4x8 Baltic Birch Plywood
2440 x 1220 mm panels on an exterior (WBP) bond, 12 mm to 18 mm regularly stocked in BB/BB, with UV-coated and film-faced options. Held in Houston, TX and Baltimore, MD. Five packs minimum, pickup welcome.
Exterior glue, and why it matters
Our 4x8 line is bonded with an exterior-grade (WBP) phenolic resin. That is a different adhesive from the interior bond used in our 5x5 panels, and the difference is not cosmetic — it decides whether the panel survives moisture or delaminates.
The rule of thumb we give buyers: if the panel will ever be damp — a trailer floor, a wash-down area, formwork, anything outdoors — specify the exterior bond and do not negotiate with yourself about it. If the panel lives in a finished interior, the interior bond is the right call and costs less.
An exterior bond is not a coating. The face still needs protection if it is exposed, which is what the UV and film-faced options below are for.
Sanded, UV-coated or film-faced
- Sanded two sides (S2S)
- The standard face. Ready to finish, laminate or paint. This is what most of our 12 and 18 mm stock is.
- UV-coated
- A cured clear coat applied at the mill over the sanded face. It seals the panel, resists scuffing in transit and saves a finishing step. We hold this in 15 mm — see the UV-coated page for what it cannot do.
- Film-faced (F/F) and mesh-backed (F/W)
- Phenolic film for formwork and flight cases; film face with an anti-slip mesh back for trailer decking and stage flooring. Supplied on order.
UV-coated panels in detail · grades explained · thickness guide · sizes & tolerances
Thicknesses & pack quantities
Packs are built to a fixed height, so sheets per pack fall as thickness rises — and a pack is the same volume whichever thickness you order. That is what makes mixed loads easy to plan.
| Thickness | U.S. equiv. | Sheets / pack | Grades | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 mm | 1/4" | 65 | BB/BB · CP/CP | On order |
| 9 mm | 3/8" | 44 | BB/BB · CP/CP | On order |
| 12 mm | 1/2" | 33 | BB/BB | Regularly stocked· Houston · Baltimore |
| 15 mm | 5/8" | 26 | BB/BB · UV-coated | Regularly stocked· Houston |
| 18 mm | 3/4" | 22 | BB/BB | Regularly stocked· Houston · Baltimore |
| 21 mm | 13/16" | 19 | BB/BB · CP/CP | On order |
| 24 mm | 15/16" | 17 | BB/BB · CP/CP | On order |
| 27 mm | 1-1/16" | 15 | BB/BB · CP/CP | On order |
| 30 mm | 1-3/16" | 13 | BB/BB · CP/CP | On order |
Regularly stocked means the specification held U.S. warehouse stock in at least five of the last six months. On order is part of the programme and ships on a production lead time. Stock turns over continuously, so this page shows no pack counts — ask and you get today's position. 5x10 ft panels, 35 and 40 mm, and custom sizes are available on request.
The sheet American shops are tooled for
4x8 is the default sheet in the United States, and everything downstream assumes it: CNC beds, panel saws, sheet racks, delivery trucks and the 16- and 24-inch framing modules that 8 feet divides into cleanly. Ordering birch in this format means your existing programs, jigs and cut lists carry over unchanged.
It also removes the ceiling that the square format imposes. Any part longer than 1525 mm — a full-height fixture, a long trailer floor section, a tall case side — simply cannot come off a 5x5 panel, and joining two is a cost and a weak point.
- Trailer and truck decking
- Exterior bond plus a birch core handles the load and the weather. The anti-slip mesh face is the usual specification here.
- RV and horse-trailer floors
- Panels that live under a rubber mat and get wet anyway. Interior-bonded plywood fails here; this is the grade that does not.
- Concrete formwork
- Film-faced panels release cleanly and survive repeated pours. Supplied on order in the standard form sizes.
- Case goods and flight cases
- Road cases, ATA-spec boxes and touring furniture, where the panel takes impact and humidity swings.
- Large-part CNC nesting
- When parts run past 1525 mm the square format simply cannot hold them. This is the format for long components.
- Store fixtures and displays
- Full-height fixtures cut from one sheet rather than joined from two.
How 4x8 ships
- Minimum order
- Five packs, and you may mix thicknesses, grades and formats to reach it.
- Warehouses
- Houston, TX and Baltimore, MD. Pickup welcome at both — bring a trailer and we load you.
- Freight
- LTL, full truckload or palletised mixed loads. Send a delivery ZIP and we quote the lane.
- Documentation
- CARB Phase 2 and TSCA Title VI records, certificates of origin, phytosanitary and fumigation certificates, grade and mill reports — on request.
Looking for the square format instead? See 5x5 Baltic birch plywood. Or call +1 713 731 5145