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Which type of plywood should be used for office furniture ? Please suggest.
Which Type of Plywood Should Be Used for Office Furniture
- Thread starter anahitakhatri
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A better option, given the price of wood and the amount of labour required, would be to buy some second-hand. There must be lots of it available as the number of people working from home has dramatically increased.
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Plywood is a very broad term.
Sorry - I can't tell what country you are from from the flag
In the UK, most DIY stores only sell 'construction grade' plywood, and for furniture, unless it's going to be painted, you need 'furniture grade;' birch plywood, which is generally known as 'birch through and through, which means that every ply is of birch and the same thickness. For furniture, typically 18mm plywood would be used, which has 13 plies bonded together with the grain being in alternate directions.
Construction grade plywood, even if the outside surface looks presentable, has fewer plies, mostly softwood.
I've attached a couple of pictures showing 'birch through and through' and 'construction grade' plywood.
For what it's worth, here is the range of plywood grades and their different characteristics.:
Plywood Grades:
Birch Plywood B Grade: Very high quality plywood. Slight colour variation permitted, often used decoratively, ‘pin’ knots permitted, no external defects, maximum of 3 repair patches (plugs) per M2.
Birch Plywood BB Grade: The main commercial grade – both faces are Grade BB – which allows patches and other knots/imperfections. Suitable for all general work, where face isn’t too important. (when for example the surface is to be painted. However, some good quality BB grade boards may even be acceptable for clear finishing or furniture.
Birch Plywood C2 Grade: C2 graded meaning the “C” side has a more rough surface with visible knots and splits when compared to grade B. The “2” is the grade of the backside of the board. Grade 2 is used when colour isn't a concern. Larger knots are allowed, but they do not exceed a diameter of 3/4″.
A4, B4, C4 are a ‘one-side-good’ products. The back may have open knots, filled knots, bad veneer joints or seams. Often used for drawer bottoms.
“A” Grade. Sanded smooth, paintable.
David.
Sorry - I can't tell what country you are from from the flag
In the UK, most DIY stores only sell 'construction grade' plywood, and for furniture, unless it's going to be painted, you need 'furniture grade;' birch plywood, which is generally known as 'birch through and through, which means that every ply is of birch and the same thickness. For furniture, typically 18mm plywood would be used, which has 13 plies bonded together with the grain being in alternate directions.
Construction grade plywood, even if the outside surface looks presentable, has fewer plies, mostly softwood.
I've attached a couple of pictures showing 'birch through and through' and 'construction grade' plywood.
For what it's worth, here is the range of plywood grades and their different characteristics.:
Plywood Grades:
Birch Plywood B Grade: Very high quality plywood. Slight colour variation permitted, often used decoratively, ‘pin’ knots permitted, no external defects, maximum of 3 repair patches (plugs) per M2.
Birch Plywood BB Grade: The main commercial grade – both faces are Grade BB – which allows patches and other knots/imperfections. Suitable for all general work, where face isn’t too important. (when for example the surface is to be painted. However, some good quality BB grade boards may even be acceptable for clear finishing or furniture.
Birch Plywood C2 Grade: C2 graded meaning the “C” side has a more rough surface with visible knots and splits when compared to grade B. The “2” is the grade of the backside of the board. Grade 2 is used when colour isn't a concern. Larger knots are allowed, but they do not exceed a diameter of 3/4″.
A4, B4, C4 are a ‘one-side-good’ products. The back may have open knots, filled knots, bad veneer joints or seams. Often used for drawer bottoms.
“A” Grade. Sanded smooth, paintable.
- “B” Grade. Solid surface with some repairs, usually circular or oval--shaped patches and/or wood filler. ...
- “C” Grade. Tight knots to 1-1/2 in. ...
- “D” Grade. Knots and knotholes up to 2-1/2 in.
- Softwood plywood this is usually made either of cedar, Douglas fir or spruce, pine, and fir (collectively known as spruce-pine-fir or SPF) or redwood and is typically used for general building, roofing or concrete formwork where its mechanical function is more important than its appearance.
- Hardwood plywood: this is made of wood from angiosperm trees and used for demanding end uses. Hardwood plywood is characterized by its excellent strength, stiffness and resistance to creep. It has a high shear strength and impact resistance, which make it especially suitable for heavy-duty floor and wall structures. Hardwood plywood has excellent surface hardness, and damage- and wear-resistance.
- Marine plywood: this is manufactured from high quality face and core veneers, in biologically durable hardwoods, incorporating advanced resin technology to give long life in both humid and wet conditions. It is intended for use in most applications where a good resistance to wood-destroying organisms is of the highest importance.
- Shuttering plywood: Normally the cheapest type of plywood this is used for boarding up or making formwork for poured concrete. Poor quality face veneers with knots and defects and may have some voids within the core.
- WBP plywood: much of the plywood sold in builders’ merchant is made to an exterior grade referred to as ‘WBP’ (weather and boil-proof). This means that the glue line will not break down when subjected to adverse weather conditions.
David.
