used globally. North America is the only continent that has a larger solid wood market than engineered, although engineered wood is quickly catching up in market share. Engineered wood flooring has several benefits over solid wood, beyond dimensional stability and universal use. Patented installation systems (such as "unilin" or "fiboloc") allow for faster installation and easy replacement of boards. Engineered wood also allows a 'floating' installation (where the planks are not fastened to the floor below or to each other), further increasing ease of repair and reducing installation time.

Engineered flooring is also suitable for underfloor heating systems which are becoming more popular in new build properties, however care must be taken not to overheat the floor. When the seasons change the heating temperatures must be only be adjusted at a maximum of two degrees c per day to avoid excessive shrinkage or swelling until the optimum temperature is reached.

In general engineered wood panels are longer and wider than solid planks. The surfaces of both solid and engineered floors have close to equal hardness and durability.