Neem Plywood

And which plywood is good to use for home furniture or office?

These questions always comes in mind when people buy plywood.

We suggest looking for these quality checks while buying plywood.

1) Shouldn’t have too many core gaps (small gaps in between layers of core)- Look for these in the side profile along the length & breadth of a panel. It should look in straight line without gaps. Some amount of pin hole gaps (2mm – 3mm) are allowed but too many of those should serve as a warning sign.

2) Shouldn’t have too much overlapping of these layers of plies while composing. The lines of different layers on the side profile of plywood should be running straight. If they overlap each other too much, its not good. 

Cautionary Note – Both Core gaps and overlapping are unavoidable effects in a plywood which is a highly manual labor oriented product. No two panels of plywood are ever alike. And no matter which machinery anyone uses, there will always be a couple of sheets in the lot which just don’t fit the bill but this kind of occurrence should be less than 2-3%. Therefore look for the overall consistency in quality.

3) Nail Holding Capacity – The strength of a plywood panel is predicated on its capacity to hold a nail while being used in furniture. Before buying a ply, ask your dealer to hammer in a nail (1.5 inch #14) into the side profile of a plywood sheet. If the layers split on nailing, the bonding isn’t strong enough and will not work for furniture work.

4) Use MR grade (moisture resistant) for indoor furniture that won’t be exposed to water, and use BWP (boiling water proof) for others, according to the purpose you need it for. You can test a BWP Ply for its waterproof characteristic by taking a cut sample and boiling it in a pressure cooker for 7 whistles. The layers of the ply shouldn’t delaminate in a genuine BWP grade ply. If it splits, its probably not a waterproof grade.

5) Prefer Neem/Eucalyptus core plywood over rubber wood as its higher in density as well as strength. There is a myth that Gurjan is the best timber to be used in Plywood. Its not when you take into consideration the huge price difference and whether it justifies the almost negligible density difference it has over Neem/Eucalyptus. It has the same performance specifications as Neem/Eucalyptus but costs a hell lot more! Neem/Eucalyptus gets the job done and serves the purpose your ply is intended to do for a lifetime. So instead of buying really expensive Burmese Gurjan( Imported from Burma), go for Neem/Eucalyptus core.

6) Measure the four edges of the ply to understand if any variation in thickness is present. This anomaly makes the finished product shoddy with the craftsman having to either buffer the ply or shave of the excess at other places.

7) Move your hand slowly over the flat surface of the plywood and feel for any undulation on the surface. This undulation will again give a ugly finish to the surface after you have polished, laminated or painted the product. Uneven surface is also a sign of improper production techniques and lower tensile strength.

8) Big brands such as G***n ply or C****y ply and their latest stunts like Eco plywood or XYZ plywood is in no way a guarantee for the quality behind it. These guys started up selling really good quality ply in their earlier years but as their brand reputation built up, they substituted to outsourcing their ply in favor of volumes against quality. This essentially meant that they do not have quality control over it anymore. So check for the constituent of a plywood like the species(Neem/Eucalyptus/Gurjan/ETC.) used in making the plywood before purchasing branded plywood.