As a substitute for solid wood, plywood has become a popular choice among modern homeowners, although it comes under a much affordable price range, it bestows an aesthetic appeal to your home or office. Unlike solid wood, the plywood won’t change its form in the long run by shrinking or bending and, this makes the mighty plywood a perfect go-to option for various interior and exterior uses.

Even though plywood is a lifesaver that will cut down unnecessary costs, you should be very careful before purchasing it, especially in bulk. There are countless scams going around the plywood industry, even the big and renowned brands have been caught cheating by importing cheap, low-quality plywood from China.

So, here are the four things you should check before you are going to buy plywood:

1.The thickness test
Always take measurement of the thickness of the plywood sheet and make sure all sides are even, if the sides are uneven, it indicates lower strength and improper manufacturing techniques. And, knock on the center of the plywood sheet and make sure that you hear a similar sound, if there are any differences in the sound, it generally means that the center of the plywood might be hollow. So stay away from purchasing in case of any variations in sound. Also, Run your hands on the surface of the plywood to make sure that the surface is evenly finished with no ups and downs.

2.The nailing test
The nailing test is a method to figure out the strength of plywood, in order to do so, ask for a small piece of the plywood sheet from the manufacturer and hammer a nail, (1.5 inches) into the side profile of the plywood, if the nailing causes the plywood to split, then it means that the bonding of the plywood is not good enough.

3.The water test
It is a major concern that whether the plywood we buy can withstand moisture or not. The quality of adhesive used to bind veneer layers determines the water-resisting capacity of the plywood. So always ask for a piece of plywood from the manufacturer and pressure cook it for 5 whistles, if the plywood piece remains intact, you are good to go.

4.The Certifications
Always check for the certifications, especially the ISI mark, every good-quality plywood will have ISI certification, as it is the most sophisticated plywood certification grade in India. And, look at the CML number underneath the ISI mark to identify the manufacturer. Plymarc offers a range of plywoods; MR grade plywood which has ISI-303 certification, marine plywood which has ISI-710 certification, densified plywood which has ISI-4990 certification and the veneered decorative plywood which has ISI-1328 certification.

Plymarc occupies the American E Zero technology for the production of plywood, which is a special technology to reduce formaldehyde emission to its minimum value. The plywoods go through various tests and gets certified, every quarter, by the NTA USA and the California Air Resource Board. That’s how Plymarc got certified as India’s No.1 Zero Emission plywood.