PS 1-09 is a standard for structural plywood in the United States. Structural panels require high loadbearing capacity. The standard includes product quality, marking, and product packaging. It is an ideal building material for residential and light commercial construction and provides outstanding performance for walls and roofs. It became effective May 10, 2010.

PS 1-09 Plywood Use
- Sheathing for roofs
- Walls and floors
- Concrete formwork
Available Size
4′ x 8′
Panel Thickness
- 3/8″
- 15/32″
- 19/32″
- 23/32″
Structural Plywood Exempted From EPA TSCA Title VI rules on formaldehyde emissions
Structural plywood remains exempt from the EPA TSCA Title VI rules on formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. It is also not CARB P2 required. Because engineered wood products are manufactured using low emitting, moisture-resistant adhesives. They are using different glue with particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF) and decorative hardwood plywood regulated by the EPA rules
Wood Species Used For PS1 Plywood
Low grades of coniferous wood veneers such as pine, spruce or larch are used for face veneers. Grades of veneer are identified for manufacturing the plywood (A, B, C, C-plugged & D) with A being the best and D the lowest grade. CDX is a structural plywood with cheap price.
APA has listed a group of species recommended for making structural plywood for American market.
North American Species | Beech, Birch, Fir, Larch, Maple, Pine, Cedar, Spruce, Yellow Poplar, Alder, Redwood, Aspen, Basswood |
Non North American Species | Apitong, Kapur, Keruing, Pine, Lauan, Meranti, Mersawa, Cativo |
Adhesive
A majority of the structural plywood are manufactured with phenolic A-bond. In the PS 1 standard, there are Exposure 1 and Exterior 1 classification for the adhesive.
Exposure 1 bonded plywood can not be permanently exposed to the weather. It intended to resist the effects of moisture on structural performance as may occur due to construction delays, or other conditions of similar severity.
Exterior 1 bonded plywood is suitable for repeated wetting and redrying. It can be installed outdoors with extreme weather
PS 1-09 Stamp and Certification

Plywood claimed to comply PS1-09 standard shall bear the stamp of a inspection and testing agency which either inspect the manufacturing process or has tested a random sampling of finished plywood.
Must only use a qualified certification test agency.
All panels shall be marked with the following information:
- Species Group Number, Span Rating and Class
- Either Exposure 1 or Exterior
- Grade of Face/Back Veneers or Inspection and Testing Agency Name
- “PS 1-09”
- Panel Fraction Performance and Thickness
Specimen preparation and testing
What the test agency would test to approve the PS 1 certification?
- Adhesive bond quality
- Structural requirements
- Concentrated static and impact loads
- Uniform loads
- Panel bending
- Planar shear strength
- Shear through the thickness strength.
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Learn more about PS1-09 standard plywood.