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Plywood

Product description

Plywood is a structural wood-based panel composed of multiple layers of thin veneers. Plywood panels are manufactured for structural applications, used primarily as wall and floor sheathing in platform-frame constructed buildings such as single or multi-family housing. It can also be found in mid-rise residential and non-residential construction.

Three stacks of plywood on a platform in a mill
Canadian Softwood Plywood Mill (Credit: Michael Bednar, courtesy naturallywood.com)
Larger image [198 kb JPG]

Plywood has been used in Canadian construction projects for decades and is suitable for a variety of end uses in both wet and dry service conditions.

End uses include:

  • Flooring applications
  • single-layer flooring
  • wall and roof sheathing
  • structural insulated panels
  • marine applications
  • webs of wood I-joists
  • concrete formwork
  • pallets and industrial containers
  • furniture

Technical information

Thin veneers, typically 1/8 or 1/10-inch in thickness, are produced by a wide knife cutting through a rotating log on a spindle. The veneers are glued together so that the grain direction of each layer of veneer is perpendicular to that of the adjacent layers. These cross-laminated sheets of wood veneer are bonded together with a waterproof adhesive and cured under heat and pressure. This arrangement of the veneers results in superior dimensional stability, two-way strength and stiffness properties and an excellent strength-to-weight ratio.

Plywood is produced in various thicknesses and in more than 20 different appearance grades. The most commonly used thickness is 1/2-inch and the panels are typically manufactured in 4x8-foot sheets.

Plywood is highly resistant to impact damage, chemicals, and changes in temperature and relative humidity. It can be chemically treated to improve resistance to decay or to fire.

For more information
Canadian Forest Service publications
Related information

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