After all the love our CD Structural Plywood range has received, we thought it high time to add a new hardwood product to the Plyco line-up. This latest addition is made from plantation-grown Eucalypt (a hardwood species) and offers a number of exciting application options. Read more to find out all the hard-hitting details about our Hardwood CD Structural Plywood:
Priced lower than our Australian and New Zealand grown softwood, the Hardwood CD Structural Plywood is a great new option in our Construction Collection for the cost-conscious Australian builder and DIYer. It’s a hard-working product that isn’t going to break the bank.
Here are the basics:
Made from South Asian imported Eucalypt, our Hardwood CD Structural Plywood is still manufactured to the AS/NZS2269 plywood structural standard and FSC certification.
Like our structural softwood, it is sustainably sourced and plantation grown.
It’s delivered as 2400 X 1200mm sheets.
The plywood sheets are available in a range of thicknesses, from 7mm to 25mm. For more details on this and pricing, click here.
Like a good pair of work boots, the Hardwood CD Structural Plywood is a construction basic. These plywood panels tick all the boxes in terms of hardiness and versatility.
There is often some uncertainty about whether softwood or hardwood timber is more appropriate for a project. In terms of sizing, our softwood structural plywood is available in more sheet sizes but does also vary more in structural strength, depending on the thickness that you use. Hardwood, however, is more consistent in this area.
Unlike softwood, which only offers an F11 structural rating from a 12mm thickness and upwards, our Hardwood CD Structural Plywood maintains this rating across all product variations. This means that it has a higher stress rating for structural applications and is a more robust, reliable option for commercial and DIY construction projects.
Wondering why that is? It’s all down to the tree the timber is grown from. The assumption most of us make when seeing the terms “hardwood” and “softwood” is that the difference between them is evident in the names. The reality is that these are botanical terms referencing the kind of tree the wood is sourced from, rather than the hardness of the wood product. Softwood generally refers to trees with needles (like Pine) while hardwood is sourced from broad-leaf trees (Eucalypt). More important than the leaves, what makes these types distinct is the wood structure.
Hardwood is made up of much shorter fibres and so tends to be a more brittle wood – it’s why even 2mm plywood sheets can maintain the same strength as the 12mm version. Softwood on the other hand has longer fibres but more tensile strength which means it works better under tension.
Both our softwood and hardwood ply are fully approved for structural use, thanks to the A-bond glue used in the plywood panels. If you’re wanting more details on what makes plywood structural rather than non-structural, we’ve answered all your questions here.
Plyco’s structural hardwood and softwood plywood panels are the very definition of multi-use. Both types are suitable for external and internal applications where function is the priority over form. It’s not that they don’t look good, it’s simply that our CD Structural Plywood, though the face of them is repaired and sanded, doesn’t offer any bells or whistles in the aesthetics department.
Like everything in our Construction Plywood range, these products are aimed at being trustworthy building materials above all else. If you’re needing thinner plywood sheets without compromising on structural integrity, hardwood is the obvious choice. In our case, it’s also more cost-effective. Beyond that, both products can be used for flooring, windows, and doors, as well as for furniture and joinery. For more on our tips on using construction plywood, check out this blog post.
Plyco may be a Melbourne-based Plywood supplier but like most of our products, our cd structural plywood is available to order online for door-to-door delivery throughout the Victoria region. Don’t waste your time wandering through the Bunnings CD Structural plywood section when you can just click here to order Plyco’s CD Structural Plywood or here for our Non-CD Structural Plywood.
We also have showrooms in Fairfield and Mornington where you can pick up your Plyco orders if you’d prefer or just want to give our plywood sheets your own inspection.