Marine-Grade Plywoods and Specialty Lumber

Marine lumber has been at the core of Wood-Chip’s product offering since 1992.  With rapid shipping times and same day delivery service in the South Florida region, we are able to service marine carpenters and boatbuilders both locally and nationwide. We hand select each board of wood that comes through our door to ensure that the lumber we ship to you is of the highest quality available anywhere in the market.  We’re proud to have one of the largest inventories of premium grade FEQ Teak in the region, along with a warehouse stock full of marine-plywoods like Okoume and Meranti.

About Marine Plywood

Marine plywood is frequently used in the construction of docks and boats. The ply is manufactured from durable face and core veneers, with few defects so it performs longer in humid and wet conditions and resists delaminating and fungal attack.

In order to be Marine Grade, the following criteria must be met:

• The Glue MUST be waterproof
• Voids are to be avoided
• Face and inside veneers have to be good

Each wood veneer will be from tropical hardwoods, have negligible core gap, limiting the chance of trapping water in the plywood and providing a solid and stable glue-bond. Its construction is such that it can be used in environments where it is exposed to moisture for long periods. It uses an exterior Water and Boil Proof (WBP) glue similar to most exterior plywoods.

More recently, tropical lumber producers have become dominant in the marine plywood market. Okoumé from Gabon is now the accepted industry standard for marine carpenters working with watercraft.

Choosing the right marine plywood

Water resistance, weight, strength, and ease of bending are all important factors to consider before deciding which type of marine plywood to buy. The most common face veneer species available in marine plywood are Okoume, Sapele, Meranti, and Douglas Fir, and Birch.  [link to products]

Grading and International Standards

There are few international standards for grading marine plywood and most of the standards are voluntary.  Marine plywood can be graded as being compliant with BS 1088, which is a British Standard for marine plywood.  Some marine plywood has a Lloyd’s of London stamp that certifies it to be BS 1088 compliant. Some plywood is also labeled based on the wood used to manufacture it. Examples of this are Okoume or Meranti.