Lightweight Poplar Plywood

High-Quality Lightweight Plywood:

Lightweight Poplar Plywood A lightweight plywood that is stable and very strong, poplar plywood is produced using 100% poplar veneers, which are laid with each veneer perpendicular to the previous one. The use of 100% poplar veneers means this plywood is very light in weight, with a creamy white colour that is used regularly in the manufacture of toys, vehicles, tables, furniture, packaging and other applications.

Ceiba Faced Poplar Plywood Poplar plywood is regularly used by customers in the manufacture of their own products, predominantly where a plywood product that is lightweight is needed, while remaining strong & stable, and with a uniform & reliable face. Customers that regularly take advantage of the technical characteristics of poplar plywood are manufacturers of caravans and other vehicles, door manufacturers, decorative panel producers (e.g. foil and PVC faced, veneered plywood), and so on.

This product can be produced with 'unidirectional' veneers, which is an arrangement whereby the core veneers are laid so that each one has its grain running in the same general direction.

How to describe the product you want:

The plywoods are described by means of the combination of face and back grades and the glueline required (i.e. EN 314-2 Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3):

For instance: B/BB ilomba faced poplar plywood EN 314-2 Class 1

Poplar plywood can also be supplied with other face options, in addition to those listed above. Options regularly requested include various exotic veneers such as ayous (obeche), kapokier, etc, and faced with lightweight chipboard.

Poplar veneer - Grade I (AB):

  • Faces that may remain visible - ideal for any type of finishing (coatings, varnishes, etc).
  • May contain a few pin knots or healthy and live knots without cracks, small, well-done putty repair work that blends well with the rest of the surface & very light discolouration

Standard sizes - Poplar throughout
2440x1220mm, 2500x1220mm, 2550x1220mm, 2550x1720mm, 2550x1850mm, 3120x1850mm, 3120x2030mm (other sizes by arrangement)

Poplar veneer - Grade II (B):

  • Natural face with colour variations and healthy knots, suitable for coating with laminates, paints or varnishes.
  • This veneer may contain healthy, live knots up to 35mm diameter and small knotholes or cracks, so long as good repairs have been made.
  • May also contain light discolouration and some limited glue stains and good repairs

Standard sizes - Poplar throughout
2440x1220mm, 2500x1220mm, 2550x1220mm, 2550x1720mm, 2550x1850mm, 3120x1850mm, 3120x2030mm (other sizes by arrangement)

Poplar veneer - Grade III (BB):

  • Commercial face with putty work performed - ideal for non-visible uses and overlaying with laminates and veneers.
  • This veneer may contain healthy knots up to 50mm diameter, small loose knots, cracks, bark and overlapping. It may also include natural discolouration, glue stains, repairs and any form of putty work and repairs.

Standard sizes - Poplar throughout
2440x1220mm, 2500x1220mm, 2550x1220mm, 2550x1720mm, 2550x1850mm, 3120x1850mm, 3120x2030mm (other sizes by arrangement)

Poplar veneer - Grade IV (C):

  • Plywood face designed for packaging and similar uses.
  • This veneer may contain all the natural wood characteristics and various processing defects, provided these do not compromise the functions of the plywood (e.g. the presence of fungi and metal parts is not allowed).

Standard sizes - Poplar throughout
2440x1220mm, 2500x1220mm, 2550x1220mm, 2550x1720mm, 2550x1850mm, 3120x1850mm, 3120x2030mm (other sizes by arrangement)

Ceiba/Fromager veneer:

  • Slightly softer than poplar, this veneer is used to achieve a surface that is uniform in colour and more cost-effective than B Grade poplar veneer.
  • Its uniform, pinky red colour avoids any show-through of knots when light coloured coverings are applied, which can prove to be an issue when using BB poplar faces.

Standard sizes - Ceiba faced poplar
2500x1220mm, 3120x1850mm (other sizes by arrangement)

Eyong veneer:

  • Eyong veneer is used to achieve a face that is much harder than the other veneers regularly used with poplar core, where a uniform surface suitable for overlaying with coverings is not required.
  • It is commonly used for the manufacture of caravan floors, where a face veneer that is more resistant to impact damage is desired.

Standard size - Eyong faced poplar
2080x1250mm, 2200x1250mm, 2380x1250mm (other sizes by arrangement)

Ilomba/Otie veneer:

  • Ilomba is used for covering with very thin papers & foils that require a very exacting and high surface quality, as it has improved resistance to surface impact or bruising of the fibres.
  • This face veneer is regularly requested on poplar core plywood for use with very thin papers (regularly used with papers of 60g/m2) in standard size 2500x1220mm.

Standard sizes - Ilomba faced poplar
2500x1220mm (other sizes such as 3050/3100x1220/1525mm by arrangement)

Okoume/Gaboon veneer:

  • Okoume veneer offers a face that is harder than ceiba and is generally used for applications that are more allied to construction in nature, as it is less prone to surface damage.
  • It is pinky red in colour and offers a price advantage over AB grade poplar faces.

Standard sizes - Okoume faced poplar
2500x1220mm, 3100x1530mm (other sizes by arrangement)

MDF:

  • 3mm thick MDF faces offer the uniformity of an MDF surface, while still retaining all of the advantages of a lightweight plywood construction.
  • This composite product offers the ability to bond melamine papers to the surfaces of plywood, whilst avoiding the problems regularly experienced with blowout due to variable amounts of moisture held in the face veneers.

Standard sizes - MDF faced poplar
2500x1220mm, 3120x2030mm (other sizes by arrangement)

Other face options:

Decorative Veneer Faced Poplar Plywood:

Any of our wide range of decorative real wood veneers can be bonded onto poplar plywood core.

Technical Details:

Light Weight:

Poplar plywood is regularly used for lightweight applications, and has an average density of about 400Kg/m3 (around 40% lighter than normal plywood).

The following are approximate weights of standard thicknesses of poplar plywood, and standard packing quantities:

Environmentally Friendly:

Poplar is a quick-growing tree, planted mainly along Italian rivers in order to reinforce dikes and lands with its roots. It lives approximately 10 years, can be easily grown and when cut can be easily substituted by agricultural crops on the same land.

Since it is grown in place of agricultural crops and is quick-growing, the use of poplar as a raw material does not affect the environment in the same way as some other lumbers can, and poplar plywood is therefore a very environmentally friendly product.

Additionally, any part of the log that is not used for plywood veneers is utilised in the manufacture of lightweight chipboard or burned for fuel, in order to reduce wastage to an absolute minimum.

PEFC & FSC Certification:

These products are available with both PEFC Certification & FSC Certification . These schemes give you the opportunity to purchase plywood with the knowledge that the forests from which they have been taken have been managed sensibly and in a sustainable manner.

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