Plywood Panels

Specifications

What plywood is — and why we don't manufacture it ourselves

Plywood is produced by rotary-peeling logs into thin veneer sheets, which are then glued and pressed together in layers, with the grain of each layer typically turned 90 degrees relative to the one below it. That cross-grain construction is what gives the panel its strength and dimensional stability, and it's also what sets it apart from a piece of sawn timber, which is cut from a single solid section of the log following its natural grain.

A sawmill such as ours is set up with saws, drying kilns and edging lines built to process solid wood — Galician pine, eucalyptus and, occasionally, other local species. Manufacturing plywood instead requires veneer lathes, large-format presses and gluing lines that belong to the engineered-panel industry, a different branch of woodworking altogether. For that reason, the plywood you'll find in our catalogue is produced by specialist panel manufacturers; we select it, hold stock and supply it, the same way we do with the other complementary products in our range.

In practical terms, the more veneer layers a panel of a given thickness contains, the more stable and resistant to warping it tends to be, though that usually comes with a higher price too. Beyond the number of layers, the finish on the panel's outer faces can also vary: some surfaces come sanded and ready for painting or varnishing, while others are left with a rougher finish intended for uses where appearance isn't the priority, such as formwork or packaging. Our team can help you identify, within current stock, which face finish best matches the end use you have in mind for the panel.

The visible face of a plywood sheet can also vary depending on the wood species used for the outer veneers, which affects the colour and grain pattern once a finish is applied. In applications where the panel stays hidden, such as formwork or the inside of a packaging crate, this makes little difference; in furniture or other exposed surfaces, though, it's worth taking into account when choosing the right sheet from the available range.

Standard sheet sizes and thickness ranges

The plywood industry has long worked around a reference sheet size of 2440 x 1220 mm — the metric equivalent of the well-known 8 x 4 ft format — used across most European manufacturers' catalogues and treated as a de facto standard in construction, packaging and joinery. Other cut sizes and formats are available from that base sheet depending on the manufacturer and the intended use.

On thickness, the market typically offers a range running from thin panels of around 4 mm, suited to lightweight lining and backing applications, up to 18 mm or more for uses that call for greater rigidity and load-bearing capacity, with common intermediate thicknesses (6, 9, 12, 15 mm, among others) depending on how many veneer layers make up the panel. Exact sheet sizes and thicknesses in stock at any given time depend on what our panel suppliers currently have available, so we recommend checking current stock with us before placing an order.

If your project calls for pieces in a size other than the standard sheet, let us know in advance: depending on the order and the manufacturer, custom cutting or special sizes may be arranged, though this can affect lead times compared with plywood supplied in its standard factory sheet.

Interior or exterior use: the adhesive makes the difference

Not every plywood panel is built for the same environment. The main difference between a panel suited to interior use and one suited to exterior exposure comes down to the type of adhesive used to bond the veneer layers: exterior-grade adhesives are formulated to resist moisture and temperature swings without the layers delaminating, while interior-grade adhesives are intended for dry, protected environments.

When choosing a panel, it helps to be clear about how it will be used — an outdoor job site, formwork that will sit against wet concrete, or a piece of furniture that will always stay under cover. Our team can advise on which type of panel within our current stock best fits your project, so you don't have to work through a manufacturer's technical datasheet yourself.

Regardless of adhesive type, it's worth remembering that plywood, like any engineered wood product, should be stored in a dry, ventilated space before installation, kept off the ground and away from prolonged exposure to the weather while it's still on site — even for panels formulated for eventual exterior use once installed.

Plywood can generally be cut and worked with standard woodworking tools, but because of its layered structure it benefits from sharp blades and firm support close to the cut line, which helps avoid splintering the face veneer. This is a general consideration worth keeping in mind whether sheets are being cut on site or in a workshop, and it applies broadly across manufacturers rather than being specific to any one product line we carry.

Typical applications for plywood panels

Thanks to its rigidity, stability and flat surface, plywood is used across a wide range of trades:

• Concrete formwork on building sites
• Industrial packaging and shipping crates
• Pallet deck reinforcement
• Underlay beneath flooring and decking
• Furniture making and interior lining
• Lightweight partitions and auxiliary construction panels

Unlike a piece of solid timber, which can warp or crack with changes in humidity because its grain runs in a single direction, plywood holds its shape more reliably thanks to its cross-layered construction — one reason it's so widely used wherever a flat, consistent surface matters.

Its large surface area per sheet also means fewer pieces and fewer joints are needed to cover extensive areas than would be the case with individual boards, which speeds up both on-site assembly and workshop cutting and joining, cutting down labour time on projects that call for continuous surfaces.

A natural complement to our sawn timber and pallets

Many of our customers who buy Galician sawn pine timber for framing, decking or exterior joinery also need engineered wood panels to complete the same project — formwork, packaging bases or structural backing. Likewise, customers working with our kiln-dried (KD) timber for dimensionally stable components often pair it with plywood for joinery and furniture work.

It's just as common for packaging and logistics customers who already order our custom-made wood pallets to add plywood as a pallet deck reinforcement, a crate lid or side panelling. With both product lines in the same catalogue, you can combine sawn timber, pallets and plywood panels into a single order from a single supplier, and receive them together.

For example, a joinery workshop that buys Galician pine boards from us for a piece of furniture's frame can add the plywood needed for its backs and bases to the same order, avoiding the need to manage a second supplier just for panels. Equally, a packaging company that already receives custom pallets from us can round out its order with plywood sheets for lids or reinforcement, simplifying warehouse planning and cutting down on the number of deliveries it has to coordinate.

Responsible sourcing and supply across Europe

Like the rest of our timber, the plywood we make available to customers is sourced in line with the responsible forest management principles promoted by organisations such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC, two of the leading international forest certification schemes. This lets us offer customers a traceable sourcing option as part of our regular procurement approach.

From our site in Berdoias, Vimianzo, A Coruña, we regularly export timber and related products to several countries across Europe, including Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Plywood panels fit into that same logistics network, so you can receive them together with the rest of your sawn timber or pallet order rather than arranging separate shipments.

This focus on responsible forest management isn't specific to plywood: it runs through how we work with all our timber at Maderas Caamaño, from the pine and eucalyptus logs we saw ourselves to complementary products like this one that we bring into our catalogue. For customers who need to document the origin of the wood they use in their own projects or products, we can share what we know about the panel's provenance from our suppliers.

Because it makes use of thin veneers peeled from logs that would sometimes be unsuitable for sawing into large-section timber, plywood manufacturing is also part of an efficient use of forest resources, in line with the approach we apply at Maderas Caamaño to our own sawn timber and to the by-products generated at our sawmill.

Why buy your plywood through Maderas Caamaño

Working with a single supplier for sawn timber, kiln-dried timber, custom pallets and plywood panels simplifies your supply chain: fewer suppliers to manage, fewer delivery notes, and one point of contact who understands your whole order. Our team can tell you what stock is available at any given time, which sheet sizes and thicknesses we can supply, and whether an interior or exterior-use panel is the better fit for your project.

If you need plywood for an upcoming build, a packaging line or a joinery workshop, get in touch and tell us the intended use, the approximate sheet size and the quantities you're working with — we'll confirm availability, lead times and shipping terms, within Spain and across the rest of Europe.

Requesting plywood from us is straightforward: tell us the intended use, the approximate sheet size and thickness, and the quantity you need — whether that's a handful of sheets for a workshop or a larger volume for a building project or production line. From there we'll confirm what we have available, the price and the lead time, and arrange delivery alongside anything else you need from our catalogue.

We don't publish fixed prices on this page, since the cost of plywood varies with sheet size, thickness, adhesive type and the quantity ordered, as well as market conditions at any given time. When you request a quote, we give you a price tailored to your specific order, with no hidden surprises.

Applications & uses

• Concrete formwork on building sites
• Industrial packaging and shipping crates
• Pallet deck reinforcement
• Underlay beneath flooring and decking
• Furniture making and joinery lining
• Lightweight partitions and auxiliary panels
• Combined orders with sawn timber and pallets

Gallery

Frequently asked questions