Plywood grades

[Matt P]

I am confused about plywood grades.. Some web sites say that both the face and back grades are letters: e.g. (AA, AB, AC..) Other sites say the face grade is a letter, and the back grade is a number (e.g. A-1)
Bristol Valley Hardwoods (http://www.bristolvalley.com) told me their plywood is A-1. I need both sides to be cabinet grade.
help!

[Blake Holton]

Matt:

Hardwood plywood grades can be a little confusing. Here is a quick crash course.

1. Letters, A, B, C, D (generally) designate face grades.
2. Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 (generally) designate back grades.

Typically, a C grade face is about equal to a 1 back. So, if you were to see C-1 Maple, the face (a C grade) and the back (a 1 grade) should look very much the same. The type and amount of defects allowed per grade is dependant on the species.

Hardwood plywood can also come in (as you have noticed) A-A grade A-B grade and just about every other combination. With an A-A grade, both the face and back should have about the same quality (very clear and defect free). All of the grades are specified in the HPVA standard (HP-1-2004) by species.

When you say cabinet grade that can mean a lot of different things to different people.

Hope that helps,

Blake

[Jamie Buxton]

Another issue with hardwood veneer plywood is how the front face is cut. You can see veneer which is plainsawn or quartersawn, and they look like normal wood. You also may see rotary-sliced veneer. It is sometimes called one-piece face. It does not look like normal wood, and I avoid it.