What are mass plywood panels (MPP)?
Mass plywood panels (MPP) are large-format engineered wood panels (4 ft × 24–60 ft, 1 to 12+ inches thick) made by laminating wood veneers in alternating grain directions. The product is listed under ICC ESR-4954 for use in Type IV-B and Type IV-C tall-wood buildings under the 2021 IBC. Freres Engineered Wood in Lyons, Oregon, is the production-scale source in North America as of 2026.
What is the difference between MPP and commercial plywood?
Both are veneer-laminated, but they serve different functions. MPP is a structural panel at building-element scale — the panel itself carries floor, wall, or roof load in a mass-timber building. Commercial plywood is a 4 ft × 8 ft sheet good (6–25 mm thick) used for formwork, sheathing, container floors, signage, and furniture. MPP costs significantly more per square foot; the price difference reflects integrated structure plus exposed-wood aesthetic plus fire-rated mass timber, not the veneer material itself.
What is the difference between MPP and CLT?
Cross-laminated timber (CLT) uses dimension lumber boards (2x4, 2x6, 2x8) laminated face-to-face in alternating directions. MPP uses thinner wood veneers laminated in alternating directions — the same construction principle as a sheet of plywood, scaled up. MPP has more layers per inch of thickness, which changes how the panel handles load and how the surface reads architecturally. CLT is the broader mass-timber category by global volume; MPP is concentrated at one US producer in 2026.
Where can I buy mass plywood panels?
Freres Engineered Wood (frereswood.com) in Lyons, Oregon, is the production-scale source for MPP in North America as of 2026. Their facility is APA-certified and FSC chain-of-custody is available on request. East Coast and Mountain West projects book MPP with longer freight lead times than Pacific Northwest projects — the supply is concentrated where the production is.
Should I use MPP or commercial plywood for my project?
Use MPP when the panel itself is a structural element in a Type IV-B or IV-C tall-wood building, or when the project needs prefabricated mass-timber wall/floor/roof panels with exposed-wood architectural finish. Use commercial plywood for formwork, sheathing, container floors, signage, cabinetry, marine work, packaging, and any other sheet-good application. The cost gap is large; if the project is not mass-timber, the math points to commercial plywood.
Does Vinawood manufacture MPP?
No. Vinawood is a commercial plywood manufacturer. Our catalog covers HDO, MDO, Pro Form, Form Basic, Form Extra, marine plywood, and the broader film-faced range — all at the 4 ft × 8 ft (or metric equivalent) sheet scale. For genuine MPP needs, the right next call is Freres Engineered Wood and other APA-certified mass-timber suppliers. We're transparent about category boundaries because mass-timber projects often source commercial plywood for their formwork and sheathing alongside the MPP structural elements.
