What is the Significance of all the Different Types of Plywood Available in the Market?

different-types-of-plywood

For every constructional site and industrial purposes, many materials are counted as essentials since they are widely used for most of the application. Home décor and interior decoration is also one domain that needs accurately chosen materials to ensure that your desired vision for the house is fulfilled. 

One such very important material that is highly used in all the sections is plywood. Plywood is a raw material that is extensively used for various applications since they have multiple features and properties that allow them to be a part of all types of construction and design. 

How is plywood made?

Plywood is a material that gives the perfect texture and appearance. It is made of thin layers of wood veneers. These layers or piles are rigidly glued together in adjacent layers. These layers, when combined together, appear to be a fine and flat sheet. 

These layers are strong and durable but at the same time are light in weight and easy to install. Plywood is such a material that is resistant to extreme conditions but at the same time can be made flexible. This is why plywood is so widely used, and there are multiple types available in the market that support specific traits of plywood. 

The different types of plywood available are mentioned below:

  • Softwood-

Softwood is a type of plywood that is made of fir, cedar, spruce, or redwood and is used for many industrial and construction sites. More than exteriors, it is used for interior applications and structures since it is not considered very tough and stiff that could bear extreme conditions. 

  1. Hardwood-

This type of plywood is made out of dicot trees. Hardwood plywood is considered to be the best type of plywood in the market since it has excellent durability and strength that is very efficient in many industrial and construction sites. Moreover, they are used for the external parts of the projects as they can resist extreme conditions.

  • Flexible-

The first striking feature of this plywood is undoubtedly its great flexibility. It can be curved and bent into any desired shape, which is not possible with the standard plywood that is available. The slight curves you can see on elegant pieces of furniture are likely due to the use of flexible plywood. 

Flexible plywood is rich in quality since it is used primarily on elegant furniture to make the place look more attractive. In addition, these have an excellent bending and strength capacity due to their outstanding quality. Therefore, their scope of application is incredibly vast and is preferred more.

  1. Tropical-

This type of plywood is made of a variety of tropical timber mixed together. The quality of this plywood is better than softwood since tropical plywood has better density, stiffness, and evenness of the layers. It is comparatively cheap and is widely used for construction. This type of plywood has good strength and durability and is used as an alternative to hardwood. 

  1. Marine-

Marine plywood is made of core veneers and is used mainly in surroundings where it is exposed to moisture for an extended time period. It can work well in humid and wet conditions with significantly fewer defects. It has a resistance to fungal attacks or delamination and is very useful in the industry. 

It has a negligible core gap which is why the chance of trapping water inside is highly reduced. Therefore, it is water-resistant too but not waterproof. 

The Bottom Line 

The above-mentioned types of plywood are the most common ones in the market and are the ones that are mainly used for multiple applications. To make sure you choose the appropriate kind of plywood for your demands, you should make sure to buy from a renowned plywood manufacturer so that there is no compromise made in terms of quality and toughness.

Nikita Anjum

Learn More →