Plywood is a very versatile wood-based material that can be used like solid timber. It can even be used in many occasions where solid timber won’t work well as expected.
Since the solid wood is not a perfect material, plywood can have so big market in the building & manufacturing industry. See the comparison of plywood and solid wood.
This article will make a comprehensive list of where we can use plywood. From the most common uses to some very special applications of the wood panel.
1. Furniture
Plywood is the main material of furniture like cabinets and wardrobes. It is the body material for most available wood furniture such as sofa, vanities, and wooden doors.
Plywood is a cheaper choice compared with solid wood materials. For the same price, plywood is stronger than the solid wood components.
Different parts of wooden furniture can be made with plywood such as:
- Cabinet Door
- Sofa Structure
- Bed Slats
- Door Face
- Table Top
- Counter Top
2. Flooring
Multilayer flooring uses marine plywood as flooring base. The marine plywood is more stable in size than solid timber panels.
Flooring made with plywood is easier and cheaper to install than solid timber flooring, which requires expensive floor keel to install on the ground.
3. Formwork Material
Film Faced Plywood
Film faced plywood is part of the formwork system. It gives support to the concrete and makes a slab or wall out of the concrete pour.
FFP plywood and HDO faced plywood are massively used in highrise building frame construction. There are also steel or aluminium formwork panels, but plywood is more acceptable now in the business. Because wood based form panels are lighter than steel formwork panels.
LVL Plywood Beams
LVL is short for laminated veneer lumber. It is actually a plywood which resembles lumber. LVL has the same structure with plywood because it is also many layers glued together by adhesive.
LVL beams give support to film faced plywood in the formwork. It comes with a length of 1.8m, 2.4m, 3.6m, 4.8m, and 6m.
Most formwork beams are made with pine veneer for its stiffness and light weight.
4. Crafts and Toys
Plywood is better than solid timber in terms of many characteristics. It is more resistant to dry weather. Toys made with plywood don’t change shape easily.
The setback of plywood is that it contains more formaldehyde than wood. This can be solved by using low formaldehyde glue to produce the plywood.
5. Roofing, Walls, Subfloor
In western countries, many houses are build with plywood, OSB and LVL. Roofing panels are structural grade to make sure they can stay permanently in the structure.
Structural plywood is the strongest performance plywood in the market. It features a WBP phenolic bond which can glue the veneers permanently.
Tongue and grooved plywood is a good material for subfloor and flooring underlayment.
6. Vehicle Manufacturer
Plywood could be the structure material and decorative surfaces for vehicles including airplanes, trains, trucks, buses, boats and yachts.
Plywood is stronger than steel in strength/weight ratio. That means to achieve same strength you need less plywood than steel in terms of weight.
Plywood For Train
Train flooring and cabins use plywood as the main material because of its lightweight and strength.
Plywood for Caravan
Caravan manufacturers use plywood to build the caravan body and interiors. Car body walls need to be heat resistant and plywood is a good material for this purpose.
Truck Flooring Plywood
The truck floor needs to be anti-slip and anti-skid. Film faced plywood with a wire mesh face or hexa grip face will do this job perfectly. Plywood wins the competition for its light density compared with steel and aluminum. The lightweight characteristic helps it to be a great alternative to metal plates.
7. Exercise Tools
Plywood can be made into table for pingpong tennis and pool tables. People don’t notice it because it is covered with different laminates or fabrics.
Steady rings could be made with multi-layered plywood too. Only premium marine plywood manufactured with phenolic glue can do this job.
The best skate board is made with birch plywood. Hard to believe? It is true.
8. Temporary Stage
Plywood provides convinient and easy installation stage for conventions like exhibitions, concerts and industrial walk ways.
9. Packaging Material
Plywood is widely used as commercial cargo packaging material. Machinery and many other things transportation reply heavily on plywood boxes. The plywood boxes are manufactured with plywood board, LVL timber, solid timber, and fasteners.
The benefit of using a plywood box to export your cargo is that it is fumigation-free.
Plywood plays a important role in daily life and industrial area as well.
From aircraft to LNG boat, from toys to flooring, from furniture to roofing, you can find the footprint of this magic yet simple wood panel.
Wanting to get your job done with plywood? Consult our engineers and see what we can do for you.
