Veneer & Plywood Glossary

Plain-English definitions of the veneer and plywood terms you will meet in our quotes, spec sheets and certificates. Bookmark it for your next sourcing conversation.

Panel & veneer terms

Veneer — A thin sheet of wood peeled or sliced from a log, used to build up the layers of plywood or as a decorative face.

Rotary-cut veneer — Veneer peeled in a continuous sheet as the log turns against a blade — the most efficient cut, used for cores and most faces.

Sliced veneer — Veneer cut in flat slices to show a straighter grain figure, used mainly for decorative faces.

Core veneer — The inner veneer layers of a plywood panel, which give it thickness and strength.

Face / back — The two outer veneers of a panel; grade is written face/back, e.g. BB/CC.

Plywood — A panel built from an odd number of veneer layers glued with grain alternating 90°, giving dimensional stability.

Film-faced plywood (FFP) — Plywood surfaced with a phenolic film for concrete formwork — smooth, water-resistant and reusable.

Melamine plywood — Plywood laminated with decorative melamine paper for furniture and interior surfaces.

Rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis) — Plantation hardwood from rubber trees at the end of their latex life — the sustainable raw material for our cores.

Glue, grades & emissions

WBP — Weather- and Boil-Proof glue (phenolic) — fully waterproof, for exterior and structural use.

MR — Moisture-Resistant glue (melamine or urea) — for interior use in humid conditions, not fully waterproof.

Phenolic resin — The waterproof adhesive used in WBP plywood and film-faced panels.

Grade (A/B/C/D) — A quality rating of a veneer face from clear (A) to knotty/repaired (D); panels are quoted as a face/back pair.

CARB P2 — California Air Resources Board Phase 2 formaldehyde-emission limit, now federal in the US under TSCA Title VI.

E0 / E1 — European formaldehyde-emission classes; E0 is the lowest, E1 the standard interior limit.

NAF — No-Added-Formaldehyde glue — the lowest-emission option, used for sensitive markets.

Boil test — A QC test where a sample is boiled to confirm the glue line holds — proof of WBP performance.

Moisture content — The percentage of water in the panel; we ship veneer at 8–12% and plywood at ≤14%.

Trade, shipping & documents

MOQ — Minimum Order Quantity — for us, one 40HC container per product line (mixed loads possible).

CFR / CIF — Incoterms: Cost-and-Freight (you insure) vs Cost-Insurance-Freight (we insure) to your port.

FOB — Free On Board — price to the point goods are loaded on the vessel at origin.

T/T — Telegraphic Transfer — bank wire; our standard is 30% deposit, 70% against B/L copy.

L/C — Letter of Credit — a bank guarantee of payment, accepted for orders above USD 30,000.

B/L — Bill of Lading — the shipping document and title to the goods.

Proforma Invoice (PI) — A preliminary invoice confirming spec, quantity, price and terms before payment.

20DC / 40HQ — Container types: 20-foot Dry Container and 40-foot High-Cube; we usually recommend 40HQ for plywood.

CBM — Cubic metre — the volume unit used for loading and freight.

Certificate of Origin — A document certifying Vietnamese origin; Form A unlocks GSP tariff preference where it applies.

Phytosanitary Certificate — A government certificate confirming the goods are free of regulated pests.

ISPM-15 — International standard for heat-treating wood packaging against pests; shown as a stamped mark.

SABER — Saudi Arabia’s online conformity platform issuing product and shipment certificates.

ECAS — Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme — UAE product registration.

FSC — Forest Stewardship Council — certified responsible forestry, via Chain-of-Custody.

EUDR — EU Deforestation Regulation — requires geolocation and legality due-diligence for timber imports.

CE marking — EU conformity mark for construction products under the Construction Products Regulation.