The Original Engineered Wood Product
Plywood Basics
Plywood has been one of the most recognized and trusted wood building products for decades. Manufactured from thin sheets of cross-laminated veneer and bonded under heat and pressure with strong adhesives, plywood panels have superior dimensional stability and an excellent strength-to-weight ratio and are highly resistant to impacts, chemicals, and changes in environmental temperature and humidity. Plywood manufactured by APA member mills is available in a wide variety of appearance grades, ranging from smooth, natural surfaces suitable for finish work to more economical grades used for sheathing. With more than a dozen common thicknesses and over twenty different grades, plywood is well-suited to a multitude of demanding applications.
Common Plywood Applications
APA-trademarked plywood is suitable for a variety of end uses including subflooring, single-layer flooring, wall and roof sheathing, sheathing ceiling/deck, structural insulated panels, marine applications, siding, webs of wood I-joists, concrete forming, pallets, industrial containers, mezzanine decks, and furniture.
Panel Performance Categories
5/16, 3/8, 15/32, 1/2, 19/32, 5/8, 23/32, 3/4, 7/8, 1, 1-1/8.
Panel Sizes
4' x 8', 4' x 9', 4' x 10'
The APA Mark of Quality
APA trademarks appear only on products manufactured by APA member mills. The mark signifies that panel quality is subject to verification through APA audit—a procedure designed to assure manufacture in conformance with APA performance standards or the standard shown in the mark.
Plywood Publications
Describes the specification, advantages, applications and finishing recommendations of sanded plywood. Includes trademark examples and explanations.
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Describes performance standards for structural wood panels and the compositions of different types of APA panels with the Performance Rated designations of APA Rated Sheathing, APA Rated Sturd-I-Floor, and APA Rated Siding. It also describes the typical applications where Performance Rated panels are used and provides updated trademark and performance category information.
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Resource Library
Access a complete list of APA publications about plywood in APA's Resource Library.