Plywood is one of the most widely used types of engineered wood. It is manufactured using thin wood layers called plies, which are glued together such that the wood grain of adjacent layers is at 90 degrees to one another. This makes plywood one of the strongest types of manufactured wood. It is also durable, very strong and has decent resistance to moisture and insect attacks.
For hundreds of years, plywood has been used as a cost-effective alternative to solid wood, and on many occasions has turned out to be an even better option in some woodwork projects. However, many people do not know that there is more than one type of plywood. So, when looking to choose plywood for your next project, make sure to consider all the options in order to find the best type and grade of plywood.
Grades of Plywood
Plywood comes in different grades, which define the quality of plywood and the type of materials used to build it. Cheaper plywoods are made by glueing wood veneers together. Higher grade plywoods are made by pressing wood plies together at a certain angle and using high-quality glue and under certain heating conditions to produce a much stronger and more durable product. High-grade plywoods are also resistant to moisture, cracking, breaking, warping, and shrinking.
The four grades of plywood include A, B, C, and D, with A being the highest-grade plywood and D being the lowest grade. The mixed grade plywoods are also common nowadays. These are made by combining two different grade plywoods together. For example, A-C grade plywoods have an A grade ply on the front and a C grade ply on the back. They are strong and durable and are commonly used for exterior applications. C-D grade plywood is comparatively less strong and is used for interior woodwork projects.
Another ‘X’ grade plywood is also in use these days. The letter ‘X’ stands for exterior and denotes that the plywood is suitable for exterior use.
Types of Plywood
Now that you have a basic idea of plywood grades, let’s talk about the different types of plywood.
Types of plywood based on the number of plies
Depending on the number of plies used, plywoods can be categorised into the following three types:
- 3-ply: It’s the plywood that involves the use of three layers of veneers glued together to form a basic, thin plywood suitable for light woodwork, such as shelves, cabinets and drawers.
- 5-ply: This type of plywood is made by combining five layers of veneers and is slightly stronger than 3-ply. It is suitable for interior work.
- Multi-ply: Plywoods that are made by using more than five layers of ply are strongest of all and used extensively for exterior woodworks including flooring, roofing and construction.
Also Read: Guanacaste Wood
Other Types of Plywood
There are many other types of plywood, which depend on the quality, quantity and type of material used to build the plywood. Here are some of the common types of plywood.
4. Veneer core plywood
This type of plywood involves layers of veneer glued together to form a very strong product. Depending on the veneer type, it can be further divided into softwood plywood and hardwood plywood.
4.1. Softwood plywood: As the term suggests, this type of plywood is made from softwoods. It is used for both general and heavy woodworks, including construction, home subfloors, roof sheathing, frame sheathing, shelves, dog houses, tool sheds, and more.
4.2. Hardwood plywood: This type of plywood is made using hardwood veneers such as oak, walnut, maple, and others. It is commonly used for heavy woodwork and for making objects with a durable frame.
5. Aircraft plywood
This is one of the strongest and most durable types of plywood. It is only made of hardwoods that are durable and have high moisture resistance. Despite being very strong, aircraft plywood is lightweight and used primarily for building boats and aircraft.
6. MDF core plywood
This type of plywood involves the use of an MDF sheet at its core, which is sandwiched between layers of veneer on both sides. The result is a highly stable plywood product with consistent thickness and suitable for a variety of purposes including doors.
7. Lumber core plywood
This is a type of 3-ply, where the middle ply is a thick lumber sheet, which is covered by two thin layers of veneer on both sides. Either hardwood or softwood can be used on the side depending on the strength requirements. The plywood is very strong and used primarily for long shelves.
8. ApplePly
To form this type of plywood, birch or alder wood layers are glued and laminated together. This type of plywood has more layers than regular plywood and is stronger but at the same time lighter. This is commonly used for making cabinets and other lightweight furniture. The plywood is easy to work with.
9. Subfloor plywood
This type of plywood is used as a cheaper alternative to concrete for subflooring. OSB plywood and CDX plywood are the two most common options used for the purpose.
10. Exterior sheathing plywood
Sheathing plywood is extra strong and more durable than standard plywood. CDX and OSB (oriented strand board) are the most common options. They are used in roofing, decking and exterior sheathing applications. It involves the use of waterproof adhesive to join the wood layers together.
11. Construction plywood
All types of plywoods that are used in construction are collectively called construction plywood. The plywood can be structural or non-structural and is generally very sturdy.
12. Flexible plywood
This type of plywood is made by using a cross-grained central ply and thicker cross-grained plies to cover both its sides. Because the resulting product is flexible, it is suitable to use for building curved and bent frames, including curved furniture and objects.
Other types of plywood in use are marine plywood, overlaid plywood, structural plywood and tropical plywood.
Buy top-quality plywood from CameroonTimberExportSARL
If you are looking to buy the best quality and top-grade plywood at the lowest price online, contact CameroonTimberExportSarl. We are a leading supplier and exporter of industry-grade wood, timber and plywood. All our plywoods are pre-treated for termite attacks and are strong and durable. Contact us to buy solid wood, timber, plywood, MDF, boards, and more.
CameroonTimberExportSarl is trusted by hundreds of woodworkers, dealers and users in 30+ countries. We ship to all major locations in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Saudi Arabia, etc. Contact us for all types of plywood with guaranteed best quality and price.
