BSI Standard and Grade
British Standards Institution
1.Defects Of Plywood
Table 1. Defects inherent in wood
Category Type
1 Pin knots
2 Sound intergrown knots with a diameter greater than 3mm
1 Partially adhering or intergrown knots
3 Partially intergrown knots, unsound knots and non-adhering knots; also holes due 2 Non-adhering knots
to bores and parasitic plants 3 Knots holes
4 Dog holes
1 Angle grain
2 Curly grain including burls
4 Irregularities in the structure of the wood 3 Interlocked grain
4 Spiral grain
5 Short grain
5 Splits 1 Open
Checks 2.Closed
1. Open
6 Bark pockets, resin pockets and resin streaks
2. Closed
1 Small worm holes( pinworm holes)
2 Large worm holes and worm channels
7 Defects due to borers, vines and parasitic plants 3 Marine Borer holes
4 Marks of vines or parasitic plants
5 Chicken track
1 Blue stain
2 Colored sap stains
3 False heartwood
8 Sound discoloration
4 Other discoloration such as chemical stain and
color streaks
5 Mould
9 Rot
NOTE. Defects and characteristics inherent in wood are defined in BS 6566: Part 2.
Table 2. Manufacturing defects
Category Type
10 Open joints
11 Overlaps and pleats on the surface
12 Blisters
13. Hollows
Imprints
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Bumps
14 Roughness
15 Sanding through
16 Glue penetration
17 Inclusion of metal partial (see note 2)
1 Patches
18 Repairs 2 Shims
3 Synthetic filling
1 Sanding defects
19 Defects at the edges of the panel
2 Sawing defects
20 Other defects
NOTE. 1. Manufacturing defects are defined in BS 6566: Part 2.
NOTE. 2. It should be noted that ‘ferrous’ metal particles are prohibited in all grades in plywood.
2 Requirements for tolerances on dimensions of plywood
2.1 Compliance
When tested in accordance with appendix A, the plywood shall comply with 2.2 to 2.6.
2.2 Thickness
The deviation between the mean thickness and the nominal thickness and the maximum difference in thickness measurements within the
panel shall be within the tolerance.
2.3 Edge straightness
The deviation in edge straightness shall not exceed +/- 1mm per meter length of the panel being assessed.
2.4 Squareness
The out of squareness of the edge of the panel shall not exceed +/-1.5mm per meter of the edge of the panel being assessed. It shall be
permissible to determine this by measurement of diagonals, but these differ by more than 0.25%, where there is doubt about the validity of
the diagonal measuring method, e.g. when the shorter edges of the panel incline to or away from the center by a similar amount, and in
case of dispute, the try-square method shall be employed.
2.5 Length and width
The tolerances on the nominal length and width of a panel shall be within +0, -4mm for the modular range (see appendix B) and within +/-
4mm for other sizes.
NOTE. Panels for some special end user may have tolerance different from those specified in this clause.
2.6 Flatness
This standard does not specify a requirement for flatness.
NOTE. The amount of distortion that can be tolerated will depend not only on the thickness of the panel, the construction and the species
but also on the requirements of the end user.
Table 1. Thickness tolerances for veneer plywood within outer plies of coniferous species
Maximum permitted difference between
Maximum deviations permitted between the mean thickness of a panel and its nominal
thickness measurements of an individual
thickness.
sample panel
Sanded Unsanded
Sanded Unsanded
Nominal thickness Deviation Nominal thickness Deviation
Up to and including Up to and including +1.0mm
+/-0.5mm mm mm
18mm 20.5mm -0.5mm
Over 18mm +/-3% of t* Above 20.5mm +/-8% of t* -.05 0.8mm 1.5mm
*t is the nominal thickness (in mm).
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NOTE. Tolerances for touch sanded plywood are not covered by this table.
Table 2. Thickness tolerances for veneer plywood with outer plies of broadleaved species and for core plywood
Maximum deviations permitted between the mean thickness of a Maximum permitted difference between thickness measurements of
panel and its nominal thickness. an individual sample panel.
Nominal thickness Sanded Unsanded Nominal thickness Sanded Unsanded
Up to and including +0.2mm Up to and including
+0.8mm 0.4mm 0.8mm
4mm -0.4mm 12mm
+0.2
Over 4 -(0.3+3% of t)* Over 12 0.6 1.0
-(0.4+3% of t)*
*t is the nominal thickness (in mm).
3.Grade Of Plywood
(b) Grades B, BB and C*
Grade
No. Categories of defectst
B (face) BB C* (back)
Permitted if tight and not
1 Pin Knots permitted permitted
clustered
Four permitted per 3 square
metres of the surface of the Five permitted per 3 square metres of
Sound intergrown knots
2 outer ply, to a maximum the surface of the outer ply, to a permitted
exceeding 3 mm in diameter
individual diameter of 13mm maximum individual diameter of 25mm
(not closed)
Partially intergrown knots, Permitted to a maximum individual
unsound knots and diameter of 9mm, provided their
3 nonadhering knots; also Not permitted cumulative diameter does not exceed permitted
holes due to borers and 40mm per square metre and they are
parasitic plants properly filled
Irregularities in the structure
4 of the wood: sound burls permitted if smooth permitted permitted
(curely grain)
Splits
Eight permitted at each end
Two permitted at each end of a
Two permitted at each end of a panel, of a panel, to a maximum
panel, to a maximum individual
to a maximum individual width of 5mm individual width of 15mm
(a) Open splits (puttied) width of 3mm and a maximum
and a maximum individual length of and a maximum individual
individual length of 6% of the
12.5% of the panel length length of 40% of the panel
panel length
5 length
Three permitted per panel at
(b) Close splits (hairline) the ends and to a maximum permitted permitted
individual length of 100mm
One permitted per outer ply One permitted per outer ply provided
(c) Compression failure
provided hairline and of a hairline and of a length not exceeding `
(cross break)
length not exceeding 10% of th 10% of the panel width
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e panel width
Bark pockets Not permitted Permitted if very slight permitted
One permitted per square metre of the
outer ply, to a maximum individual width
6 Resin pockets Not permitted permitted
of 4mm and to a maximum individual
length of 100mm
Resin exudation Not permitted permitted if slight permitted
Defects due to borers, vines
and parasitic plants
Pinworm holes permitted provided they
are occasional, scattered and well
(a) Worm holes and channels Not permitted permitted
puttied. No discoloration permitted.
Worm channels not permitted.
(b) Marks of parasite
7
Two permitted per outer ply, to
a maximum individual width of
4mm and maximum individual permitted if occasional and smoothly
plants and vines permitted
length of 100mm, provided the sanded and levelled
are smoothly sanded and
leveled
(c) Chicken track Permitted if isolated and slight permitted permitted
Sound discoloration (natural),
8 Permitted if very slight Permitted if not excessive permitted
stain/mineral streak
9 Rot Not permitted Not permitted Not permitted
Permitted to a maximum
Three permitted per outer ply, to a
individual width of 15mm
maximum individual width of 3mm and
Open joints Not permitted and to a maximum
to a maximum individual length of 10%
individual length of 60% of
of the panel length, if properly filled
the panel length
10
Mechanical defects, e.g.
chainmarks, machinery stain,
sander burns, metal stain, Not permitted Permitted if slight and occasional permitted
grease, oil or colored chalk
on face
Roughness, brashness or Permitted if very slight and
14 Permitted if slight Permitted if not excessive
torn grain occasional
Permitted if non-ferrous
Permitted if non-ferrous and in Permitted if non-ferrous and in inner
Inclusion of metal particles and in inner plies or cores
17 inner plies or cores only plies or cores only
only
Sanding Smooth Reasonably smooth No special requirements
Five permitted per outer ply, to a
Repairs, boat or symmetrical
18 Not permitted maximum individual width of 100mm Permitted
patch
and to a maximum individual length of 1
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50mm, provided they are well made, are
of similar grain and are color matched
Permitted to a maximum individual
width of 5mm and to a maximum
Shims Not permitted individual length of 300mm, provided Permitted
they are well made, are of similar grain
and are color matched
Tape or glue residue, putty
Not permitted Permitted if slight and smoothly sanded Permitted
mark
Knifemark Not permitted Permitted to a width of 0.8mm if slight Permitted
Not permitted unless they Not permitted unless they
Not permitted unless they resemble a
resemble a defect already resemble a defect already
Other defects which are not defect already defined in which case
20 defined in which case they defined in which case they
indicated they shall be considered under that
shall be considered under that shall be considered under
category
category that category
*It is intended that classification by appearance of tropical hardwood plywood covered by this table will, in a reasonable time, comply with
the grading requirements for grades and given to the grade descriptions in table 6(a).
Numbers cross reference, where possible, to those in table 5,6(a) and 7.
Sometimes designated CC quality.
Grade B: Clean wood with small sound knots.
Grade BB:
Wood with variations in colour and a larger number of sound knots.
Grade C:
Wood with all kinds of variations in colour and larger knots. Possibility of scattered small knots and unimportant splits.
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