Plywood Key Terms

Get more out of articles on plywood by learning key terms

By Emmet McMahan

Plywood is a type of board made from thin sheets of wood known as plies. The plies are placed so their grains are at right angles to those of the adjacent plies and glued together with strong adhesives under heat and pressure. The layers in plywood give it greater strength and higher resistance to cracking, warping and twisting than plain wood. There are many different types of plywood and it is preferable to regular wood in a variety of applications.

Veneer grades

Plywood comes in several veneer grades, which set standards on the quality and type of plywood. This includes information on the size of knots, the source of the wood and surface repairs.
Try: Sizes provides details on the requirements for each veneer grade of plywood. It also offers details on other classifications of plywood, such as APA trademarked panels, exposure durability classifications, panel grade and species group number.

Marine grade plywood

Marine grade plywood is a grade of plywood that is specifically intended for marine applications. The requirements for marine grade plywood deal primarily with the types of knotholes and adhesives that are allowed.
Try: Glen-L.com provides the specific requirements of marine grade plywood, in addition to other grades of plywood for exterior use.

Core

A plywood's core is its innermost portion, and is also known as the center. It may be composed of fiberboard, lumber, particleboard or veneer.
Try: Forest Plywood provides a glossary of plywood terms, such as core, and also provides images that illustrate each term.

Mismatch

The veneers in mismatched plywood are put together at random, whether or not they match. However, the intent of mismatched plywood is still to provide the appearance of conformity with respect to the different veneers.
Try: Bacon Veneer Company provides a glossary with a variety of terms used for plywood, such as mismatch.

Hardwood Plywood

Hardwood plywood is generally made of some type of hardwood. Note, however, that this definition does not imply anything about the plywood's actual hardness.
Try: Atlantic Plywood provides a complete definition of hardwood plywood, in addition to many other terms used for lumber.

Softwood plywood

Softwood plywood is made from a coniferous tree such as a fir, pine or spruce. It has specific manufacturing and grading requirements. However, the term "softwood plywood" does not provide any information on the actual hardness of the plywood.
Try: Lowe's provides a definition of softwood plywood, as well as specific information on the manufacturing process for this type of plywood.