Phenolic Plywood

To make mesh plywood, a phenolic resin-impregnated film is hard-pressed on both surfaces of the plies under intense temperature and pressure; smooth one veneer and the textured pattern is intensely pressed onto the other. Typically, it is the resultant imprinted wire mesh pattern that enhances the slip-resistance characteristic of the mesh plywood.

Generally, the rough-surfaced plywood mesh is a multi-purpose and heavy-duty sheet material for applications that need a reliable, durable and anti-slip surface.

What is phenolic plywood?

Phenolic plywood is a sheet material made of birch or eucalyptus plywood overlaid with multilayer phenol film consisting of a rough wire mesh pattern. Phenolic ply offers wear resistance up to ten times compared to the standard surface, thanks to how the boards are engineered.

All phenolic plywood sheets are edge-sealed using acrylic paint to reduce moisture penetration. These film-veneered plywood mesh boards have enhanced resistance to insects, fungi, moisture penetration and chemicals. Their surfaces are also smooth and easy to maintain.

Though you can get phenolic plywood from China, Russian or Latvian phenolic birch plywood is always the best quality. This is because the latter comes with a high quality birch core while the former is usually a combo of hardwood and softwood, such as poplar or eucalyptus.

Types of phenolic plywood sheets

Phenolic plywood comes in a few main surface options. The most common are classic mesh phenolic plywood sheets and modern hexagon pattern boards. Both have an anti-slip face with a textured film on one side and a smooth phenol ply surface on the reverse, so you can choose which face you want on show.

On this page, you will find phenolic hardwood plywood made with birch, eucalyptus or mixed hardwood cores. Standard phenolic plywood 8×4 sheets sit alongside larger 10×5 options for bigger vehicle floors and platforms. The mesh pattern gives a fine wire grid that is easy to sweep and clean, while the hexagon pattern phenolic plywood offers a bold, high grip surface that works well on ramps, trailers and busy walkways.

In day to day site talk, many people use the name Buffalo board for any mesh faced phenolic plywood. Buffalo Board is also a specific birch core Buffalo phenolic board brand that we keep in stock, alongside other phenolic ply options that give similar performance at different price points.

Applications for phenolic plywood

So, where is the phenolic plywood used? Plywood mesh is pretty versatile and can be used in various parts, mainly in applications that need rough surfaces that are highly resistant to wear and tear. As such, mesh plywood is preferred for transport applications such as trailer and truck flooring, ship decking, van flooring, train flooring, bus flooring, horseboxes, flight cases etc.

Other applications include joinery, formwork, furniture, shopfitting, interior design, industrial floors, and storage racks.

Benefits of phenolic plywood

• The boards are light and dimensionally stable.
• Effortless to clean and reuse.
• Environmentally friendly.
• Tough and rigid.
• The ply panels can be machined and fastened easily by the use of conventional woodworking tools and fasteners.
• Resistant to extreme weather.
• Able to withstand external impacts and bruises.

Conclusion

If you are searching for sheet material to use in areas that receive a lot of traffic, you should opt for phenolic plywood. These panels will not only give a good grip when walking on them, but they also withstand impacts directed on them and therefore can last for a long time. Besides, they are easy to maintain, and that saves your time.