Actual Size of 4X8 plywood

[George Bokros]

I see that on one of the big box stores they say their ply is 48 1/2 x 96 1/2. The reason this is important to me is I will be starting a project soon and I need to cut three equal size pieces from a sheet. I know I will loose from saw kerfs so I am trying to wrap my head around how big to lay the pieces while allowing for the saw kerf so all three pieces will end up the exact same width.

What is your experience with the width of plywood sheets? Are they 48x96 or are they 48 1/2 x 96 1/2 or does it depend on the manufacturer?

Thanks

[James Tibbetts]

Only sheet goods I have seen in those dimensions is MDF. All the ply I have used has been true 48x96.
Come to think of it, there may have been some sheathing grade stuff that was a little undersized to allow for expansion spacing. But all other was full 4'x8'.

[Don Sundberg]

It will usually say right on the sheet if it's sized for spacing. I've seen it with sheathing and subfloor materials.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'm getting ready to head over to the house right now and work on the cabinets. I have three sheets of Cherry ply left so I'll stick a tape on them and let you know.
I'm 99% sure they are 48" wide. I cut four pieces 11 11/4" wide from a section yesterday and had a sliver about 1/4" wide left over.
That was using the Festool blade on the TS55EQ, not the Oshlun blade - but - I think the kerf is the same.

[Jamie Buxton]

The hardwood-veneer plywood I buy from one dealer really is 48.5x95.5. But most 4x8 plywood really is 48x96, and some construction plywood is a tad smaller.

[George Bokros]

I cut four pieces 11 11/4" wide from a section yesterday and had a sliver about 1/4" wide left over.
That was using the Festool blade on the TS55EQ, not the Oshlun blade - but - I think the kerf is the same.

You lost almost 3" to saw kerfs, seems like a lot to me. How wide is your saw kerf? I would guess the kerf is 1/8 so 4 x 1/8 is 1/2 inch.

Thanks for your help Rich.

[Ole Anderson]

I buy hardwood ply from a cabinet shop supplier and it is often, but not always one inch over in both directions. So I would say it depends on the supplier. As for typical softwood ply, not t&g sheeting, it is normally spot on at 48" x 96". I presume they are sometimes oversize to allow a damaged edge to be trued up and still end up with a full 48" x 96" sheet. Or allow even board widths after taking out a few kerf widths. Which for BORG material should be a requirement given the lack of skills of the material handlers especially the hi-lo operators.

[Jim Dwight]

MDF and melamine particle board is also 1 inch over in both directions at the big box stores - or at least it was last time I bought some. I haven't seen oversized plywood, however.

[Mike Schuch]

My father needed a sheet of MDF that was an actual 4' x 8'. We put it on top a sheet of plywood, lined up 2 sides then trimmed the other 2 sides with a flush trim bit in a router. Worded perfectly and we could not tell the cut edges from the factory edges.

[David Kumm]

Ply often isn't square ( rectangular ) anyway so you will lose some truing it up. Dave

[George Bokros]

Ply often isn't square ( rectangular ) anyway so you will lose some truing it up. Dave

I am aware the ends are not always square to the sides and always square them to the sides. I do not need the full 96" length (only need 90") but I would like three 16" wide pieces which you cannot get allowing for the saw kerfs if the sheet is 48" wide. My project calls for 16" wide pieces and cutting two and having the remainder as waste is too costly.

[mreza Salav]

plywoods I get are typically 0.5" larger each direction. MDF/Melamine are 1" larger

[Bob Vavricka]

Typically it will be 48x96, but as mentioned, it can be different. If I order matched veneer hardwood plywood from my lumber yard it will be 49 x 97.

[ian maybury]

Over here there's times it feels like it's as small and thin and has a few plies of the worst quality material as the supplier thinks they can get away with...

[Rich Engelhardt]

ou lost almost 3" to saw kerfs, seems like a lot to me. How wide is your saw kerf?Oops! LOL! Yeah, my mistake!
I've been cutting way too many pieces the last week!

Anywho - I snapped a tape on the plywood and it's dead on 48" wide and 96" long.

HTH.

[George Bokros]

Thanks Rich

[Peter Quinn]

IME depends on the manufacturer. I've seen plywood 1/2" over in each direction, I've seen it right on, and just a bit under at times. MDF and particle board are usually but not always 1" over in each direction. We get plywood from a bunch of different vendors, and I'm never quite sure what size its coming in at. Biggest problem is often the first 1/2" on each side is not great, so its really very hard to get 16" rips from a sheet without having bad edges. We usually cut off at least 1/2" from each outer edge. Better to design the cabinets a bit narrower air plan to buy a bit more material. Or get two 16" rips and a 12" for something else.

[Bill McNiel]

I am definitely missing something here. Fact-Plywood from different suppliers varies. In my world, you should measure the material you choose to use and then divide appropriately or search for material that meets your dimensional requirements.

[Martin Wasner]

You will not get three 16" rips from a sheet of plywood even if it's 48½" wide. The factory edges are usually junk at least a ¼ into the field of the sheet. I usually cut ½" off. Plus, as David pointed out, plywood is never square. I use a Roseburg product, it comes 48½x96½.

[George Bokros]

You will not get three 16" rips from a sheet of plywood even if it's 48½" wide. The factory edges are usually junk at least a ¼ into the field of the sheet. I usually cut ½" off. Plus, as David pointed out, plywood is never square. I use a Roseburg product, it comes 48½x96½.

I do not regularly have issues with the long edges being junk. The cross cuts however are not usually square to the sides and I cut off what is need to get rid of damage or an out of square condition.

[George Bokros]

Reviving my old thread.

I bought some 3/4", 1/2" and 1/4" maple ply today from a reputable supplier (Baird Bros in Canfield Ohio and the sheets were 48 1/2" x 96 1/2". Just though I would add to the confusion.

[roger wiegand]

Seems like putting a measuring tape on the plywood you intend to use would be both the quickest and the most prudent course of action. Asking people on the internet to guess how big your particular piece of plywood might be is pretty risky. Seems like I once heard someone say something like measure twice cut once with regard to woodworking. I might also add check for square at least twice as well. I had a near disaster when I used a piece of fancy ply that I had, at some point, taken a 2" strip off the edge of and completely forgotten about.

[Justin Ludwig]

Ply often isn't square ( rectangular ) anyway so you will lose some truing it up. Dave



Yup, plus the edges are bunk. American made ply I buy is 48.5 x 96.5. First thing I do is rip/crosscut a good edge then proceed. MDF around here is 49x97. Only sheets I've seen at a true 48x96 are China Birch, but the quality is so bad I don't mess with it. It would be good for hidden toe material only IMO, but I use off-cuts for that because grain direction doesn't matter on hidden pieces.

[Martin Wasner]

The last zillion or so sheets have sprung on me as well. Most of the time it's not enough to really matter. When I rip a sheet in half, then push them together there is a gap in the middle. Just another thing to account for if you need hyper accurate rips. If you're ripping on a tablesaw, you'd likely never noticed it, I wouldn't anyways.

[Kenneth Ellwood]

The three cabinet grade 3/4" cherry ply I just bought from a lumber yard was 48.5 x 96.5.