Plywood – Classification and Terminology – Terminology
This applies to ‘any product or kit which is produced and placed on the market for incorporation in a permanent manner in construction works or parts thereof and the performance of which has an effect on the performance of the construction works with respect to the basic requirements for construction works.’
Products must clearly display the appropriate conformity marking and have the correct Declaration of Performance documentation in line with either the UK-CPR or the EU-CPR. More
Manufacturers wishing to trade in the European market are legally required to set down the levels of performance for any construction product. They have to be listed in an official document called a Declaration of Performance. More.
The veneer of an APA trademarked panel must conform to one of the six grades listed in the US PS 1-19 standard: N, the highest classification (rarely produced), followed by A, B, C-plugged, C and D. Non-overlaid APA plywood panels come in three levels of surface finish – sanded, touch-sanded and unsanded. More.
Also see veneer grades for Popular APA Plywood Panels.
The main grades for APA’s structural plywood panels are: A-A, A-B, A-C, B-B, B-C;,C-C, C-D, D-D, Sturd-I-Floor, Underlayment, CC plugged, CD plugged. APA has a quick guide here to help you match the grades with the requirements of (BS) EN 635-3. Equivalents cannot be exactly compared as two different sets of grading rules apply.
Plyform is a type of panel with sufficient strength to support the weight of the wet concrete. APA offers three types, all using only the strongest wood species (groups 1,2 or 3) for the face and back veneers. They have an exterior bond classification and come in three strength classes – Structural 1, Class I or Class II.
See APA’s comprehensive Concrete Forming Design/Construction Guide for architects, engineers and contractors and the types of APA concrete forming plywood panels.
The main grades for APA’s structural plywood panels are: A-A, A-B, A-C, B-B, B-C;,C-C, C-D, D-D, Sturd-I-Floor, Underlayment, CC plugged, CD plugged. Non-overlaid APA plywood panels come in three levels of surface finish – sanded, touch-sanded and unsanded. APA’s guide identifies each panel’s specific finish, veneer strengths and the wood species used, as well as bond durability.
The main standards are: EN 13986, EN 636, EN 314, EN 635-3. And for more details, see EU standards for plywood.
Plywood Design Information looks at the plywood grades A-A, A-B, A-C; B-B, B-C; C-C, C-D and the relevant standards that the trademarked panels comply with.
APA has produced two easy to follow guides to help match the grade numbers given on a US finished plywood panel with the requirements of EN 635-3.
Detailed guide listing permissible defects – with maximum sizes.
Simplified guide to the US PS 1-19 veneer grading rules and appearance grades in EN 635-3 based on the appearance of the surface veneers. Equivalents cannot be exactly compared as two different sets of grading rules apply.
See APA’s comprehensive Concrete Forming Design/Construction Guide for architects, engineers and contractors and the types of APA concrete forming plywood panels.
See APA’s guide to ‘Plywood Panel Grades for Specific Applications’
The main standards are: (BS) EN 13986, (BS) EN 636, (BS) EN 314, (BS) EN 635-3. And see ‘Applications, Check your Standard‘.
Download What’s New in FSC revised COC standard. Also, the previous FSC compulsory verification programme has been replaced by a due diligence protocol with a new risk assessment system. Learn more. Good forestation practice in the US supports the aims of EUTR. Its sustainably managed forests comply with one or more of the five leading certification agencies responsible for verifying proper forestry practices.
APA products can count towards a building’s BREEAM rating, learn how here. The British Research Establishment and the US Underwriters Laboratories now recognise each other’s certified EPD making it simpler for APA member mills to gain environmental performance ratings under the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM).
Under the harmonised European Standard for wood-based panels, EN 13986, Annex B, ‘wood-based panels glued with resins emitting either no formaldehyde or negligible amounts of formaldehyde after production as e.g. isocyanate or phenolic glue’ are to be classified as E1 (the lowest formaldehyde release class) without further testing.
See APA’s guide Formaldehyde and Engineered Wood Products. APA plywood is designated under the lowest E1 category for formaldehyde release without needing further testing. APA’s US PS 1 and PS 2 plywood have been tested to EN 717-1 and formaldehyde levels already meet the requirements for the E1 classification limit.
Also see: Formaldehyde (plywood) and Formaldehyde (OSB).
US plywood and OSB are equally effective as sturdy, robust and cost-effective solutions for non-construction applications – from shelving, site hoardings , protective linings in the cargo bay of delivery vehicles to packaging and furniture. See APA’s Performance Panels. Need help to decide what grade or type of panel to use for a specific application? APA’s Industrial Panel Selection Guide (Form T200) is another easy to use resource.
For maximum biological durability, both Service Classes and Use Classes must be considered when specifying engineered wood panels. See APA’ s guide here.
Use Classes covering plywood and OSB have replaced ‘hazard classes’. They will also cover LVL when the LVL standards have completed their update. Use Classes are based on different environmental exposures that can make the panel susceptible to deterioration. The in Eurocode 5 assign strength values and calculate deformation in load-bearing situations. They are determined by the moisture content of the panel corresponding to the environmental humidity and temperature during service.
The British Research Establishment and the US Underwriters Laboratories now recognize each other’s certified EPD making it simpler for APA member mills to gain environmental performance ratings under the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). This is the UK’s leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings and communities. It sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design and has become the de facto measure used to describe a building’s environmental performance. Learn how APA products can count towards a building’s BREEAM rating.
A good starting point is our Green Topics section and Types of EPD and the five life cycle stages
EN 15804:2012 +A1:2013 provides the core Product Category Rules (PCR) for the production of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for all construction products and services. Review with main environmental standards. For more details see: Core Product Category Rules (PCR) for Products and Services.
The European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) puts specific obligations on operators and traders . Operators (or importers) are any (natural or legal) person first placing timber on the EU market. They must maintain records of any traders that they supply timber to. They must implement a due diligence system to minimise the risk of putting illegal timber or any of its derived products on the market. Learn more.
The European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) puts specific obligations on operators and traders and applies to timber originating in the domestic (EU) market, as well as from third (non-EU) countries such as the US. The information it requires has to be retained for at least five years and be available on request. See European Timber Regulation.
Manufacturers of wood-based products covered by either a harmonised European standard (hEN) or a European Technical Assessment (ETA) must apply for CE marking under the 2013 Construction Products Regulation. See CPR & CE Marking and our Official Guidelines section.
This applies to ‘any product or kit which is produced and placed on the market for incorporation in a permanent manner in construction works or parts thereof and the performance of which has an effect on the performance of the construction works with respect to the basic requirements for construction works.’
Products must clearly display the CE mark and have the correct Declaration of Performance documentation. For more info: CPR & CE Marking.
Under the CPR, manufacturers wishing to trade in the European market are legally required to set down the levels of performance for any construction product. They have to be listed in an official document called a Declaration of Performance.
Exposure 1 is a glue bond classification. It uses the same 100% waterproof glue as exterior panels and refers to a panel’s durability when long delays in construction are expected or when facing high moisture content. For plywood, see https://apawood-europe.org/products-trademarks/plywood/trademarks/glue-bond/. For OSB: https://apawood-europe.org/products-trademarks/osb/trademarks/exposure-durability-classification/
Structural 1 refers to a panel’s superior performance characteristics. For OSB, see https://apawood-europe.org/products-trademarks/osb/comparable-performance-requirements/
For Structural 1 plywood, all panels have special improved veneer grades and if manufactured to the US PS1 standard, the veneer grades will be species with a Group 1 strength classification. See group classification of species.
Plywood Design Information looks at the plywood grades A-A, A-B, A-C; B-B, B-C; C-C, C-D and the relevant standards that the trademarked panels comply with.
For plywood, see Span rating. For OSB, see Span rating. A full range of technical information in under Products and Trademarks.
OSB Structural I on an APA trademark indicates that the OSB structural-panel meets the requirements of a Performance Rated panel. This delivers superior design capacity for these panels over OSB Rated Sheathing and Sturd-I-Floor. Also see Comparison of Superior Design Capacities for OSB Structural I Sheathing with OSB Rated Sheathing.
Veneer in a finished US trademarked plywood panel must conform to one of the six grades listed in the US PS 1-09 standard: N, the highest classification (rarely produced), followed by A, B, C-plugged, C and D. Non-overlaid APA plywood panels come in three levels of surface finish – sanded, touch-sanded and unsanded.
Also see veneer grades for Popular APA Plywood Panels.
APA has produced two easy to follow guides to help match the grade numbers given on a US finished plywood panel with the requirements of EN 635-3.
Detailed guide listing permissible defects – with maximum sizes.
Simplified guide to the US PS 1-19 veneer grading rules and appearance grades in EN 635-3 based on the appearance of the surface veneers. Equivalents cannot be exactly compared as two different sets of grading rules apply.
See APA’s comprehensive Concrete Forming Design/Construction Guide for architects, engineers and contractors and the types of APA concrete forming plywood panels.
APA panels have a tongue and groove profile on their two long edges. This eliminates the need for support (blocking) under adjacent panel edges to prevent them from deflecting independently of each other when load is applied. See Tongue & Groove (plywood) and Tongue & Groove (OSB).
‘Sized for Spacing’ on APA Rated Sheathing, APA Rated Sturd-I-Floor and APA Rated Siding trademarks indicates that the manufacturer has produced the panel to a size slightly less than the traditional nominal 2440mm (96″) by 1220mm (48″). It is done to facilitate proper panel spacing during construction. See Sized for Spacing (plywood) and Sized for Spacing (OSB). For further technical details see Product and Trademarks.
Performance Category, Panel Thickness and Span Ratings are key categories that need to be considered together. See Thickness, Performance Category (plywood) and Thickness, Performance Category (OSB).
Plywood: Span rating
OSB: Span rating
Span Rating denotes the maximum recommended centre to centre spacing of supports in inches over which the panel should be placed with its strength axis across two or more supports. Plywood: Span rating. OSB: Span rating
Bond classification relates to moisture resistance of the glue bond and therefore to the structural integrity of the panel. See glue bond durability classification (plywood) and exposure durability (OSB).
See APA’s guide to panel grades and also info on understanding the trademark.
See APA’s guide to ‘Plywood Panel Grades for Specific Applications’
The main standards are: EN 13986 and EN 300. But also see the other relevant standards for OSB.
The main standards are: EN 13986, EN 636, EN 314, EN 635-3. And for more details, see EU standards for plywood.
