# Cheap, but good, plywood from Home Depot (Pine Ply)



## Rayne

I don't know if anyone has heard of this, but some Home Depots are carrying something called a Pine Plywood. I've never heard of it, but for the price of $35 for a 4×8, 3/4" sheet, 11 ply, void-free as far as I can see, super smooth, it was well worth the purchase. It's actually what I used to make my Drill Press Cabinet (well, most of it anyways). The veneer is thin, but it's the same as all the others available from all the big box stores around me. This is by far better than anything either store offers and heck of a lot cheaper. Well, you kind of know what that means; yes, it is made in China. With the availability of lumber being scarce in my area, I'm not going to spend $50 on void-filled, supposedly cabinet grade, ply when I can get much better for much cheaper. I hope the surrounding plywood suppliers step up their game. I don't mind spending the money if the quality is there. Just thought I would pass this along if you have a tight budget. (you can't find it on HD's website. It is carried by the participating stores).


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## Dal300

Please give us a PLU number, mfg. number or a store part number. 
It would also help if you posted a picture of different profiles of the plywood.

All I can find at any of the online stores is the "white wood" Chinese stuff. Both Home Depot and Lowes. I have also found AC, Common and BC plywood, none of which is 11 ply.

Please help.


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## Rayne

Sure. Here's a left-over panel I have of the Pine Ply plus the Barcode sticker. The dark spots are just burn marks from HD's panel cutting saw.


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## daddywoofdawg

looks good, wonder if it would be as good as birch ply for jigs and such.


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## goochs

wow, I wonder what chemical wastes are in it?? What is the lead content?


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## jmartel

I wouldn't buy that. Home Depot carries Columbia Forest Plywood made in the US that is actually good quality for $40-50/sheet. Spend the extra $10 and you even get a hardwood outer ply layer.


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## Rayne

I've already glued up two panels to form my drill press table. So far, it's looking great and very solid. It's also heavier than all the 3/4" ply I have, which isn't saying much, but is roughly equal to the weight of my Maple ply I have remaining from a while back.

And goochs, don't think that I haven't thought about that already. lol. I also wonder what glue and chemicals have been infused with it to get it through customs. So far, it's working out great and look forward to building more stuff with it until someone else can match its quality locally.


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## Rayne

jmartel, my HD's (3 of them) don't carry any of the good ply. One store used to get the Columbia Forest Plywood, but doesn't anymore. That's where I bought my Maple ply to build my entertainment center. I wish they would carry it again, but for me, this new product is my only option. :-/ Everything else has been a total crapshoot.


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## a1Jim

Perhaps where you get your ply at $35 a sheet is cheap but I get 13 ply birch in my area at $38.00 all the time,made in the USA.


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## Kentuk55

Tis a shame how plywood has become so ridiculously priced. A1, you're in a good part of the country at that price, and, the bonus of it being made in our good ole USA.


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## Dal300

According to the spec sheet it is 7 plies, not eleven and from reading the rest of the spec sheet, looks about like AC exterior ply.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/ARAUCO-Cabinet-Grade-Plywood-Common-23-32-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Actual-0-688-in-x-48-in-x-96-in-799397/202677224?keyword=175-171

Spec PDF


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## Rayne

I have the photos…you can see for yourself it's more than 7 piles. It's definitely not the photo you have linked, but HD is known for not having the correct photo for the respective product.










2 layers of the ply glued together for my Drill Press Table.


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## Tennessee

Don't anyone look now, but if you have upholstered furniture in your home, there is a good chance that if any of it has plywood in it, that plywood came from China. I was using it as far back as 2006 for Catnapper and Ashley. Also used by La-Z-Boy and many others. It is pretty much an industry standard these days, that or MDF.


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## Dal300

Rayne, I'm not doubting you, but I've never had that problem at HD before.

I like how it looks, I would just like to know more about it


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## fuigb

US workers pay US taxes which in turn help to pay for the roads that we all use. Chinese workersare paid a pittance, and taxes they pay support a regime that has a 50 year plan to turn us into a giant cow pasture. So enjoy that ten-dollar savings. Wonder what the laid-off plywood mill workers are eating tonight…


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## ScottKaye

I'm sure you have never patronized a Wal-Mart or a Harbor Freight either? Im also confident your shop does not have at least a few Chinese/Taiwanese tools in it.



> US workers pay US taxes which in turn help to pay for the roads that we all use. Chinese workersare paid a pittance, and taxes they pay support a regime that has a 50 year plan to turn us into a giant cow pasture. So enjoy that ten-dollar savings. Wonder what the laid-off plywood mill workers are eating tonight…
> 
> - fuigb


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## Rayne

Dallas - That's cool. I wish I could provide more, but that's all the details I have. I know the other 2 HD's have no clue this product exists, so I'm restricted to only picking it up from that store. It's only on an endcap; not in the aisle like the other products. Maybe testing a new vendor under the same sku? I don't know. I have been more conscious is buying US made products, but if they are that inferior for a much higher price (please know this is probably a regional thing and not nationwide), then I will buy Chinese made products.

fuigb - Not sure who you're directing that too, but if you read my post, it's not like i have other options available. You are basically saying to just support the US worker even if whatever I use from it will be crap. I'm not going to spend double / triple to get the same quality that is located at least double the distance to where this HD carries this particular ply (40 minute drive). I don't mind paying $10 - $15 more for US made, Quality, product at all; just be available within reasonable driving distance.


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## daddywoofdawg

If the U.S would bring back quality ply,I'm sure people would buy that over china ply, but decent ply made in the U.S is few and far.


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## rustfever

I am in the construction industry and have been for four decades. Several things I have learned, some the hard way!

In lumber, you only get what your pay for. Cheap is Cheap, no matter where you purchase.
HD's China made ply is not APA approved, and for good reason. It is not mfg'd to APA standards. In fact, there are no standards for China's export ply.
Non APA ply is not acceptable for construction in the USA
Non APA materials used in structural application may just get you a 'RED TAG' when the building inspector comes calling. {of course, there are a few times the inspector has overlooked the quality issue}

However, it is hard to convince some people of the above facts.

They know that…..IT IS CHEAP, SO IT MUST BE BETTER!

From the APA web site…........

"The APA Mark of Quality
APA trademarks appear only on products manufactured by APA member mills. The mark signifies that panel quality is subject to verification through APA audit-a procedure designed to assure manufacture in conformance with APA performance standards or the standard shown in the mark."


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## TheFridge

I hit some hardwood ply from HD that had a red glue between the layers with hardly a void that I could find. Some of the best I've used. I've never purchased ply from a reputable supplier so this was as good as it got.


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## jmartel

> If the U.S would bring back quality ply,I m sure people would buy that over china ply, but decent ply made in the U.S is few and far.
> 
> - daddywoofdawg


Home Depot sells US made stuff. I'd hardly call it few and far. I've found it on both sides of the country.


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## patcollins

> I am in the construction industry and have been for four decades. Several things I have learned, some the hard way!
> 
> In lumber, you only get what your pay for. Cheap is Cheap, no matter where you purchase.
> HD s China made ply is not APA approved, and for good reason. It is not mfg d to APA standards. In fact, there are no standards for China s export ply.
> Non APA ply is not acceptable for construction in the USA
> Non APA materials used in structural application may just get you a RED TAG when the building inspector comes calling. {of course, there are a few times the inspector has overlooked the quality issue}
> 
> However, it is hard to convince some people of the above facts.
> 
> They know that…..IT IS CHEAP, SO IT MUST BE BETTER!
> 
> From the APA web site…........
> 
> "The APA Mark of Quality
> APA trademarks appear only on products manufactured by APA member mills. The mark signifies that panel quality is subject to verification through APA audit-a procedure designed to assure manufacture in conformance with APA performance standards or the standard shown in the mark."
> 
> - rustfever


I haven't seen a house built with actual plywood in a good while. These cheap McMansions around here are just Vinyl siding over Styrofoam.


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## rustfever

There is a lot of construction beyond 'House Construction'

Commercial, industrial are MUCH MUCH more significant and demanding than building houses. 
We call residential construction 'Shack Construction'.


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## sawdustjunkie

I went to my local HD today and they have that China plywood in stock. It had the same SKU number that Rayne showed, but it only has 5 ply and had many voids in it. Price was $34.95 for 3/4" 
They also have sanded both sides 3/4" for $41.95 and looked very nice.
Not what you would use for a finish product, buy just fine for stuff in the garage.
I have used the Maple ply from HD for making some things, because it's hard to justify spending $75-$100 for a sheet of plywood.
I just paid to have my kitchen remodeled last year and my guy said he has paid up to $145 for a sheet of cabinet grade plywood. But he is making cabinets for a living and doesn't even go to HD or Menards for wood.
I am very sure you get what you pay for in wood.
For $35 a sheet, you just don't get much!


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## Rayne

So, my assumption is right. This is a different set of the same sku. I don't understand the drastic difference between the two. I guess I should probably buy a few more while I can before it goes back to being the crappy kind. The only major negative thing I could find on this plywood is that it is made using Formaldehyde, but then again, if it's labeled wrong…I don't know; there's no decent shot on the distributor's website on what it "should" look like. 
Oh well, no US made stuff compares at any price range at my big box stores at the moment, so China it is. If anyone has any other suggestion, I'm all for it.


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## MrRon

Since when is 17.5 mm = to 23/32"? Assuming the plywood was manufactured to metric standards, 17.5 mm would convert to .6889" which is a hair greater than 11/16".


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## daddywoofdawg

> If the U.S would bring back quality ply,I m sure people would buy that over china ply, but decent ply made in the U.S is few and far.
> 
> - daddywoofdawg
> 
> Home Depot sells US made stuff. I d hardly call it few and far. I ve found it on both sides of the country.
> 
> - jmartel


quality is the key word,most the under 80.00 ply I have seen in the last 10 years is full of voids. fine for house building sucks for furniture builds.


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## daddywoofdawg

> If the U.S would bring back quality ply,I m sure people would buy that over china ply, but decent ply made in the U.S is few and far.
> 
> - daddywoofdawg
> 
> Home Depot sells US made stuff. I d hardly call it few and far. I ve found it on both sides of the country.
> 
> - jmartel


quality is the key word,most the under 80.00 ply I have seen in the last 10 years is full of voids. fine for house building sucks for furniture builds.


> Since when is 17.5 mm = to 23/32"? Assuming the plywood was manufactured to metric standards, 17.5 mm would convert to .6889" which is a hair greater than 11/16".
> 
> - MrRon


or 22/32 + a hair so 23/32


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## Woodbum

In this "global economy" it is getting harder and harder to buy US made. Even a great deal of the "fresh" seafood comes from somewhere else like China, Indonesia, Vietnam etc. You have to look hard to find US wild caught salmon or shrimp. I don't buy that farm raised crap. How much imported beef do you think is sold in the US every year? BEEF! here in the good old USA. Plywood is just one area where the choices are getting more and more limited. Amazingly enough, the European and Japanese car makers are producing their great products here in the US now. Makes sense on a big ticket item, but not on cheaper consumer goods. Resign yourself to the fact that unless the idiots in govt. at all levels get their heads out of their asses, and the American consumer will want, and be willing to pay for quality over just wanting the cheapest price again, we will never be going back to a great manufacturing economy here in the US again.


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## Woodbum

A1Jim: Who is your source for the ply that you described?


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## redSLED

Sounds like inconsistent plywood product among different HDs/regions.

Here in Ontario, Canada, I'm very lucky if I find any baltic birch plywood that's straight, even 'handy-panel' sizes, at any of the big box stores - this is a constant annoyance.

I'd welcome any available new 11-ply plywood that's straight enough for furniture-making, but with little price difference, I'm happy to stick with the decent-looking G1S fir or birch/maple plywood that I see here (most of the time I notice it is North American made).

And thanks guys, for the chuckles:

"These cheap McMansions around here are just Vinyl siding over Styrofoam."

"We call residential construction 'Shack Construction'."


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## Rayne

Went back to HD to grab another and they restocked the plywood. I'm guessing more and more that it's not a mislabeled item, but it's staying on an endcap, so it may not be permanent. I had this one cut into 4 - 2'x4' pieces for easy transportation. I haven't had the need for anything over 48" yet, so it'll do. I also examined this one for voids and found 2 tiny ones so far out of the 4 cut pieces.


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## fge

I probably don't have much to add since we don't get ply from HD or Lowes. But our current Cherry project I bought US Made Cherry ply from our supply house and the quality was great. Very happy. I do pay a fair amount more than 35.00 for it though.

Even if you don't build cabinets for a living like we do, I would still advise everyone who can, to go to a hardwoods supplier for their sheet goods and hard woods. For some out there HD and Lowes is their only option.

Anyway, since we buy several sheets per year, this has been a fun topic. Thanks.


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## laanguiano

One thing ive noticed is the china plywood ive purchased in the past has always been void free, but the inner plys are of a weaker material. I can bend the plywood much easier than an american plywood


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## skatefriday

> If the U.S would bring back quality ply,I m sure people would buy that over china ply, but decent ply made in the U.S is few and far.
> 
> - daddywoofdawg


I smell a troll, but ok, here goes anyway.

I have selection of three plywood suppliers in a 10 minute
radius of where I live, not counting HD and Lowes. These
suppliers carry the good stuff and every time I go in there I
see contractor after contractor carrying out the crap.

The problem is, in the trade where most of the plywood 
is sold, the customer purchasing the kitchen is at the mercy
of the contractor because the customer doesn't understand
plywood grading and quality. And at least where I live, the
contractors would rather pocket the margin than educate
the customer.

It took me about 6 months of reading Bob Lang and purchasing
individual sheets (maybe the retailers hate me, but it's really
the only way to figure this stuff out on your own) before I 
really had a grasp on what was out there and how, and where
to purchase it.

So blame it on "the people" but it's really not all that simple.


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## rwe2156

I have used it but don't like to because:

1. Scared of resins in glue and formaledhyde base glues. Any wood I have to wear a respirator with Noxious gas filter probably shouldn't be in the shop.

2. Get a caliper and take some thickness measurements (in mm). The last I bought was all over the place as much as a mm thicker or thinner. When making dados or rabbets this will be a PITA.

3. The veneer is so ridiculously thin and brittle you can do very little sanding.

4. You will routinely find a lot of voids in the plies when you open it up. I've even found overlapping plies.

I built some shop cabs out of it but I would never use it for furniture or jigs.

The "birch" ply HD sells is not alot more but a little better quality.

THE REAL PROBLEM IS WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY $72/SHEET FOR BALTIC BIRCH FROM MY HARDWOOD DEALER? I've checked other places near me they all tell me the same thing: $45 for China birch, $72-75 for European birch.


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## helluvawreck

I have probably used some of the same stuff for some shop cabinets, etc. I have also used some of it to experiment with laser engraving. However, the thickness of the veneer is a little scary. However, it can be useful for a lot of things.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## b2rtch

"full of voids" how do you fill something with voids, just a question.
It reminds me of my very fist job, they put me to work with an old mechanic,in his mid 70's. He sent me to the crib to get a box of 1/2" holes!
Of course I went.


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## dschlic1

This thread is very timely. I am in the process of designing and building a planer stand for my new planer. Over the weekend I went to my local Lowes. They had what looked like good quality birch hardwood plywood. I didn't count but it looked like the 3/4" had 11 plys. Cost was around $50. I can get imported Baltic birch plywood in 5×5 sheets locally, however it is about twice the cost on a square foot basis. Another local lumber yard carries "multiply birch" in 4×8 sheets but the price per square foot is the same as the imported stuff.

This afternoon I am going to check out my local HD.


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## Yonak

> Since when is 17.5 mm = to 23/32"? Assuming the plywood was manufactured to metric standards, 17.5 mm would convert to .6889" which is a hair greater than 11/16".
> 
> - MrRon
> 
> or 22/32 + a hair so 23/32
> 
> - daddywoofdawg


11/16 = .6875
23/32 = .71875
I'd say .6889 is a lot closer to 11/16 than 23/32.


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## rustfever

Interesting.
Quality becomes secondary when price is involved.
Hmmmm.
NOT IN MY SHOP.
Quality is quality. Cheap is cheap. 
If I am going to do a job, I want to sign my work. I won't sign a sloppy project.


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## rwe2156

> Interesting.
> Quality becomes secondary when price is involved.
> Hmmmm.
> NOT IN MY SHOP.
> Quality is quality. Cheap is cheap.
> If I am going to do a job, I want to sign my work. I won t sign a sloppy project.
> 
> - rustfever


I respect this and it depends on what you're building and your clientele.

Since the topic is plywood, then cabinet making is what we're talking about.

Your philosophy, while noble, will not put food on the table when the customer goes to another shop because he's building the same kitchen but saving $40 a sheet on materials, and nobody will know the diff.


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## rwe2156

> This thread is very timely. I am in the process of designing and building a planer stand for my new planer. Over the weekend I went to my local Lowes. They had what looked like good quality birch hardwood plywood. I didn t count but it looked like the 3/4" had 11 plys. Cost was around $50. I can get imported Baltic birch plywood in 5×5 sheets locally, however it is about twice the cost on a square foot basis. Another local lumber yard carries "multiply birch" in 4×8 sheets but the price per square foot is the same as the imported stuff.
> 
> This afternoon I am going to check out my local HD.
> 
> - dschlic1


The china birch HD sells is better than the china pine plywood.

I pd $38/sheet for some a few weeks ago.


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## marcuscraft

I actually saw this stuff show up a few weeks ago at my local Home Depot a few weeks ago and picked up a couple sheets for some shop furniture

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/171954

I will echo what rwe said above, thin veneer, varying thickness, and quite a few voids and overlapping layers. It also appeared to be more brittle than other plywood I've worked with. I would buy it again for shop furniture like in the project above, but decided not to make jigs out of it as well.


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## Redoak49

I have been using ARUACO Ply which is produced in Chile. It is a high quality plywood with very good front and back and very few voids. I used it to build the cases for all my shop cabinets.

I bought mine at Menards but think it is available at some of the Borgs.


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## ppg677

Old thread- but I too noticed that the 23/32 in Pine Plywood from Home Depot (made in South America by AraucoPly) is pretty good stuff when compared to their other crap (including the PureBond hardwood plies).

At $36/sheet, I think I'll be choosing this over their $52/sheet PureBond hardwood plies for a lot of miscellaneous uses.


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## MrRon

23/32 Arauco ply is 7 ply. The face thickness is 1/10"and weighs 62.6 pounds for a 4×8 sheet. It is pressed with exterior phenolic glue .http://www.araucoply.com/informacion2.asp?Submenu=1514&cat=0&fin=0&idioma=44


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## Sark

Normally I buy shop birch ply American made from local hardwood suppliers at about $10/sheet more than HD. I have bought and liked the South American pine ply from HD too. American made birch ply is stronger, and smoother and paintable, and for the shop, I prefer the most useful inventory to be laying around. Will not buy Chinese made sheet goods ever. Wrecked and/or cursed too many projects with that crappy stuff.


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## Rayne

> Normally I buy shop birch ply American made from local hardwood suppliers at about $10/sheet more than HD. I have bought and liked the South American pine ply from HD too. American made birch ply is stronger, and smoother and paintable, and for the shop, I prefer the most useful inventory to be laying around. Will not buy Chinese made sheet goods ever. Wrecked and/or cursed too many projects with that crappy stuff.
> 
> - Sark


Lucky for you.  Some of us don't have that kind of option for full 4×8 sheets. The American stuff (including PureBond) can be crap where I live. Lately, I've been stocking up the largest Baltic Birch ply I can get from Rockler when they have their 50% off sale on them. Some of the projects I want to make will require the full 4×8 sheets, so Chinese is my only option in those cases, as much as I hate it.


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## cathode

So, there's two big differences between the products we're talking about in this thread:

1. Made in Chile "Radiata Pine" plywood. Radiata pine is a species of pine that is farmed in mass quantities and produces very high quality and ecologically-responsible timber. Arauco is one of the major manufacturers of Radiata Pine plywood, I believe they have a plantation in Chile of over 1.1 million acres. This stuff is a little bit more expensive but it's manufactured like Baltic Birch - all the inner plies are consistent thickness and it's relatively void free. I believe that all the inner plies are also radiata pine.

2. Made in china pine plywood. This is your everyday imported budget/cheapo plywood. Yes, it has more plies than some other options, but at the end of the day it's still pretty sub-par stuff. The easiest way to tell you have this crap is the face veneer will be about 1/128th thick, and the glue used is not very good so often times you can peel off large strips of face veneer. The inner plies are mystery wood and quality varies drastically.

Box stores like home depot / lowe's try and fool the consumer into thinking they're getting #1 when in fact they're being sold #2. I've seen actual real Arauco radiata pine plywood for sale at a local "specialty plywood" center near me, it was about $45/sheet for 4×8x3/4, but the quality improvement was noticeable just by looking at the face and edges in the store.


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## DS

This Chinese plywood with a thin rotary face veneer can be bought by the unit for under $18.00 a sheet wholesale.

While it is a decent core, I wouldn't consider it for any nicer furniture projects.
Mostly, I've seen it as a budget alternative for larger-scale furniture orders where the cost per unit adds up to a more significant amount over the entire product run.

I much prefer the USA-core plywoods, which, in cabinetry, is the rule and not the exception.


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## bondogaposis

My HD carries sandeply, made in Ecuador. It is pretty good for some things, like shop cabinets and jigs. I'm not sure what the face veneers are, some sort of white wood that is unrecognizable to me. I would never use it for cabinets for a client though.


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## mathguy1981

I accidentally came home with some of this from HD and now can't find it again…it's super stable and hasn't warped at all. I'm paying closer and closer attention as it's very hard to get high ply count sheet goods in TX.


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## DS

Hardwoods Specialty Products in Phoenix carries it under the name "Dragon Ply" in unit quantities.


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## ArtMann

Here is an interesting observation I made at Lowes recently. The partial sheets of plywood stored vertically in racks were generally much, much better quality than whole sheets with the same label. Why?


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## RichBolduc

I've used this stuff on my lathe station and router station. No issues with it yet. I'll probably use it for my outfeed/assembly table and then some storage cabinets for the shop when I get the time and money to buy a dozen sheets of it.

Rich


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## RichBolduc

I tried Sandply for a few projects and got some of the worst splintering I've ever seen from the layers.

Rich



> My HD carries sandeply, made in Ecuador. It is pretty good for some things, like shop cabinets and jigs. I m not sure what the face veneers are, some sort of white wood that is unrecognizable to me. I would never use it for cabinets for a client though.
> 
> - bondogaposis


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## skatefriday

Please don't buy 


> Here is an interesting observation I made at Lowes recently. The partial sheets of plywood stored vertically in racks were generally much, much better quality than whole sheets with the same label. Why?
> 
> - ArtMann


Lowes is evil. They bought OSH, and have now shut them down. Please don't buy from Lowes.


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## therealSteveN

I have had really good luck with Araucoply ply, which is Radiata Pine plywood. Radiata Pine is the perfect, no knot pine you see as "premium" in the BORGs. It's plantation grown in South America, and in and around Australia. I have found it to be as tight as BB, though I have read reviews on sites like this where people called it cheap junk. It's my belief they didn't have Araucoply, but some cheap Chinese stuff. Price at Menards is less than their Timber products ply, which is their hardwood line with thick outer ply's and an MDF core. I believe Lowes,, and HD both also sell it, not sure about their pricing.


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## therealSteveN

> 23/32 Arauco ply is 7 ply. The face thickness is 1/10"and weighs 62.6 pounds for a 4×8 sheet. It is pressed with exterior phenolic glue .http://www.araucoply.com/informacion2.asp?Submenu=1514&cat=0&fin=0&idioma=44
> 
> - MrRon


It says in the link that it's Araucoply, which isn't cheep Chinese pine, or birch product. So yes that would be the wrong link for what the OP was talking about.


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