Plywood

== Applications ==
Plywood is used in many applications that need high-quality, high-strength sheet material. Quality in this context means resistance to cracking, breaking, shrinkage, twisting and warping.

Exterior glued plywood is suitable for outdoor use, but because moisture affects the strength of wood, optimal performance is achieved where the moisture content remains relatively low. Subzero conditions do not affect the dimensional or strength properties of plywood,  making some special applications possible.

Plywood is also used as an engineering material for stressed-skin applications.{{Citation needed|date=April 2007}} It has been used for marine and aviation applications since WWII. Most notable is the British [[de Havilland Mosquito]] bomber, with a fuselage made of birch plywood sandwiching a [[Ochroma pyramidale|balsa]] core, and using plywood extensively for the wings. Plywood was also used for the hulls in the [[Chine (boating)|hard-chine]] [[Motor Torpedo Boat]]s (MTB) and [[Motor Gun Boat]]s (MGB) built by the [[British Power Boat Company]] and [[Vosper & Company|Vosper]]'s, American [[PT boat]]s, and the [[Higgins boat|Higgins landing craft]] critical to the D-Day landings. The American designers [[Charles Eames|Charles]] and [[Ray Eames]] are known for their plywood-based furniture, as is Finnish Architect Alvar Aalto and his firm [[Artek (company)|Artek]], while [[Phil Bolger]] has designed a wide range of boats built primarily of plywood. Jack Köper of Cape Town designed the plywood [[Dabchick (dinghy)|Dabchick sailing dinghy]], which {{as of|2015|lc=y}} is still sailed by large numbers of teenagers.
[[File:Detrola Model 579 (1946).jpg|thumb|[[Detrola Radio & Television Corporation|Detrola]] Model 579 (1946) radio, made of plywood]]
Plywood is often used to create curved surfaces because it can easily bend with the grain. Skateboard ramps often utilize plywood as the top smooth surface over bent curves to create transition that can simulate the shapes of ocean waves.

===Softwood plywood===
Typical end uses of spruce plywood are:
*Floors, walls, and roofs in home constructions
*Wind bracing panels
*Vehicle internal body work
*Packages and boxes
*Fencing

There are coating solutions available that mask the prominent grain structure of spruce plywood. For these coated plywoods there are some end uses where reasonable strength is needed but the lightness of spruce is a benefit, e.g.:
*Concrete shuttering panels
*Ready-to-paint surfaces for constructions

===Hardwood plywood===
[[Phenolic resin]] film coated (Film Faced) [[hardwood]] plywood is typically used as a ready-to-install component e.g.:
*Panels in concrete form work systems
*Floors, walls and roofs in transport vehicles
*Container floors
*Floors subjected to heavy wear in various buildings and factories
*Scaffolding materials

::("Wire" or other styles of imprinting available for better traction)

Birch plywood is used as a structural material in special applications e.g.:
*[[Wind turbine]] blades
*Insulation boxes for [[liquefied natural gas]] (LNG) carriers

Smooth surface and accurate thickness combined with the durability of the material makes birch plywood a favorable material for many special end uses e.g.:
*High-end loud speakers
*Die-cutting boards
*Supporting structure for parquet
*Playground equipment
*Furniture
*Signs and fences for demanding outdoor advertising
*Musical instruments
*Sports equipment

===Tropical plywood===
Tropical plywood is widely available from the South-East Asia region, mainly from [[Malaysia]] and [[Indonesia]].

*Common plywood
*Concrete panel
*Floor base
*Structure panel
*Container flooring
*Lamin board
*[[Laminated veneer lumber]] (LVL)