Baltic birch plywood

[mike johnston]

Is Baltic birch plywood from a big box store the same grade as from a lumberyard? I do know there are different grades.

[Jim Becker]

"Maybe"...if it's real BB. But the 'borg's sourcing is variable with time and region so there's no way to know without being able to identify what the actual product is. I'd be surprised but if it's 5x5, it's more likely than if it's 4x8 "multiply".

[Rich Engelhardt]

I would not put it past the big box people to stock Batlic Birch & try to get away with that....

[Edwin Santos]

I've never seen a big box store carry true Baltic Birch. If you found it, consider yourself lucky but caveat emptor.

[Richard Coers]

I would not put it past the big box people to stock Batlic Birch & try to get away with that....

Big Box Stores don't try to get away with anything. If they sell a sheet of plywood for 30% less than a true plywood supplier, I think everyone should know why by now.

[roger wiegand]

Never seen it there. The real stuff is generally stamped. If it comes from far northern Europe (ie Finland, Sweden, Russia, and the norther Baltics) and looks good then it's probably the real thing. There are some makers of real Baltic in 4x8 ft for the US market, I've seen it at Boulter Plywood. The vast majority is 1.5 m square.

[Matt Day]

Big box stores have birch plywood, NOT Baltic birch. At least for HD, Lowe’s, and Menards. Big box store plywood has a bad habit of turning into a potato chip.

[Bill Dufour]

The Home depots near me carry a lot of unknown south and central american plywood. No indication beyond "plywood". Good luck matching some latter.
Bill D

[Warren Lake]

Baltic birch is not even consistent quality from a real supplier. Mine years back said it comes from different places and is not always consistent depending on what he can get at the time. He often had it in 4 x 8's but not always. Havent purchased it for a bit so not sure of the story now.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Big Box Stores don't try to get away with anything. If they sell a sheet of plywood for 30% less than a true plywood supplier

I guess it was too subtle..

I said - Batlic B-a-t-, not Baltic B-a-l.

[Wes Grass]

I missed that. LOL!

HD has some small 'project panels'. I've assumed they're BB, but I'm not sure if I've ever even looked at them.

Otherwise, the birch ply I've seen has maybe 3 to 5 inner plies? Not what I'd be looking for.

[andrew whicker]

You will know the real stuff when you see it.

For what it's worth I bought some w/ small account discount a few weeks ago: ~$180 per 19mm (3/4") 4x8 sheet. I don't think HD or Lowes is going to stock $200 plywood..

[Scott Bernstein]

You might already know this - and if so...sorry - but Baltic Birch is a specific type of brand-name plywood which is made with 13 plies of solid wood veneer (in the 3/4" thick variety) and high quality glue. The 1/2" thickness has 9 layers. All the veneer layers, including both faces, are the same thickness. Because the face veneers are much thicker than regular plywood, it does much better with sanding and prepping than regular plywoods. There are other brands of similar style/quality of plywood, one of them is called Apple Ply. They aim to avoid using fillers and general have no, or far fewer, voids than "standard" grade plywoods. Standard grade plywood has far fewer plies for a given thickness than Baltic Birch and may have more voids and/or fillers. Depending on the specific type, the core veneers may be soft wood, MDF, HDF, etc... I have seen Birch plywood at the blue and the orange stores, but it is a standard grade of plywood with a very thin veneer face of birch - this is not the same as Baltic Birch plywood.

I ordered a stack of Baltic Birch 3/4" and 1/2" from a local lumber yard for my kitchen project and now having worked with it, I can tell you it is indeed superior and the "regular" stuff I have purchased at the big box stores is not even close.

[Michael Drew]

I'm curious, why 5'X5' sheets? I can't seem to recall needing 2.5' wide panels in any great amount. Plus, 5X5 sheets are a PITA to get into the back of a pickup with a cab height cap on it. I have to fit them diagonally, and that just makes getting other stuff in the bed even more difficult.

[Scott Winners]

I'm curious, why 5'X5' sheets? I can't seem to recall needing 2.5' wide panels in any great amount. Plus, 5X5 sheets are a PITA to get into the back of a pickup with a cab height cap on it. I have to fit them diagonally, and that just makes getting other stuff in the bed even more difficult.

cabinets. If you rip a 60 x 60 sheet you can have two pieces 30 x 60…