PLYWOOD SPECIFICATIONS

1. Grammage:
In the metric system, the mass per unit area of all types of paper and
paperboard is expressed in terms of grams per square meter (g/m2). This quantity is
commonly called grammage in both English and French (ISO 536), though printers in most
English-speaking countries still refer to the "weight" of paper.

2. Glue:
Adhesives normally used to stick boards together. WBP Ply is a code in form of letters for
exterior grade plywood. WBP means Weather and Boil Proof. Plywood is always graded for
interior or exterior use depending upon the process in which it was manufactured, such as
the type of the glue used to stick the plies together. WBP type of plywood can be used
outside. Water-resistant glue is used when manufacturing WBP therefore it can resist a
certain amount of moisture.

3. Moisture Content:
An important parameter for the determining the quality of plywood is its moisture content. If
the plywood is very dry (having low moisture content) then the plywood strength gets
adversely affected and it becomes weak. On the other hand if the plywood is too moist, then
it is likely to decay and rot in the future.
Hence it is essential that the moisture content of the plywood be within acceptable limits, As
per the Indian standards specification IS:303 (governed by BIS) the ideal content of moisture
in plywood should be in the range of 5% to 15%. For marine grade plywood also, the
moisture content specification is the same. At any time of the year the plywood moisture
content (depending on which part of the country the testing is done), should be between 5
and 15 percent.
So how is the moisture reduced?
Plywood is a very strong engineered wood that is manufactured by pressing several layers of
veneers (thin slices of wood) over one another. During the process of manufacturing the
plywood, the veneers after being rotary-cut are dried using mechanical dryers so as to
reduce the moisture content present in the wood. This is essential because proper gluing of
the layers is not possible if the veneers have moisture greater than 10%.
For the purpose of drying the veneers, they are passed through the mechanical dryers (hot
ovens) on belts moved by rollers, and at the same time fans circulate the hot air generated
by the heating coils of the oven all over the veneer faces, so as to completely dry them. After
the veneers are sufficiently dry, they are stacked upon one another and bonded together
using hot press machines (which glue the veneers together under high pressure and
temperature) to make the plywood sheets.
How is the moisture content determined
Simple hand-held devices such as moisture meters are used for this purpose. These devices
are available in both analog and digital versions and work in the same way that a resistance
meter works. The moisture meter has two probes (pins) which are inserted into the plywood

at a fixed distance apart, and the battery powered meter then passes a voltage through the
wood.
Because water (which is present in the form of moisture in the plywood) is a good conductor
of electricity an electrical path gets established, and the meter then calculates the resistance
to flow of current, and displays it in terms of moisture content percentage.
Having said this, it is essential to note that this content will not remain the same. For
example, after manufacturing if the plywood is transported to an area that has a very humid
climate the moisture content is very likely to increase. Ambient heat and humidity affects the
plywood and it will try to achieve an equilibrium with its new surroundings.

4. Density:
The density of plywood and LVL is approximately equivalent to the density of the timber
species used to manufacture the product. The density of pine plywood is in the range 500 650 kg/m3. Eucalypt hardwood plywood density can exceed 900 kg/m3 depending on the
timber species used.
The Density of Plywood is higher than the density of the timber species used to manufacture
the products.
The face/back veneers of plywood weight practically much less than the core veneers. So
the density of plywood is mainly depended on the timer species of the core veneers.
Usually 4 kinds of timber species are used to manufacture the cores of plywood (film faced
plywood), i.e. birch, hardwood, pine and poplar. The density of different plywood is listed as
follows:
PLYWOOD (FILM FACED PLYWOOD) DENSITY (KG/M3 or KG/CBM)
BIRCH CORE PLYWOOD (FILM FACED PLYWOOD)

ABOUT 680~700

HARDWOOD
PLYWOOD)

ABOUT 580~620

CORE

PLYWOOD

(FILM

FACED

PINE CORE PLYWOOD (FILM FACED PLYWOOD)

ABOUT 570~610

POPLAR CORE PLYWOOD (FILM FACED PLYWOOD)

ABOUT 500~530

Sometimes, buyers order combi core plywood, such as combined poplar/hardwood,

combined birch/poplar and so on. The density of combi plywood is depended on the
components of core.

5. Bonding Quality