How To Choose A Plywood Panel
"Using products made close to home and of the highest quality works for us, and we believe it will work for you as well."
The wood products that we source are the best in the business. What we've learned over the years is that what is inside the panels—the guts of a product—are as important as the appearance, or what's on the outside of the panel. Unlike some lumber items, the quality of a plywood panel is not as obvious. So we've outlined what we believe is the best panel line in the business.
Our sheathing and sanded panels are 90 percent Washington-made APA panels. Using products made close to home and of the highest quality works for us, and we believe it will work for you as well. Whether it is CDX or OSB, we deal with only the best quality producers of panels. All these products meet or exceed all the requirements for meeting codes be it new construction or remodel.
Our sanded panels are the following: UL TG, UL TG Premium, CCPTS, BC, AC solid under face, AC hardwood face, AC hardwood face with a SWCUF, AB Marine, MDO, and special order 4x10 panels if need be. Review the technical construction of each grade of panel below:
CCPTS
CCPTS means c-plugged face with c-grade throughout. This panel is typically used for soffits or is ideal for rough cabinetry in sheds, barns, etc. It is available in 15/32 thickness.
UL TG
This panel is construction grade underlayment and is made up of a c-plugged face and c-grade throughout. Meets code on all underlayment applications as the span rating states on the back of the panel. Available in 23/32 and 1 1/8 TG thickness.
UL TG Premium
This panel is custom made, available only at Dunn Lumber. The UL TG Premium should be the first choice for a job that requires a little something extra. It is constructed with a fully repaired B-face, a solid cross-band adjacent to the face and C-grade veneer throughout the balance of the panel. It's an excellent product for all underlayment applications. It's available in 23/32 TG thickness.
BC
BC is B-face Doug Fir with c-grade throughout. This panel is a very good fir-faced sanded panel, with full-sand, occasional tight knot, and unlimited repair on the face. BC is a perfect utility-sanded panel, great for garage work or any painted surface application. It's available in 15/32 and 23/32 thickness.
AC Fir-Face SCUF
This panel is an a-grade Doug-Fir panel with a solid core-line under the face, c-grade throughout. The AC Fir-Face SCUF is an excellent panel for high-end UL projects or GacoDeck substrate. (Make sure it stays dry before and after application.) This is a very good panel for just about any need in home construction where a smooth, sanded face is required. It's available in 15/32 and 23/32 thicknesses.
AC Hardwood Face
All of our AC panels are A-grade hardwood "Okumie" face with tight C core throughout. These are very high-quality faces and are the perfect sanded panel. The benefit is there are no boat patches in hardwood-faced sanded as opposed to Doug fir sanded, so the surface is perfect in grain and appearance. If you have not seen this panel please take a look next time you are in the store, you will be impressed! It's available in 15/32 and 23/32 thickness.
AC SWCUF
These panels are the Cadillac of sanded plywood. It is the same panel as above, but with the added ingredient of SWCUF, which stands for Solid Welded Core Under Face. What this means is that the core-line adjacent to the face is solid with no open defect, thus giving the face added strength and integrity to ensure better screw holding ability if need be. This panel is used for everything from cabinetry to interior wall or ceiling design to underlayment. It's available in 1/4, 11/32, 15/32, 19/32, and 23/32 thickness.
MDO
This panel is called Medium Density Overlay. In short, this means that you have a sanded panel that is overlaid with impregnated paper and bonded to the panel to make a very smooth face. It's perfect for signs or any other use that would require painting. We stock a one-sided panel in 1/2 and 3/4 inch thicknesses.
AB Marine
Marine-grade is the most expensive and best "construction grade" plywood panel constructed by any mill. It is the highest grade as it is constructed with only AB veneers. The panel is completely solid in the face, back, and all core lines. This ensures that moisture is resisted and not allowed to find its way into the interior of the panel. It does not mean however that this panel is meant to be submerged in water—no plywood panel is meant for that purpose. We have AB Marine available in 1/2 and 3/4 inch thicknesses.
Dunn Lumber also carries MDF panels, including a formaldehyde-free line, particleboard, different sizes of hardboard—both perforated and tempered, melamine panels, and melamine shelving. We'd also be happy to bring any special order panels in if they meet certain volumes.
Download a plywood summary that you can print and take with you to one of our nine Puget Sound-area Dunn Lumber locations. Come in and see our great line of panel products, and let us help you find the perfect fit for what you need.
