Poplar Plywood is one of the main plywood types that Ply Online can offer, but what are its qualities and what is it used for?
Poplar plywood is plywood made from Italian sourced poplar (Populus alba). Poplar is known for its physical-mechanical properties, light colour and light weight.
Made with poplar veneers by cross bonding (when each layer has a grain perpendicular to the previous), poplar plywood is a strong yet lightweight product. Its layers are glued using MR glue, with each layer thickness varying from 1-2mm, depending on thickness of the sheet required.
Weight
Poplar plywood has a density of 426 kg/m3, making it a lightweight plywood product.
Strength
A standard 18mm sheet of Poplar Plywood can withstand 30 N/mm2 (cross grain) and 28 N/mm2 (long grain) of force; that’s only second to birch plywood, which has a bending strength of 34 N/mm2. Thus, you would find Poplar Plywood (18mm) have a structural integrity grade of F30 traversal and F28 longitudinal.
The strength of plywood products (also known as the structural integrity) is graded using the F grade system. An F grade is a measure of the bending strength of a piece of wood, measured in megapascals (MPa), that the wood can withstand before it goes beyond the safe working stress zone.
So, if cross grain poplar plywood is graded F30 traversal, this means that this plywood can withstand up to 30 MPa (equivalent to 305.915 kilogram-force per square centimetre) and stay in the safe working stress zone without breaking. The grain of plywood can affect that value.
Applications
Although poplar plywood is strong enough to be used for structural purposes, its applications are bound to interior only; this is due to poplar’s low density, making it easy to dent and susceptible to water damage if not sealed.
Common applications of poplar plywood include:
- Laser cutting
- Wall panelling
- Ceilings
- Shop fitting
- Decorative panels
- Kitchens
- Cabinets
- Caravan furniture & cabinets
Sustainability
On top of being lightweight and strong, poplar plywood is environmentally friendly; it is responsibly sourced from poplar farms in Italy, making it a sustainable material you won't feel bad about purchasing.
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Think this is the right material for you? PlyOnline has a variety of raw, clear coated, primed and high-pressure laminated poplar plywood available now at https://www.plyonline.com.au/collections/poplar-plywood or you can call us on (03) 8522 1508.