information/FAQs

Structural Components from Plywood

Some structural components which can be made from plywood are:

Stressed skin panels
Box beams
C section beams
Arches
Gussets
Portal frames
Industrial and residential flooring
Bracing walls (shear walls)

Only plywood produced under a recognised quality scheme such as PAA Product Certified plywood should be used for structural components as the permanent Type A bond and standardised basic working stresses specified in AS/NZS2269 are essential for reliable design. Standard section properties, basic working stresses and elastic moduli are contained in AS1720, AS2269 and the article "Structural Plywood".

Structural plywood can transfer loads in two directions. However, most structural plywood has far greater strength and stiffness in the direction of the face grain. Hence it is recommended that structural plywood be supported with the face grain parallel to the span. In most cases, it is not recommended to support structural plywood with the face grain at right-angles to the span.

Sanding of plywood reduces strength and stiffness of the panel. It is preferable to use structural plywood unsanded where possible. Sanded structural plywood is available for more decorative applications.

Components may have glued or nailed connections. If connections are to be glued, resorcinol or phenol/resorcinol formaldehyde adhesives are appropriate. Nail loads are to be computed using the values for plywood to timber joints given in AS1720 Timber Structures Code. Structural components must be designed by a qualified engineer and fabricated under strict quality control.

Reference: Plywood Association of Australia.