Heavy and sturdy. You can actually sit an elephant on that desk. Came undamaged. The finish won't let you write directly on it because the surface is mostly made of plastic (or fiberglass) with grooves in it but it does look like wood. I was alone to assemble this desk, so use four pieces of strings to hold the elevated corners so that you can bolt them without difficulty. I'm very pleased with my purchase, its good quality and impressive knowing that it's from China.