Marine Plywood is excellent plywood used for boats, boat parts, decks, and many other marine applications. It can be difficult for a common man (who does not know about Plywood) to Identify Marine Plywood.
But I am sharing with you some tips that will help you to identify real marine plywood.
1. Smooth Finish
Both sides of marine plywood are smooth, Whereas the surfaces of regular plywood are rough. The smooth surface prevents moisture and dust from entering and makes the plywood more durable. Being a smooth surface, it can also be used without paint.
2. Bending capacity
Good plywood should not bend much. Experts say “Plywood that bends more than 18 mm may be weak.”. So whenever you go to buy marine-grade plywood, check also the bending properties.
3. Weight
Marine Plywood is made of solid wood veneers. Due to solid veneer and high density, it weighs more than regular plywood. By lifting the ply from one side you can check its weight.
4. Knots on surface
High-quality plywood has fewer knots. There are several types of marine-grade plywood, such as AA, AB, BB, MDO, and HDO.
AA grade is the highest grade marine plywood. Which does not contain knots, and AB and BB marine-grade have less available.
5. Voids and Gaps
Voids and gaps are present in low-quality and common interior plywood. Due to these gaps and voids, moisture easily penetrates and quickly spoils the plywood.
You do not see voids and gaps in Marine Grade Plywood. All the veneer sheets in marine plywood were glued very well together.
6. Number of Layers
The exterior plywood consists of 5 or 7 veneers sheets, while the marine-grade plywood consists of 9 solid veneers sheets.
Marine plywood has a thinner veneer sheet than exterior grade plywood. Check the sides and ensure that the core layers are visible as straight lines.
7. Quality veneers
The exterior plywood uses softwood veneers such as pine wood and another type of pine. While marine-grade plywood uses hardwood veneers, which are more durable than softwood veneers.
Ask for a small piece of plywood, so that you will know what kind of veneers is used in the plywood and what is the density of the plywood.
8. Check the label
While purchasing marine plywood, be sure to check the certification label of plywood.
BS 1088 is for British Standard Specification Marine Plywood. It is used by marine plywood manufacturers worldwide. BS 1088 plywood must use a good quality adhesive, veneers sheet that has been proven to be highly resistant to weather, rot, and dry heat.
9. Price
A 4×8 foot sheet of exterior plywood costs roughly $40 a sheet, while the same size sheet of Marine plywood costs $100-$160 a sheet, so it is a cost of a 4x factor.
10. Trusted Shop
You are paying a good amount for Marine Plywood. So it is important that you get original marine plywood. Try to buy a trusted shop that you know.
Conclusion:
If you are looking to purchase marine plywood for boats and parts of boats, you will never want to compromise with quality.
Identifying Marine Plywood is difficult. So There are a few things to keep in mind before taking marine plywood. So that you cannot be cheated in the market. I hope all the tips above will help you choose the right marine plywood.
If you are looking for alternatives to marine plywood read this article Marine Plywood Alternative.
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