Birch Plywood Suppliers UK

Birch Plywood: Clear Grade birch face - B or S+

1.5mm-50mm immediately available
Stock sizes (full pallets/bundles):
1220x1220mm, 2440x1220mm / 1220x2440mm, 2400x1200mm / 1200x2400mm, 1220 / 1525x3050mm, 1830x3660mm
Standard birch without jointed faces available to special order up to max 1880x4000mm or 2150x3850mm in pallets
All items can be supplied prefinished lacquer or oil coating in matt, satin, gloss or high-gloss sheen

Overview

Birch plywood is a well-known, good quality utility plywood panel that has a very good strength to weight ratio, and is relied upon to be stable under various ambient moisture conditions. It is used in various industrial & engineering applications, and used extensively for furniture manufacture & shopfitting.

This product is commonly used where a stable product with a light, blond surface is desired, especially where a relatively low cost is also required.

Winwood Products is a birch plywood supplier offering the configurations / options shown below

Standard Birch Plywood

Stock item
Thickness: 4mm-50mm
Available in pallets: 2440x1220mm, 1220x3050mm, 1525x3050mm, 1830x3660mm
Max size: 1880x4000mm or 2150x3850mm (up to 2900x13000mm if scarf jointed)

Birch plywood is a high-quality utility plywood product that is used for applications where a very strong & resilient, attractive plywood is required.

It is widely used as the substrate for laminates, veneers, painting and other coatings due to its stability, in such applications such as toy & model making, interior decoration, and in the manufacture of a variety of sports equipment.

This product is available in face combinations B/BB or BB/BB.

Stock sizes:
- 2440x1220mm, 1220x3050mm, 1525x3050mm, 1830x3660mm
Max size:
- 1880x4000mm or 2150x3850mm (up to 2900x13000mm if scarf jointed)
Stock thickness:
- 4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 15mm, 18mm, 21mm, 24mm, 30mm, 38mm, 40mm, 50mm
  (composites available up to max 100mm)
Gluing:
- EN 314-2 Class 2: Exterior phenolic resin glue
Finishing:
- All items can be supplied raw or finished with various coatings such as clear lacquer, or as decorative veneered birch plywood & laminated birch plywood

Class B Birch Plywood Face (Clear Grade)
(Nearest EN 635-2 Class I)
- Faces that may remain visible - ideal for any type of finishing, i.e. clear coatings such as varnishes & lacquer, or pigmented finishes such as paints & other surface coating systems.
- A natural-coloured & sanded, almost defect-free, single-piece veneer that is clear of all patches. Some hairline cracks and intergrown pin knots to max 6mm dia. are allowed (max 3/m2)
- (Total number of defects allowed = max. 3)
Class BB Birch Plywood Face
(Nearest EN 635-2 Class III)
- Natural face with colour variations suitable for coating with non-transparent overlays & films, paints, varnishes, veneers, laminates.
- May contain healthy knots max dia. 25mm (total = 60mm/m2) and patches or filler to repair open defects. (Patches are typically butterfly-shaped but may be oval, as illustrated.)
- Light discolouration is allowed, along with good repairs, and some limited glue stains (max 2% of area / 5% @ 24mm + thicker). Some mills allow jointed faces.
- (Total number of defects allowed = max. 9)

Thin Birch Plywood - 'Laser Plywood' / 'Aircraft Plywood'

Flexible Plywood: Thin Birch 'Aircraft Plywood'

Stock item in some thickness & size combinations
Non-stock items produced from 0.4 to 6.0mm thick to special order
Panel sizes from 1200x1200mm up to 2400x1200mm, 1200x2400mm, 1525x1525mm
Some items available in minimum 10 sheets per item

A birch throughout product that is manufactured using thin birch veneers and graded to more stringent technical characteristics, thin birch plywood is extremely flexible at its thinner dimensions and extremely stable due to its mutliple layer construction.

It is stocked for immediate delivery in 1.5mm & 3mm thickness, and is regularly used in the manufacture of boats, toys, furniture, lighting & business cards, often laser cut to final shape when the correct glue is specified.

Also sometimes commonly known as 'aircraft plywood', this thin birch plywood can be supplied with a standard glueline or a special clear 'flexfilm' compound that offers much more flexibility, to accomodate designs that mean you will be bending plywood to an extremely small radius.

The 'flexfilm' glueline is transparent and allows light to pass right through it unhindered, whereas the standard black glueline tends to add a dark grey tinge to the colour of the face veneers - this is more obvious with the thinner panels. e.g. 0.4mm.

True aircraft plywood must be supported by a certificate to guarantee the panel has passed a inspection to check for allowable core defects - such products are classed as GL1 certified. To meet the strict requirements required, only AB/AB panels can be used. (This higher grade of panel is available to special order in typical minimum 50 sheets per item.)

Stock items:
- 1.5mm 2400x1200mm BR/BR (long grain)
  (Minimum 10 sheets)
- 1.5mm 1200x2400mm BR/BR (cross-grain)
  (Minimum 10 sheets)
- 3mm 1220x1220mm BR/BR
  (Full pallets of 100 sheets)
- 3mm 1525x1525mm BB/BB (patches allowed on both sides)
  (Full pallets of 300 sheets)
Standard sizes:
- 1200x1200mm, 1220x1220mm, 1270x1270mm, 1500x1500mm, 1525x1525mm, 1550x1550mm
- 2400x1200m & 1200x2400mm (min 1.5mm thick)
Thickness:
- 0.4mm, 0.6mm, 0.8mm, 1.0mm, 1.2mm, 1.5mm, 2.0mm, 2.5mm, 3.0mm, 3.5mm, 4.0mm, 4.5mm, 5.0mm, 6.0mm
- Non-stock items produced to special order in minimum 50 sheets per item
Gluing:
- EN 314-2 Class 1: Suitable for laser cutting - typically available up to max size 1550x1550mm
- EN 314-2 Class 3: Exterior phenolic resin glue
- 0.4mm is also available with 'flexfilm' bond, which is a clear, interior glue that allows bending to radius as small as 10mm

Thin Birch Plywood - Direction of flexibility

AB Grade Thin Birch Plywood

(nearest EN 635-2 Class I)

Almost defect-free surface with some small knots allowed. Minimal colour variance and streaks.

AB thin birch plywood surface may contain some instances of small colour defects, flames and curly figuring, along with small streaks and overlaps, some solid knots max Ø 5mm, and some deviation of the grain

NB: Only this grade can be used for true aircraft plywood.
B Grade Thin Birch Plywood

(nearest EN 635-2 Class II)

Visual grading that allows more natural characteristics of birch than grade AB.

B thin birch plywood may contain some natural colour variation, flames and curly figuring, along with small streaks and overlaps, some knots or knotholes max Ø 7mm and some deviation of the grain
BR Grade Thin Birch Plywood

(nearest EN 635-2 Class III)

A technical face grade showing natural birch characteristics.

BR thin birch plywood may contain natural colour variations, figuring and grain deviations, mineral streaks typically found in birch, overlaps, solid knots max Ø 8mm, and deviation of the grain

Technical Information

Tolerances
- Length/width:
  Typical: up to 1m @ ±1mm, up to 2m @ ±2mm , 2m & above @ ±3mm
- Thickness (standard birch):
  Ranges from 4mm @ +0.3mm/-0.4mm to 50mm @ ±1.2mm
- (Special tolerances by arrangement)
Approximate weights of birch plywood: