Plywood
ASTM D2718 / PS 1-19 · JIS JAS Plywood Standard · GB GB/T 9846
Plywood is a cross-laminated panel built from wood veneers glued with alternating grain direction, covered by EN 636, ASTM D2718 / PS 1-19, JAS Plywood Standard and GB/T 9846.
Reference datasheet — Plywood is not in the instant-quote catalog. Upload your part and an engineer will quote it in this grade or suggest the closest stocked equivalent.
Values for the SW-STRUCT condition
Plywood tempers and conditions
Plywood is supplied in 4 conditions, soft to hard. SW-STRUCT is the default FabDigit quotes; the values on this page are for it.
Compare all 4 conditionsHide
| Condition · open for datasheet | Best for | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Elong. % | Hardness | Conductivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
commercial poplar plywood, urea-formaldehyde glue (GB/T 9846, E0/E1) | Lowest-cost interior furniture and packaging panel; avoid where humidity or load is significant. | 20 | — | |||
SW-STRUCTDefault structural softwood plywood (pine/fir, exterior glue, CDX / EN 636-2) | Default choice for sheathing, subfloor and general structural panels where rated strength and exterior-glue durability matter. | 30 | 0.11 W/m·K | |||
marine plywood, phenolic (WBP) glue, void-free core (BS 1088 / EN 636-3) | Use for boats, wet exteriors and humid-cycling service where a fully boil-proof glue line and void-free core are required. | 38 | — | |||
Baltic birch hardwood plywood, all-birch core (BB/BB, EN 636) | Pick when stiffness, screw holding, clean machined edges and a fine face veneer are needed (CNC jigs, furniture, cases). | 45 | 0.14 W/m·K |
Supply forms, finishes and certifications
Ways Plywood is supplied — form, process route, surface or paperwork — without a datasheet of their own. The property values above apply.
| Option | What it is | Type |
|---|---|---|
FILM-FACED | Phenolic film-faced formwork plywood | Supply form |
What is Plywood?
Plywood is a cross-laminated panel built from wood veneers glued with alternating grain direction, covered by EN 636, ASTM D2718 / PS 1-19, JAS Plywood Standard and GB/T 9846. Engineers use it for balanced two-way strength and dimensional stability at low weight — about 30 MPa tensile strength, 9 GPa modulus and 0.55 g/cm3 density — in standard large sheets from softwood structural to birch BB, marine WBP and film-faced grades. Limits are moisture movement and a corrosion/decay resistance score of 45, plus a 65 C maximum service temperature; adhesive class, not the veneer, decides exterior suitability. Where surface strength matters less and cost rules, OSB is the nearest structural alternative. Plywood has a density of 0.55 g/cm³ (0.0199 lb/in³), lighter than 70% of natural material grades. Plywood has a tensile strength of 30 MPa (4.35 ksi), stronger than 60% of natural material grades. Elongation at break is 1% and the elastic modulus is 9 GPa (1.31 Msi).
What is Plywood used for?
- Sheathing/subfloor
- Furniture panels
- Concrete forming
- Marine plywood boats
- Cabinetry
Advantages
- Tough — resists crack growth — 0.8 MPa·√m (0.728 ksi·√in), better than 81% of natural material grades
Limitations
- Limited service temperature — 65°C (149 °F), worse than 88% of natural material grades
- Poor heat conductor — 0.11 W/m·K (0.0636 BTU/hr·ft·°F), worse than 80% of natural material grades
- Hard to polish — 25/100, worse than 80% of natural material grades
- High embodied carbon — 0.9 kg CO₂/kg, worse than 79% of natural material grades
Plywood properties
Typical room-temperature values for Plywood-SW-STRUCT; bars are the position among natural material grades.
Physical2
Plywood has a density of 0.55 g/cm³ (0.0199 lb/in³), lighter than 70% of natural material grades.
Mechanical9
Plywood has a tensile strength of 30 MPa (4.35 ksi), stronger than 60% of natural material grades. Elongation at break is 1% and the elastic modulus is 9 GPa (1.31 Msi).
Thermal5
Plywood is rated for continuous service to 65°C (149 °F). It conducts heat at 0.11 W/m·K (0.0636 BTU/hr·ft·°F), worse than 80% of natural material grades. Thermal expansion is 6.5 µm/m·K (3.61 µin/in·°F).
Electrical2
Plywood is an electrical insulator with a dielectric strength of 3 kV/mm (76.2 V/mil) and a resistivity of 1×10⁹ Ω·m.
Chemical & Environmental1
Corrosion resistance is fair (45/100), better than 53% of natural material grades.
Sustainability4
Producing a kilogram of Plywood takes about 13 MJ of energy and emits 0.9 kg of CO₂ — more than 74% of natural material grades. Typical recycled content is 5%.
Manufacturability2
Plywood's machinability is excellent (88/100, better than 76% of natural material grades).
Common Calculations4
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Certified mill or lot data ships with every FabDigit order on request.
Working with Plywood
Is Plywood easy to machine?
Cuts and routes easily with carbide tooling; score or use down-cut bits to stop face-veneer tear-out, and expect glue lines and any phenolic film to dull edges fast.
Can Plywood be welded?
Not weldable — panels are joined by PVA/PU/epoxy adhesive, nails, screws, dowels or metal connectors.
Can Plywood be formed, bent or molded?
Cold-bends to modest radii (thinner or bending-grade ply); tight curves need laminated bending over a form with adhesive or steam-assisted veneer layup.
Plywood chemical composition (wt %)
Limits by weight percent from the governing specification, written the way the spec states them — a single maximum for impurities, a range for alloying elements, and the base element as balance. Nominal is the typical mid-range value.
| Element | Spec limit (wt %) | Nominal |
|---|---|---|
| adhesive resin (UF / MUF / PF)PF (phenolic) for exterior/marine, UF for interior | 4 – 12 | 7 |
| moistureequilibrium MC at 20 °C / 65 % RH | 6 – 14 | 10 |
| wax / hardener / filler additives | 0.2 – 2 | 1 |
| wood veneer (cellulose/hemicellulose/ligpoplar, birch, pine, eucalyptus, okoume etc. | ≥ 85 (balance) |
What surface finishes work on Plywood?
Sand 120–180 grit, seal end grain and cut edges (edge banding, epoxy or paint) to block moisture ingress; accepts stain, lacquer, HPL/melamine overlay or phenolic film.
Equivalent designations
Standards and trade names that resolve to Plywood in FabDigit's catalog. Equivalence is nominal — check the exact specification when certification matters.
- ASTM
- D2718 / PS 1-19
- GB (China)
- GB/T 9846
- JIS
- JAS Plywood Standard
- Similar grades
- D2718636
How much does Plywood cost?
Plywood is a budget-cost natural material ($), cheaper than about 90% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Plywood — frequently asked
What is Plywood used for?
Plywood is typically used for sheathing/subfloor, furniture panels, concrete forming, marine plywood boats and cabinetry. In short: balanced two-way strength; large stable panel sizes; easy-machining wood panel.
What is the tensile strength of Plywood?
Plywood has a typical tensile strength of 30 MPa (4.35 ksi) — stronger than 60% of natural material grades. Strength varies by condition: see the 4 listed tempers.
Is Plywood easy to machine?
Yes — machinability is rated excellent (88/100, better than 76% of natural material grades). Cuts and routes easily with carbide tooling; score or use down-cut bits to stop face-veneer tear-out, and expect glue lines and any phenolic film to dull edges fast.
Can Plywood be welded?
Not weldable — panels are joined by PVA/PU/epoxy adhesive, nails, screws, dowels or metal connectors.
What surface finishes work on Plywood?
Sand 120–180 grit, seal end grain and cut edges (edge banding, epoxy or paint) to block moisture ingress; accepts stain, lacquer, HPL/melamine overlay or phenolic film.
Can Plywood be formed, bent or molded?
Cold-bends to modest radii (thinner or bending-grade ply); tight curves need laminated bending over a form with adhesive or steam-assisted veneer layup.
What is the maximum service temperature of Plywood?
Plywood is rated for continuous use to about 65°C (149 °F). Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
How much does Plywood cost?
Plywood is a budget-cost natural material ($), cheaper than about 90% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Sources
- ASTM D2718 Standard Test Methods for Structural Panels in Planar Shear (Rolling Shear) — ASTM International (2018)
- PS 1-19 Structural Plywood — U.S. Department of Commerce / APA (2019)
- EN 636 Plywood — Specifications — CEN (2015)
- Wood Handbook — Wood as an Engineering Material (FPL-GTR-282), Ch. 11 Wood-Based Composites — USDA Forest Products Laboratory (2021)
- Panel Design Specification — APA – The Engineered Wood Association (2012)
- Inventory of Carbon & Energy (ICE) v3.0 — timber & panel products — Circular Ecology (2019)
Property data is compiled from published supplier and standards handbooks and normalised for comparison; hardness values on non-Brinell scales are converted approximately for charting only. Manufacturability limits are FabDigit quote-engine defaults and may be relaxed by engineering review. Nothing on this page is a certification — request mill certs, CoC or material test reports with your order.