There are many uses for plywood products.
From woodworking to roof joists, this material serves many purposes. Plywood is usually found in two types: hardwood and softwood.
Hardwood Plywood
This is made from alder, ash, beech, birch, bamboo, cherry, mahogany, maple, and other hardwood trees.
Hardwood is used for carpentry projects like cabinetry, making furniture, and other decorative applications.
Sheets are usually sanded to make a smooth surface and can be stained or painted.
Many times, cabinets or furniture made from hardwood plywood have unfinished surfaces and are finished after the pieces are made.
Softwood Plywood
Made from pine, cedar, Douglas fir, spruce, and other softwood trees, this material is used for roofing, subfloors, walls, sheathing, and other generic applications.
Sheets often have a rough surface and serve as the base for another material, like OSB siding.
Common Plywood Sheet Sizes
Hardwood Plywood comes in many lengths and widths, but the two most common sizes are 4 x 8 and 5 x 5 feet. Standard sheets are 1/2 inch thick, while non-standard thicknesses range from 1/8 inch to 3/4 inch.
In addition to these standard sizes, home improvement stores like Home Depot carry pre-cut panels in various other sizes, including 2 by 2, 2 by 4, and 4 by 4 feet.
Softwood plywood is commonly found in sheets 4 feet wide, 8 feet long, and 3/4 inch thick. Some stores even sell oversized sheets up to 6 feet wide.
Keep in mind that the bigger sizes are less expensive, so it's often cheaper to buy one 4 x 8 sheet than it is to buy two smaller pieces.
Although standard plywood thicknesses range from 1/4 to 3/4 inch, it's actually slightly thinner. This is because, after it's manufactured, plywood shrinks as it dries.
So, when you are buying a standard utility-grade sheet, the actual size will be as follows:
1/8 inch = 7/64 inches
1/4 inch = 7/32 inches
3/7 inch = 11/32 inches
1/2 inch = 15/32 inches
5/8 inch = 19/32 inches
3/4 inch = 23/32 inches
In fact, all wood expands as it gets wet and shrinks as it dries. Remember, plywood is made from many layers of thin wooden sheets. And the top layer needs to be sanded after the sheet is made.
During this process, 1/32 inch is typically removed from each sheet. While this varies by type, utility-grade sheets have a tolerance of 1/32 inches and cabinet-grade sheets have a tolerance of 1/64 inches.
This means that higher-grade plywood is held to a higher standard than lower-grade material.
