What actually defines a plywood type?
A plywood type comes from four things read together: the species in the core, the grade of the face veneers, the bond or exposure class of the glue, and the emission class of the finished sheet. That is why a cabinet panel, a boat hull and a concrete form can all be called plywood and still behave nothing alike. Formwork panels add one more variable on top, the film or overlay pressed onto the face.
What are the 3 types of plywood?
When people ask for the three types of plywood they usually mean ply count. A 3-ply board is the thin sheet used for drawer bottoms and cabinet backs, 5-ply is the middle-weight board for general joinery, and multi-ply with seven or more layers goes into structural work, roofs and formwork. Ply count gives a sense of thickness and duty, but the bond class and veneer grade still decide where a sheet can safely go.
What do plywood grades A, B, C and D mean?
The letters grade the face veneer, from A, which is smooth and close to knot-free, down to D, which allows open knots and splits. Use A or B where the face shows or gets painted and C or D where it stays hidden. Panels are labelled by both faces, so B/C means a good front and a rougher back, and the X in CDX refers to an exterior-capable glue rather than another face grade.
Is marine plywood waterproof?
No, marine plywood is water-resistant rather than waterproof. It earns the name through a void-free hardwood core and a durable WBP-type glue line, usually made to a BS 1088-style standard, so it copes with repeated wetting and drying far better than ordinary board. Boat builders still seal and coat every sheet, because a cut edge left wet will take on water.
What does melamine mean on a plywood spec?
Melamine can mean three different things on a spec: the core glue melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) rated at EN 636-2, a decorative face film on interior board, or the printed laminate on a kitchen carcass. Ask which one is meant before anyone prices the order. On our formwork range, Eco Form, Eco Form Plus, Form Basic and Form Extra have a core MUF glue under a phenolic face film, so the glue is MUF and the face is phenolic.
Which Vinawood formwork panels are phenolic Class 3?
Pro Form, Pro Form Lite, HDO Standard and HDO Premium carry a phenolic (PF) glue line rated Class 3 under EN 636-3. HDO Basic is the exception in the HDO family, because its exterior glue is rated Class 2, so read the grade name on the quote rather than treating HDO as a bond class. Eco Form, Eco Form Plus, Form Basic and Form Extra use a core MUF glue at EN 636-2, and Form Extra gets its longer life from Superior Glue MUF rather than a Class 3 bond. MatteFace Plywood (MTF) is our matte forming face, the panel North American buyers often search for as MDO formwork plywood.
