Plywood is an integral part of the home. From flooring, and wall paneling to the fabrication of customized wooden furniture, the use of plywood is explicable. If you are shifting into an unfurnished new home, the first thing you buy is furniture, this requires selecting, the best plywood for furniture.

For most homeowners because of its aesthetic and longevity, this is why it is crucial to check the quality of plywood before buying. We have listed some of the inspection methods for ensuring you don’t end up buying counterfeit products from the store.

Why Should You Test Plywood?

Plywood has been reliable material for the construction industry and home decor for decades. Wood is one of the first construction materials that human civilization has utilized. So, the application of wood is from building a small coffee table to large ship decks. The extremely versatile material is vulnerable to damage, this is why it is important to test and check the material before you use it for different applications.

Things You Should Consider While Testing Plywood

Properties of Plywood

The properties of the best plywood for furniture include flexibility, moisture resistant, water resistance, high strength, and stability. The properties differ from one plywood grade to another. There are different purposes of plywood for exterior and interior needs, which is why you must inspect the properties based on the plywood grade.

Field Testing

You can check the quality of plywood upheld by some basic field tests. Some of them we recommend are:

• The thickness of the sheet – The thickness of the sheet must be uniform throughout the sheet. At Austin, you can buy plywood online from the thickness of 4mm to 25mm. A good way to detect the thickness is uniform across the plywood is by knocking the sheet in different areas and inspecting the sound it produces. If the sound differs from one location to another then it does not have even thickness.

• The undulation of the plywood sheet – After the veneers are compressed together to form plywood, it gets its finishing laminates. Sometimes the finishing is not smooth and leads to uneven or cracked surfaces. To detect any undulation, you need to move your fingers lightly over the sheet and if you feel any unevenness, then it is not appropriate to use for home, as it will be not as long-lasting as other plywood.

ISI Mark

You must have noticed ISI marks on plywood like IS-303, or IS-701. These marks are ISI certification, better known as the Indian standard guideline number. The number is issued to particular plywood after the testing plywood to assure quality.

IS-303 is associated with the general purpose and is most visible in commercial, BWR, and water-resistant plywood. While, IS-710, is associated with Marine Plywood. The sign on the plywood confirms that it has been laboratory tested and has standard quality.

Determination of Moisture Content in the Sheet

Moisture in the sheet is one of the major reasons for building termites that cannot only cause damage to new furniture but can also eat the existing ones. While too less moisture in the plywood affects its quality as it becomes too weak. So, as per recommendation, the moisture content in the plywood sheet should not decrease below 5% and must not exceed 15%.

Conclusion

Austin Plywood conducts mechanical and laboratory tests which include testing tensile strength, yield strength, moisture resistance, flexibility, and fire retardant. The test results determine the plywood grade and its longevity.

We conduct stringent testing to make sure the best plywood in India used in furniture in the market is of high quality and low maintenance. To learn about Austin Plywood’s wide collection of plywood and other products, click here.