With advancements in construction technology, many alternatives to natural solid wood have emerged in the last few decades. Apart from lower costs and ease of availability, these substitutes offer many benefits, like increased sustainability, thus enabling diverse applications in the building industry. Plywood is one such material that has gained prominence in modern construction. Keep reading to learn exactly what plywood is, properties and types of plywood boards, pros and cons of plywood sheets and the plywood price in India.
What is Plywood?
Plywood is an engineered wood product made by gluing together different layers of wood veneers. Plywood boards are manufactured in factories, where the different layers are bonded together under high pressure to imbibe them with high strength. With physical and visual properties similar to natural wood, plywood has become an integral material in construction today.
Types of Plywood Boards
Different types of plywood can be classified based on the following properties:
Based on the Type of Wood
The types of wood that can be used to make veneers for a plyboard are:
- Hardwood Plywood: Hardwood trees like teak, maple, oak and walnut make up the exterior layers while the core can be softwood or hardwood. Teak plywood has especially high strength and value.
- Softwood Ply: These have a core and facing sheets made of softwood veneers like pine, cedar and birch. They are lighter in weight but also have lower strength than hardwood ply.
- Bamboo Plywood: Made with layers of bamboo strips woven together, this has higher moisture resistance and strength than the other two types but is also more expensive.
Based on Specific Properties
- Marine Plywood/ Waterproof Plywood: Also called Boiling WaterProof (BWP) plyboard, this type can be used for building ships and in areas with high humidity.
- Flexible Plywood: This is a form of thin plywood which can be bent to create free-flowing shapes. Since it is flexible, its strength is lower than other types.
- Moisture Resistant (MR)/ Commercial Grade Plywood: It is not completely waterproof, but has good moisture resistance and can be used in wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens.
- Fire Resistant Plywood: Chemicals like borates and ammonium phosphate are added during the manufacture to increase the fire resistance of these boards.
- Shuttering Plywood: This is a special grade of ply with smooth inner faces, made specifically for use in shuttering for concrete.
Based on Finish
- Laminated Plywood: A thin layer of decorative laminate provides versatile finishing options in a diverse range of colours and patterns.
- Veneered Plywood: One or both facing sides have a thin layer of polished wood veneer attached, enabling the plyboard to mimic natural solid wood.
- Plastic or PVC Plywood: Different types of plastic (generally PVC) sheets form the exterior layers, which can have diverse colours, finishes and patterns.
Advantages of Plywood
- High Strength: Plywood boards have extremely high tensile, compressive and shear strength compared to natural solid wood. They also have good impact resistance, allowing them to withstand high stresses without breaking.
- Lightweight: A high strength-to-weight ratio in plywood sheets means that they can have high strength with very low weights. It is much lighter than natural solid wood and other engineered wood products like MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard).
- Thermal and Acoustic Insulation: A plywood sheet can block the transmittance of sound waves due to its high acoustic insulation property. It also has excellent thermal insulation properties, making it ideal for use in building insulation when combined with materials like foam and rockwool.
- Biological Resistance: Plywood can resist attacks from pests—such as termites, fungi and wood-boring insects—better than natural wood since many chemicals that increase biological resistance are added during its manufacture and finishing.
Uses of Plywood in Buildings
Plywood has a wide range of applications in construction, including:
- Shuttering and Formwork: Plywood is the most commonly used shuttering material for casting concrete elements in the construction industry. Its light weight, high strength, ability to be easily cut and reusability make it a popular shuttering element.
- Plywood Flooring: Marine plywood or types of hardwood ply with moisture resistance and coated with laminates or veneers can be used as flooring. Even natural stone flooring is often laid on plyboards placed above concrete slabs for levelling uneven surfaces.
- Interior Partitions: Thick veneered and laminated plywood boards are used to make lightweight non-structural interior walls. Flexible plywood can be used to form more curvilinear interior partitions.
- Wall Panelling and Cladding: Exterior wall cladding panels often utilise marine grade or moisture resistant plyboards as the base material. Standard plywood panels can be used to make interior walls look like natural wood.
- Roofing: Structural grade plywood can be used to make roofing panels that mimic solid wood. These panels have the ability to resist moisture and do not undergo warping under prolonged exposure to sunlight.
- Furniture and Storage: Modular storage units like kitchen cabinets, wardrobes and bedside tables most commonly have plyboard bases with laminate or veneer finishes. This is because plyboards can be easily cut, screwed, glued and laminated/ veneered. Prelaminated plywood boards are generally used for making these storage units.
Limitations of Plywood Sheets
Despite the numerous benefits of plywood boards, they have a few cons that limit their usage in certain situations:
- Harmful Emissions: The different layers of plywood are bonded using resins made of formaldehyde, which is a cancer-causing chemical. Processing methods of plywood, such as cutting, sawing and laminating, also emit VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).
- Cost: Although cheaper than solid wood, plywood boards are more expensive than other engineered wood products like MDF and fibreboard.
- Durability: Most types of plywood (except marine plywood) cannot withstand harsh environments and high humidity levels. Under such conditions, the plywood experiences warping, swelling and a loss in strength.
- Inconsistent Quality: The texture, colour and finish of plywood boards can vary significantly even when the same type and brand are used. It is also difficult to judge the quality of plywood because the sources of its veneer layers are typically unknown to buyers.
Plywood Price
Plywood boards are typically available in the standard size of 4ft x 8ft, although the thickness can vary from 3mm to 30mm. Some of the common prices of these boards in India currently are:
- Softwood Plyboards: ₹20 – ₹120/ sq ft (6mm to 25mm thickness)
- Hardwood Plyboards: ₹50 – ₹200/ sq ft (6mm to 25mm thickness)
- Commercial Grade/ MR Plywood: ₹30 – ₹150/ sq ft (6mm to 20mm thickness)
- Flexible Plyboards: ₹70 – ₹160/ sq ft (6mm to 16mm thickness)
- Marine Plyboards: ₹80 – ₹250/ sq ft (6mm to 25mm thickness)
The actual plywood cost may vary significantly from the above values based on factors like location, availability, type, market trends, thickness and brand.
Plywood Suppliers and Builders
It is extremely difficult to judge the quality of plywood boards at face value. This requires significant industry knowledge and market expertise. Brick & Bolt, a leading construction company in India, has completed over 7000 homes in the last few years, equipping its professionals with in-depth material expertise. The company also joins hands with the leading brands and top suppliers in India to ensure the supply of quality building materials for its projects, including plywood sheets. Reach out to Brick & Bolt today to ensure that your residential or commercial building project makes use of only premium quality plywood!
Hemali Patel