So you are here to know the difference between regular plywood and Marine grade plywood. Right?
But..
Do you have the basic idea of these plywoods? I mean do you know what is plywood(Regular/commercial)? and Do you know what is Marine grade plywood?
If not.
The you must know them in order to know their differences.
What is Marine Grade plywood?
As the name suggests its majorly used in Marine application. It does not mean it can not be used for interior or construction works. Because of its durability and its resistance towards water it is used mainly in extreme weather conditions. Hence it is used in factories, industrial applications and in building ships and boats.
Why it so water resistant?
- Because of the best quality of the veneer which are used to make Marine grade plywood.
- It is water resistant because of the resin Phenol formaldehyde. Plywood is treated with this particualr resin in its purest form to make it so water resistant.
To read more about Marine plywood please read our blog “What is Marine plywood?”
What is regular plywood?
Regular plywood can be simply defined as the veeners cut from the tree and glued together. It is not treated with chemicals to that extent as much as marine plywood.
Benefits of Marine Plywood over Regular Plywood
The main difference between Marine plywood and regular plywood is its resistance towards water and boiling water. Marine plywood shows amazing resistance towards moisture. Because of its boiling water resistance capability it does not decay or shrink. This is what makes it the best choice for its application in kitchen. Regular plywood does not have water resistant capabilities. Hence it can not be used in Kitchen.
Another aspect which sets marine plywood apart from regular plywood is the Strength. Marine plywood is very strong as compared to the regular plywood. Its because of the number by veneers used in making marine grade plywood. Usually Marine grade plywood has 4-5-6 layers of Veeners while regular has only 3-4. This makes capable of bearing more weight.
Spaces between the veneers is another difference between marine ply and regular ply. Spaces in marine ply is very less as compared to regular ply. This makes marine ply structurally very strong.
Cost is another differentiating factor. Marine grade plywood is costlier than regular plywood.
Benefits of Regular Plywood over Marine Plywood
Regular plywood is very cheap as compared to Marine grade plywood. If you are not expecting much from the wood work you are carrying out then regular wood will serve the purpose.
If you wish to summarize the difference between the two it can be summarized as below.
| Regular Plywood | Marine grade plywood |
|---|---|
| Resistance towards water is less. | Resistance towards water is high. |
| Its very cheap and reasonable | Its costly and rated higher. |
| Resins are not used for gluing. | Phenol formaldehyde resin is used in undiluted form to make it water resistant. |
| Used in low budget applications | Used in extreme weather conditions. |
| Used in works which does not carry much expectations. | Used in making kitchen cabinets, boats, ships and industrial application |
| Have knotty surface and have rough surface | Fewer knots and smooth texture |
| Does not hold paint well. | Holds paint well. |
