Plywood is made by gluing three or more layers of thin wood together.
Today, almost all thin wood used in production is rotary-cut wood, commonly known as veneer.
Plywood typically uses an odd number of veneer layers, with the grain direction of adjacent layers perpendicular to each other.
Common types include 3‑ply, 5‑ply, 7‑ply, etc.
The outermost layers are called face veneers:
Front face: face panel
Back face: back panel
Inner layers: core veneer or center veneer
Wood Species Used for Plywood
The wood species of the face panel defines the plywood’s species.
Common hardwood species in China:
Linden, Manchurian ash, birch, poplar, elm, maple, color wood, Amur cork, wingnut, nanmu, schima, alder, etc.
Common softwood species in China:
Masson pine, Yunnan pine, larch, spruce, etc.
Classification of Plywood
1. By Wood Species
Hardwood plywood: birch plywood, tropical hardwood plywood, etc.
Softwood plywood
2. By Application
General-purpose plywood: for wide general use
Special-purpose plywood: for specific professional applications
3. By Water Resistance & Durability (China Standard)
Type Ⅰ (weather‑resistant): durable, boil‑resistant, steam‑resistant, for outdoor use
Type Ⅱ (water‑resistant): cold-water resistant, short-time hot-water resistant, not boil‑resistant
Type Ⅲ (moisture‑resistant): short-time cold-water resistant, for indoor use
Type Ⅳ (non‑moisture‑resistant): indoor normal use only, with basic bonding strength
4. By Structure
Ordinary plywood
Core‑filled plywood: with a solid core
Composite plywood: core (or some layers) made of non‑solid wood/veneer materials;
at least two layers of cross‑grained veneer on both sides of the core
5. By Surface Processing
Sanded plywood: surface sanded by sander
Scraped plywood: surface scraped by scraper
Overlaid plywood: surfaced with decorative veneer, printed paper, impregnated paper, plastic, resin film, metal foil, etc.
Pre‑finished plywood: specially surface‑treated during manufacture, no further finishing needed
6. By Shape
Flat plywood
Molded plywood: pressed into curved shapes in molds for special uses
e.g. corrugated plywood for wall/ceiling panels, chair backs and rear legs
胶合板的生产工艺是怎样的？
胶合板的用途有哪些？
如何挑选质量好的胶合板？
