For over 60 years, Thomes has been supplying furniture builders and manufacturers with highly durable, beautiful Baltic birch plywood. Sourced from Finland, our furniture-grade plywood can meet your supply chain and production needs. Learn more about the different grades of furniture plywood, the benefits of choosing high-quality Baltic birch, and the diverse applications for our furniture-grade plywood products.
What Is Furniture Grade Plywood?
Each grade of furniture plywood represents a different quality level. For example, A-grade plywood offers the highest quality surface finish without deformities, while D-grade plywood may have splits and knots, making it better for less visible applications. Here’s an overview of each plywood grade to give you a better understanding of the differences in quality so that you can order the right grade.
A-Grade Plywood
This plywood grade is the best for making furniture because it has no defects, is flat and straight, and comes with a pre-sanded surface, so furniture builders or cabinet makers can use it for staining or other projects where the grain shows. A-grade plywood is made of several thin layers of high-quality wood veneers arranged at right angles and adhered together.
Not only is the wood itself strong and without structural blemishes, but the right-angle layering gives each piece of plywood even more structural stability. Furniture-grade plywood generally has a top layer of hardwood, such as birch, cherry, maple, or oak, for a beautiful finish.
B-Grade Plywood
B-grade plywood products are structurally sound but have some visual defects. For example, they may have knots or nicks, but wood processors fill them in. Furniture makers often use B-grade plywood for projects where the final surface will be painted rather than stained or left bare.
C-Grade and D-Grade Plywood
These types of plywood are strong but have too many knots and defects to be used for furniture. Thus, C-grade and D-grade plywood products are used as structural plywood for home building or short-term projects where aesthetics are not a priority.
Benefits of Using High-Quality Furniture Grade Plywood
The key advantages of choosing furniture-grade plywood for your project are:
- Strength. Plywood is a strong, sturdy material. The more layers it has, the more weight it can hold.
- Stability. Furniture-grade plywood is rated based on its straightness and structural integrity as well as aesthetics. As a result, furniture builders can rely on it for precision elements, flat faces, and pieces like drawers that need to continually support weight over the years.
- Durability. Plywood is built to last decades. Sourcing plywood from reputable manufacturers that use high-quality hardwoods like birch and quality adhesives will maximize the lifespan of your furniture products.
- Aesthetics. A-grade plywood has a beautiful hardwood face veneer that is smooth and defect-free.
- Versatility. Furniture-grade plywood products are available in a wide range of thicknesses, material options, and styles so you can choose the perfect options for everything from custom-made cabinets to executive desks to kitchen tables.
At Thomes North America, our furniture-grade plywood products meet the unique aesthetic and functional needs of furniture builders. Every piece of plywood is TSCA Title 6 and CARB-2 compliant, and our company is FSC® certified. As the largest supplier and importer of fabricated Baltic birch plywood in North America, we use our decades of experience in the industry to continually source the high-quality furniture plywood that manufacturers need.
Thomes North America maintains an open feedback loop with our clients so we can develop products that align with evolving trends and business goals. We offer wholesale plywood for myriad projects ranging from non-slip truck flooring to sports equipment to musical instruments.
Applications of Furniture Grade Plywood
We supply high-quality furniture plywood products for the following applications:
- Wholesale Baltic birch plywood for the drawer sides, seat backs, and seat bottoms of Baltic birch furniture
- Curved parts, including bed slats, chair backs, furniture arms and legs, frames, and seats
- Drawer sides for closet organization systems, desks, dressers, and kitchen cabinets
- Edge-glued panels (EGPs) for furniture like chests and wardrobes, pieces for doors and benches, and flat tabletops
- Film-faced plywood for beds, chairs, sofas, tables, and more
- Melamine-coated plywood that can be used for visible installations, such as countertops, display units, and fixtures
High-Quality Furniture Grade Plywood From Thomes North America
Furniture-grade plywood is specially designed for the aesthetic and functional requirements of furniture, such as chairs, cabinets, tables, and more. Thomes North America provides high-quality Baltic birch A-grade plywood products that meet or exceed quality standards for furniture projects. In addition to high-quality furniture plywood, we supply plain, film face, melamine-coated, and certified fire-rated Baltic birch plywood for automotive, aerospace, construction, and other applications.
Contact us today to discuss your furniture-grade plywood needs.