Which Birch Plywood Grade for Which Job
We sell six grades of birch plywood from the Stiga RM mill in Kuldiga, Latvia. 15, 18 and 21 mm from the standard list, 6.5 to 40 mm on request, 1250 x 2500 mm. Grade and thickness are one decision and the job makes it.
Below is what each job takes and why, with the sheet at the end of it. If you already know your answer, send us your square metres and your delivery address for a pack count and a price.
Furniture and cabinetmaking
Doors, open shelving and carcasses seen from both sides take BB/BB. Carcasses with a hidden back, gables against a wall and drawer boxes take BB/CP. 18 mm is the workhorse, 15 mm the backs and lighter casework.
BB/CP is a BB face over a CP back, so you pay for the face you see and nothing more. BB/BB on a carcass that goes against a wall buys a surface nobody will meet.
Two properties earn birch its premium here. Density is around 680 kg/m3 with hardwood plies all the way through and no poplar or softwood core, so a confirmat screw, a cam bolt or a dowel holds in an edge instead of crushing it. On knock down work, where the assembly hangs on hardware driven into edges, that decides the material. Then the edge itself: uniform 1.5 mm plies machine to the fine stripe that is the signature of birch plywood, no voids, no tear out. Leave it exposed and lacquered rather than banded. One operation less, and the look specifiers now ask for by name.
One number to design around, and we publish it. 15 mm runs 14.3 to 15.3 mm, 18 mm runs 17.1 to 18.7 mm, 21 mm runs 20.0 to 21.5 mm. Groove widths, cam positions, minifix boring and CNC pocket depths are all sized to panel thickness, so measure across your own pack and cut the mating part to what you measured. Ask us for a sample from the run before you commit a programme. Then ask the next three suppliers quoting you for their declared tolerance.
Order BB/BB or BB/CP, or send us the cutting list.
Construction
Structural and concealed work, floors and roof decking under a finish, hoarding, racking decks, jigs and templates take CP/CP. 18 and 21 mm cover most of it.
CP is a repaired grade, not a weak one. Every defect that could affect strength is filled, and CP/CP carries the same EN 636-2S classification, birch core, 1.5 mm plies and phenol formaldehyde glue as BB/BB. Paying up to a visual grade for covered work buys appearance you then hide. One exception: if anything is bonded to the surface, treat that face as visible. C/C is no lamination substrate, with open holes to 40 mm and up to half the face unsanded.
Formwork and shuttering take F/F, film faced both sides, at 18 or 21 mm. The phenolic film releases from cured concrete and gives the face its finish, the edges are sealed with water resistant paint so end grain cannot wick water, and these grades are declared EN 636-3S rather than 2S. Film weight is 120 g/m2 as standard, 220 g/m2 on request for more reuses. No reuse count is published for either weight, so if a supplier quotes you a number of pours, ask where the number came from.
No span or fastener figures are published for this product and we will not estimate them. If the panel carries load, ask us at quotation for the declaration of performance for your grade and thickness.
Order CP/CP or film faced F/F.
Interiors
Wall and ceiling linings, fitted joinery, retail and exhibition fit out take BB/BB where both faces are seen and BB/CP where one face meets a substrate. 15 and 18 mm cover most lining work.
Birch takes a water based finish, which matters where solvent systems are restricted. Clear lacquer keeps the grain and the striped edge, and it is what most architects write. Paint works without a skim, though BB permits sound knots to 25 mm and matched inserts to 6 mm: a clean commercial face, not a flawless one, so keep off high gloss. Finish both faces, the hidden one included, or the panel unbalances and cups.
If the brief asks for acoustic absorption rather than a surface, specify our wood wool acoustic panels from the same mill and keep plywood for the birch face.
Transport and industrial
Trailer and horsebox floors, loading ramps, stage decks and walkways take F/W: wire mesh anti slip face, smooth film back, EN 636-3S, sealed edges.
Van and container linings, dry goods bodies and wash down areas take F/F. Smooth film both sides, washable, no site finishing.
Packaging, crates, pallet collars and site protection take C/C, the one job where the surface does not matter. C allows open knots and holes to 40 mm, open splits to 10 mm and up to half the face unsanded, none of which a crate cares about, and you still get the birch core, the WBP glue and the fastener holding.
Thickness follows the vehicle, the ramp or the crate. Film faced runs 6.5 to 35 mm on request, uncoated 6.5 to 40 mm.
Selection summary
| Application | Grade | Thickness | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carcasses, both faces seen | BB/BB | 15, 18 mm | exposed edge, clean faces |
| Carcasses, hidden back | BB/CP | 15, 18 mm | pay for the visible face only |
| Drawer boxes, backs | BB/CP | 15 mm | lighter, edge still holds hardware |
| Shelving | BB/BB or BB/CP | 18, 21 mm | stiffness, edges visible |
| Structural, concealed | CP/CP | 18, 21 mm | same strength, no visual premium |
| Floors, decking under a finish | CP/CP | 18, 21 mm | covered surface, EN 636-2S |
| Lamination substrate, jigs, racking | CP/CP | 18, 21 mm | sanded, filled, stable |
| Formwork, shuttering | F/F | 18, 21 mm | film releases, EN 636-3S |
| Wall and ceiling linings | BB/BB or BB/CP | 15, 18 mm | takes water based finish |
| Trailer floors, ramps, walkways | F/W | per design | mesh grips when wet |
| Van and container linings | F/F | per design | smooth, washable, sealed |
| Crates, collars, protection | C/C | 15, 18 mm | surface irrelevant, birch core |
This is what buyers specify, not an engineering recommendation. The grades guide has the defect limits behind each row, the thickness guide the weights and tolerances.
Certification, by sector
- North America. CARB Phase 2 and EPA TSCA Title VI are in place. Neither can be retrofitted after the container ships, so put the destination in the enquiry.
- Public and framework projects. PEFC chain of custody is standard. FSC Mix is on request with a surcharge and a longer lead time, so if a procurement policy names FSC, tell us before the order is placed.
- Furniture supply chains. IKEA IOS-MAT-0181 approval is held.
- Japan. F4 covers the uncoated grades, not film faced.
- Everywhere. CE marking to EN 13986 plus UKCA, formaldehyde class E1 to EN 717-1, an Environmental Product Declaration and REACH compliance.
Certificates come with the quotation rather than after you ask twice.
Get a price
Tell us the grade, the thickness, the square metres and the delivery address. You get a pack count, a price and the certificates. Grades and thicknesses mix within one load: BB/BB for the doors, BB/CP for the carcasses, CP/CP for the hidden work, one freight bill. Minimum order is half a truck, about 8 packs. Full trucks go across Europe, containers worldwide.
Request a quote or browse the birch plywood range, where prices show in your market and your currency.
There is no stock and production runs up to 3 weeks depending on season, so ten sheets for next week is a merchant's job and we will say so.
Related reading
- Birch plywood direct from the mill
- How birch plywood is priced: per sheet, per m2 and per m3
- Plywood grades explained: C/C vs CP/CP vs BB/CP vs BB/BB
- Plywood thickness guide, including the tolerances
- How much plywood fits on a pallet, a truck and a container
- How to spot poplar cored plywood sold as birch
