Plywood List

Common Name	AKA*	Origin	Appearance*	Properties	Uses*

Ash Sizes: 1/4'', 3/4''	Fraxinus Americana, American Ash, Biltmore Ash, Fresno Ash, White Ash, Green Ash, Red Ash, Black Ash, Brown Ash (Oleaceae)	U.S. & Canada	A medium/large tree, reacheing a height of 75-100 ft., w/a diameter of 2-4 ft. Color is pale yellow streaked with light brown. The grain is bold, straight and moderately open, and is normally coarse-textured and lustrous. Weight varies between 35 & 40lbs pcf / sg .60	Bending properties variable but usually very good. Good strength, toughness, stiffness & hardness for it's light weight. Can be worked fairly well with hand or power tools. Pre-drilling sometimes required for nailing. Stains, glues and polishes well. Ash is non-durable and perishable. The sapwood is susceptible to common furniture & powder post beetles.	Baseball bats, cabinets, furniture, knife & tool handles and gun stocks, pool ques & sporting goods, plywood & veneer.

Birch, Finnish (European) Sizes: 1/8'', 1/4'', 3/8'' (4'x2' & 4'x4' only)	Betula Pendula, English, Finnish, Swedish (according to country of origin); Karelian, Masur, Ice, Flame, eetc., according to figure displayed. (Betulaceae)	Europe, Scandinavia & U.K.	Cream white to biscuit in color, straight grained & fine textured. Weight varies btwn 37-43lbs pcf / sg .66	Good steam bending properties. High bend & crush strength with medium stiffness & shock resistance. Works well w/hand or power tools, but can be "wooly". Moderate blunting. Pre-bore nails near edges. Glues well & can be stained & polished to a good finish. Liable to fungal attack so must be dried very rapidly; there is a tendancy to distort. Small movement.	Joinery, furniture drawer sides, legs, & framing; cabinet interiors. dowels, handles, veneer.

Birch, American Sizes: 1/4'', 1/2'', 3/4''	Betula Lutea, Betula Wood, Grey Birch, Silver Birch, Hard Birch, American Birch, Paper Birch (Betulaceae)	North America	Light yellow sapwood and reddish brown heartwood. It has straight, close grain and a fine, even texture. Dries slowly with little degradation. Weight is approx. 43lbs pcf / sg .66	High bend & crush. Very good for steam bending. High resistance to shock. Works easily with hand & power tools. Curly or disturbed grain wood requires reduced cutting angles. Glues well. Takes stain and polish very well. Perishable and susceptible to attack by common furniture beetle. Sapwood is permeable.	Furniture, high-grade joinery and flooring, panelling, plywood & veneer.

Cherry Sizes: 1/4'' & 3/4''	Prunus Serotina, Black Cherry, Capulin, Choke Cherry, New England mahogany, Plum, Rum Cherry, Cabinet Cherry	United States	Narrow sapwood is whitish to reddish brown or creamy pink. The heartwood varies in color from reddish brown to deep red. Very sensitive to UV light, and changes to its characteristic reddish-brown, mahogany shade upon exposure. The grain and texture are fine and fairly uniform. Luster is rich and satiny. Weight is around 35lbs pcf / sg .58	Medium strength. Good bend. Low stiffness. Medium resistance. Works easily with hand and power tools. Nails, glues, and stains well. Polishes to an excellent finish. Moderately durable. Sapwood is susceptible to attack by common furniture beetle.	Cabinetmaking, caskets, fine furniture, musical instruments, scientific instruments, sculpture, interior construction, handles and wainscoting, plywood & veneer.

Ebony, Macassar Sizes: 3/4'' (4'x8' only)	Diospyrus celebica, Indian Ebony, Coromandel, Tendu, Temru, Timbruni, Tunki (Ebenaceae)	India & South Asia	Dark brown to black, streaked throughout with bands of greyish or yellow-brown. The grain is usually straight, but may be irregular or wavy. The texture is fine and even. Weight about 68lbs pcf / sg 1.09	An exceptionally heavy, dense, hard wood. The black heartwood tends to be brittle. The material is hard to work with hand or power tools with severe blunting of cutting edges. Pre-boring is necessary for nailing and it is difficult to glue. It takes an excellent finish. Very hard to dry, the trees are usually girdled for two years before felling, and a further six months air drying in plank and stored under cover. It neeeds to be well protected against rapid drying to avoid checking & degradation. There is very small movement. Very durable with moderate resistance to termites but liable to attack by forest longhorn beetle.	Cabinet work, brush backs, walking sticks. Also used for inlay, musical instruments, billiard cues & turning, plywood & veneer.

Mahogany, Honduras Sizes: 1/4'' & 3/4''	Swietenia Macrophylla, South American Mahogany, Zopilote Gateado, Araputanga, Aguano, Acajou, Mogno (Meliaceae)	Honduras, Central America, Northern South America	Heartwood ranges from light to dark reddish-brown in color. Grain is straight to interlocked. It's texture is medium to coarse and uniform. Dries rapidly and well, but kiln drying can result in a high rate of shrinkage. Small movement. Weight is about 35 to 40lbs pcf / sg .54 - .64	Low stiffness and resistance to shock. Moderately good steam bending characteristics. Works easily with hand and power tools. Takes glue, nails and screws well. Stains and polishes to an excellent finish. Sapwood is susceptible to attack by common furniture beetle. Heartwood is durable.	High-class furniture & cabinetmaking, boat interiors, musical instruments, pattern making, carving, turning, plywood & veneer.

Maple Sizes: 1/4'' & 3/4''	Acer Saccharum, Black Maple, Black Sugar Maple, Hard Maple, Hard Rock Maple, Rock Maple, Sugar Maple (Aceraceae)	United States and Canada	Sapwood is white with a reddish tinge. The heartwood color is uniformly light reddish brown. Texture is fine and even and usually has a straight grain, sometimes curly or wavy. Dries slowly with little degradation. Medium movement. Weight averages about 45lbs pcf / sg .72	High bend & crush strength. Medium stiff. Excellent for steam bending. Difficult to work. Moderate dulling effect on blades. Wavy or curly grains require a reduced cutting angle. Pre-drilling required for nailing and screwing. Takes stain, glue and polish well. High resistance to abrasion. Sapwood is susceptible to attack by furniture beetle. Defects caused by insects are sometimes found.	Bowling pins, flooring, handles, windows, casks, drum sticks, fine furniture, cabinets, cutting boards & blocks, turning, plywood & veneer

Oak, Red Sizes: 1/4'' & 3/4' (Quartersawn Red Oak also available)	Quercus Rubra, Northern Red Oak, Gray Oak, American Red Oak, Canadian Red Oak, Spanish Oak, Swamp Red Oak, Cherrybark Oak, Shumard Red Oak (Fagaceae)	Eastern Canada & U.S.	Pinkish to light reddish brown or light brown. The grain is usually straight and open. Red oaks grown in the north are less coarse textured than the faster-grown red oak from the southern states. Large pores tend to produce strong contrast in staining. Weight is around 48lbs pcf / sg .77	High crush, medium bend and stiffness. Very good steam bending wood. Moderate blunting on cutters. Density varies. Gluing results vary and nailing may require pre-drilling. Takes stain well and polishes to a good finish. Dries slowly with checking, splitting and honeycombing. Needs care in air or kiln drying. Medium movement. Susceptible to insect attack. Sapwood is permeable.	Flooring, heavy construction, shipbuilding, cabinets, musical instruments, drum sticks and fine furniture, plywood & veneer. Not suitable for exterior work.

Oak, White Sizes: 1/4'' & 3/4''	Quercus Alba, Appalachian Oak, Arizona Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak, Overcup Oak, Chestnut Oak, Cucharillo, Encino, Mamecillo, Roble, Stave Oak (Fagaceae)	Eastern U.S. & Southeastern Canada	Light tan to pale yellow brown, and may have a pinkish tinge. It is similar to European oak. White Oak is somewhat more figured than Red Oak. The grain is open and the texture is medium to coarse. Weight averages 46lbs pcf / sg .76	Medium bend & crush strength. Makes it an excellent steam bending wood. Pre-boring is a good idea, but it takes nails & screws well. Gluing results vary. Stains well and polishes to a good finish. Dries slowly with tendency for checking, splitting and honeycombing. Requires careful air or kiln drying. Medium movement. Logs are subject to severe insect attack.	Flooring, exterior trim & siding, furniture components, interior construction and trim, paneling, and cabinets, plywood & veneer.

Teak Sizes: 1/4'' & 3/4''	Tectona Grandis, Pahi, Mai Sak, Sagwan, Tek, tekku, kyun, Sagon, Tegina, Tadi, Jati Sak, Djati, Gia Thi (Verbenaceae)	Native to: Burma & Southeast Asia. Introduced to the Carribean and East & West Africa	Heartwood is a uniform golden brown w/o markings. Grain is usually straight to slightly wavy. Texture is coarse, uneven & oily to the touch. Weight between 38 & 43lbs pcf / sg .65	Medium bend & high crush strength. Low stiffness & shock resistance. Brittle w/great dimensional stability. Medium steam bending properties. Medium cutting resistance w/severe blunting effect. Must pre-drill for nailing. Gluing is good on freshly planed or sanded surfaces. Stains well and takes a satisfactory finish, especially an oil finish. Very durable. Acid and fire resistant but susceptible to insects. Some find fine machine dust can be an irritant.	Decking, rails, hatches, etc. for ship & boat building; furniture & cabinetmaking, flooring, garden furniture & decking, plywood, and decorative veneer.

Walnut, American Sizes: 1/4'', 1/2'' & 3/4''	Juglans Nigra, American Black Walnut, Eastern Black Walnut, Nogal, Nuez meca, Tocte, Virginia Walnut, Canaletto, Black Hickory Nut (Juglandaceae)	U.S. & Canada	Varies from light grayish brown to deep chocolate brown to an almost black purplish brown. The grain is slightly open and usually straight, but may be wavy or irregular. Texture is usually coarse, but uniform. Surface is generally dull, but develops a lustrous patina after many years in use. Weight averages 40lbs pcf / sg .64	A medium density wood, tough & hard; w/moderate bend & crush. Stiffness is low. Good steam bending properties. Can be worked easily with hand or power tools. Takes nails and screws well. Glues satisfactorily. Good finishing characteristics. Very durable. Sapwood is susceptible to attack by powder post beetle. Heartwood is to biodegradation.	A standard for gunstocks. Used widely in high-quality furniture, cabinetmaking, musical instruments, clocks, boatbuilding, turning and carving, plywood & veneer.



Botanical names are in bold; (family classification in italics & parenthesis;)* "sg"=specific gravity; "pcf"=per cubic foot; Uses are for the species itself, not the plywood