What is the difference between Balsa Wood and Plywood?

Plywood is stronger, more durable, and more stable than balsa wood. Balsa wood is softwood (Usually they are soft) while Plywood is made with two or more veneer sheets of hardwood and softwood.

We can turn plywood into any design, but it is difficult to do with balsa wood or any other solid wood.

Why is plywood stronger than balsa wood?

Plywood is strong because plywood is made in a structured way. Plywood is made by gluing several veneer sheets together. This process is done under high heat and pressure.

Each veneer sheet is glued with its grain at right angles to enhance strength. An odd number of veneer layers (3,5,7..) are used to make plywood sheets.

How Strong is Balsa Wood?

Balsa wood is the strongest wood for its weight in the world. It is pretty strong wood for as light as it is. Pound for pound stronger than many other woods such as pine, oak, and hickory.

Common uses of Blasa Wood

Balsa wood is lightweight but strong, so it is widely used for making boxes/crates, surfboards, and model airplanes.

It is also used to make musical instruments, core stock in sandwich laminations, and fishing lures.

Common uses of Plywood

Plywood is an excellent construction and industrial material. It is a versatile material that can be used to make almost all types of wooden projects.

Plywood is used for doors, windows, beds, chairs, ceilings, floors, cabinets, interior and exterior walls, and many other common projects.

Plywood is an important material in today’s era; we can imagine construction without plywood.

Why should you choose plywood?

Plywood has an elegant and attractive nature. It is a versatile material and easy to work with both hands and machines.

Pressure-treated plywood has excellent rot-resistant properties. Because during the making process, they are passed through chemical treatment. Which enhances its properties.

Another big reason to choose plywood is, that it is widely available worldwide. It is available in different grades and thicknesses.

Plywood is much easier to maintain and replace than Balsa wood.

Why should we not choose plywood?

Remember that not all plywood is stronger than all solid balsa wood. The strength of plywood depends on many things. Such as purpose of uses. 

Why should you choose Balsa wood?

If you like the natural texture of wood and want to stain to improve the grain color then you should go with balsa wood.

We can refinish woods which gives new life to the wood. The refinishing process can be done several times with wood. 

Solid furniture has a higher resale value than pieces made with plywood.

Types and grades of Plywood

There are many types of plywood and there are four grades: A, B, C, and D. The grade refers to the quality and appearance of the plywood’s face and back veneers.

Type of plywood

  1. Softwood Plywood
  2. Hardwood Plywood
  3. Aircraft Plywood
  4. Exterior Plywood
  5. Wood Core Plywood
  6. Structural Plywood
  7. Composite Plywood
  8. Overlaid Plywood
  9. Marine Plywood
  10. Tropical Plywood
  11. Flexible Plywood
  12. Sanded Plywood
  13. Apple Plywood
  14. Subfloor Plywood