Packing Plywood for Crates, Pallets and Export Boxes
Packing Plywood is the low-cost plywood used to build crates, pallets, boxes and the decks of shipping skids. It does not need a show face, so the panel is made for strength and price rather than looks. Woodbase makes AB grade packing plywood in Vietnam from 100% acacia and eucalyptus, two plantation hardwoods that grow fast and keep the raw material cost down.
Each panel is pre-pressed, hot pressed and cold pressed once each, which bonds the veneers firmly and keeps the sheet flat. The result is a light, stiff board that cuts and nails cleanly, at a price that competes with packing plywood from other countries.
Specifications
| Grade | AB |
| Core | Acacia, eucalyptus or combined |
| Face / Back | Bintangor, okoume or styrax |
| Size | 1220 × 2440 mm, 1230 × 2440 mm, or cut to size (+/- 0.5 mm per metre) |
| Thickness | 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 18, 20 mm (+/- 1 mm) |
| Glue | MR, melamine, phenolic; E0, E1, E2 or CARB II emission |
| Density | 580–610 kg/m³ |
| Moisture | ≤ 12% |
| Certification | FSC available |
What Packing Plywood Is Used For
- Export crates and boxes for machinery, furniture, glass, stone and spare parts.
- Pallets and pallet decks, where a single sheet replaces several boards and spreads the load evenly.
- Industrial shipping: dunnage, partitions and protective panels that keep goods in place during transit.
- Storage boxes and bins made at low cost for warehouses and factories.
Why Plywood Instead of Solid Boards
Because the veneers cross at right angles, plywood does not split when it is nailed or screwed close to the edge, and it moves far less with changes in humidity than solid boards. One sheet covers the area of several planks, so a crate has fewer joints and goes together faster, and a lighter crate means less freight weight on every shipment.
What AB Grade Means
The two letters describe the face and the back of the panel. The A face is smooth with few defects; the B back may show small knots, patches and colour variation. For packaging this is the sensible balance: a clean outer face that takes printing or labels, at a price meant for a box that will be shipped and stripped.
Packing Plywood and ISPM 15
Solid wood packaging that crosses borders must be heat treated or fumigated and stamped under ISPM 15, the international standard for wood packaging. Plywood is a processed wood material made with glue, heat and pressure, so it is outside the scope of ISPM 15 and does not need that treatment or stamp. That saves a step for exporters who build their crates and pallets from plywood.
Choosing the Thickness and Glue
Thin panels of 4 to 8 mm are used for box sides, lids and partitions. Crate walls and pallet decks usually take 10 to 12 mm, and heavy machinery crates or bases 16 to 20 mm. MR glue suits packaging kept dry and used once; phenolic glue holds up better when crates stand outdoors or travel through humid ports. If your customers ask for low formaldehyde emission, we supply E0, E1 or CARB II glue.
Packing and Container Loading
Panels are packed in crates with metal straps and loaded into the container by forklift, about 46–50 m³ per 40ft HC.
| Thickness | Crates per 40ft HC |
|---|---|
| 6 mm | 17 |
| 8 mm | 17 |
| 10 mm | 16 |
| 12 mm | 16 |
| 16 mm | 16 |
Ordering from Vietnam
The minimum order is 10 × 40ft HC, and we can supply about 30 × 40ft HC a month, paid by T/T or L/C, FOB Hai Phong or CIF. Under the EVFTA, Vietnamese plywood enters the EU at 0% tariff, and FSC certified plywood is available: see our certificates. For the full range, read our overview of plywood from Vietnam, or see Film Faced Plywood for concrete formwork, Commercial Plywood for general use and Furniture Plywood for cabinets and tables. Send us the size, thickness, glue, quantity and destination port for a quote.
