Types of Plywood According to JPIC/JAS Standards

Types of Plywood

There are many types of plywood including hardwood plywood, film faced plywood, melamine plywood, fancy plywood, UV plywood and so on.  Different plywood standards have different methods to divide plywood into types.

Plywood Types According to JPIC/JAS Standards

JPIC/JAS Standards divided plywood into 5 types as follows:

1. Plywood for General Use (Common plywood)

Bonding Quality: Type I or Type II ,

Used in dry conditions or occasional moist conditions;

The glue is usually moisture resistant glue such as urea formaldehyde resin, melamine-modified urea formaldehyde resin (MUF) or better glues;
Can not be used for structural purpose;

Face/back are common hardwood or common softwood species.

Applications: decoration, furniture, packing, and non-load-bearing applications in building, roofing, wall sheathing.

2. Concrete Forming Plywood (Shuttering Plywood)

For shuttering purpose, used as concrete formwork panel;

Type I Bonding Quality, melamine-modified urea formaldehyde resin (MUF) or better glues like phenol glue;

Face/back are meranti, lauan, pine…; face/back may be treated with water-resistant resin or coated with film;

Formaldehyde Emission is not required to meet F☆☆☆☆, because shuttering plywood is not used indoor;

Applications: shuttering concrete form, formwork panel.

3. Structural Plywood

Bonding Quality: Type Special, Type I ;

Used in constantly wet conditions or occasional moist conditions, usually phenolic glue or  melamine-modified urea formaldehyde resin (MUF) are used;

In order to guarantee the supper inherent strength and bonding quality, JAS has stricter requirements in the grade of core veneers and the quality of core-joint in the production of structural plywood;

Applications: load-bearing structural purposes, load-bearing sheathing and roofing, architectural components in building & construction;

4. Decorative Plywood with Natural Wood Veneers

Bonding Quality: Type I or Type II

Used in dry conditions or occasional moist conditions;

Glue: urea formaldehyde resin, melamine-modified urea formaldehyde resin (MUF) or better glues;

Face veneers are expensive, high grade natural veneers with beautiful wood grains, no defects are allowed in the face veneers except very slight defects;

The allowed thickness tolerances are smaller than the above mentioned 3 types of plywood;
Applications: furniture, decoration .

5. Specially Processed Decorative Plywood

Bonding Quality: Type I or Type II

Used in dry conditions or occasional moist conditions;

Glue: urea formaldehyde resin, melamine-modified urea formaldehyde resin (MUF) or better glues;

Face veneers are treated with printing, painting, resin (UV..) or coated with overlay film (melamine paper, PVC, MDO, HPL…) , no defects are allowed in the faces of plywood except very slight defects;

The allowed thickness tolerances are as strict as Decorative Plywood with Natural Wood Veneers;
Applications: furniture, decoration .