Sheet Materials

(Wood Based)

Wood-based panel products are sheet materials in which wood is predominant in the form of strips, veneers, chips, strands or fibres. The main categories are:

• Plywood (including blockboard)
• Chipboard
• Oriented strand board (OSB)
• Fibreboards, including medium density fibreboard (MDF)

Wood-based panels are versatile products with a wide variety of end-uses. Their use continues to expand because of:

• their good strength/weight ratio
• their good strength/cost ratio
• their ease of working/finishing/fixing
• the range of sizes and thicknesses available
• the range of types and special products available
• their good environmental credentials (made from a renewable raw material, recyclable, low life-cycle costs)
• their long, proven history of successful use

Plywood

Plywood is a versatile product that can maintain a high performance under hazardous conditions, retaining comparatively high strength to weight ratios. It is available in a range of wood species (both hardwood and softwood), some of which can have an attractive surface appearance, and a range of glue types although all our plywood is suitable for external use.
Plywood is available in a range of types, we stock the following:

• Marine Plywood. - This is a high grade WBP Plywood made to a higher standard (fewer voids within the core laminations) than ordinary WBP Hardwood Plywood. It is the most expensive plywood that we offer. As it's name suggests, it is often used in the construction of boats.
   
  From stock it is available in the following sizes:
  • 2440 x 1220mm in five thicknesses from 6mm to 25mm.
  
  
• Far Eastern (BB/CC) Hardwood WBP Plywood. - Many plywoods can be called “Far Eastern”. Our plywood is a very high quality plywood sourced from managed forests in South East Asia and is suitable for high grade joinery work. Every lamination is made using a dark hardwood timber. Some suppliers have been known to sell a low grade Chinese plywood, faced with Poplar (which is a hardwood) but with a softwood core and still be using the same description. This is a plywood preferred by joiners.
   
  From stock it is available in the following sizes:
  • 2440 x 1220mm in six thicknesses from 4mm to 25mm.
  • 3050 x 1525mm in four thicknesses from 6mm to 18mm.
  
  
• BCX Plywood (Good one side). - As the description suggests this plywood has one good face and one of a lower quality. It is constructed using softwood layers.
   
  From stock it is available in the following sizes:
  • 2440 x 1220mm in 18mm thicknesses only.
  
  
• CCX. - Often referred to as CDX our CCX plywood is manufactured from softwood and has two reasonable quality faces. All knot holes are filled and sanded giving a smooth face. It is a CE2+ structural board with a wide variety of uses.
   
  From stock it is available in the following sizes:
  • 2440 x 1220mm in three thicknesses from 9mm to 18mm.
  
  
• CDX (C+/C) Elliotis Pine. - There is a requirement for a lower quality, softwood plywood for use where finish is not important. The faces of this sheathing plywood may contain open knots. This is not a structural board and is used for temporary boarding up of windows and the construction of compounds.
   
  From stock it is available in the following sizes:
  • 2440 x 1220mm in two thicknesses, 12mm and 18mm.

  In addition to these main products we stock a number of other specialist plywoods such as Birch Plywood, Bendy Plywood and Veneered Plywoods.