How to choose the right plywood product

WISA spruce plywood for all construction needs 

Plywood is an excellent choice for load-bearing building structures, such as floors, walls and roofs. If this is what you need plywood for, then odds are that a spruce panel will fulfil your needs.  

WISA-Spruce plywood is an all-rounder for building and construction. Light to handle yet strong, it is ideal for structures. With a wide range of panel sizes, WISA-Spruce plywood is quick and easy to install too.  

Spruce plywood panels are mostly used in structures hidden from the eye, meaning that appearance becomes secondary. WISA-Spruce can also be left visible, typically in applications with no special appearance requirements, like garages or storage rooms. It also works when going for a slightly rougher or rustic look. Read more about the various spruce surfaces here or check out the more detailed description of surface grades and the allowed defects in the Spruce surface guide. 

When looking for plywood for construction, it is important to make sure that it has a CE2+ rating as proof of its strength. All WISA plywood products intended for use in construction have the CE2+ marking, meaning that they will perform exactly as specified. 

Check our video and learn how to recognise a structural WISA plywood panel

Strong and lightweight, WISA-Spruce is the perfect material for floor, wall and roof structures. 

Specialised WISA spruce plywood for floors, roofs and other uses 

With different surface treatments and through sizing and machining, UPM’s strong and light WISA-Spruce base panels can be refined into specialised products, while retaining all the good features of the base panel. The added features and functionalities make construction easier and more efficient when dealing with special or demanding projects.  

Plywood made for floors and roofs is, for instance, tongued and grooved and the panel sizes are optimised for quick installation. Surface treatment is another way of optimising plywood for particular applications or end-uses: if your construction must live up to strict fire regulations, choose a fire-retardant spruce panel. There is a WISA-Spruce product for every need - check the fact box below to find the perfect match. 

Specialised WISA spruce plywood panels
are treated to fit every builder’s need.

WISA birch plywood for interior design and concrete formwork 

Uncoated WISA-Birch plywood is used in interiors and furniture to create a light, warm and visually pleasing look. WISA birch plywood makes beautiful inner walls, cabinets and shelves, among others.  

No plywood panels will look the same. That is the beauty of natural materials. For a polished look, go for a WISA-Birch Premium. It is light and uniform with a face veneer made of one sheet. Check out the different birch surfaces on our website. A more detailed description of surfaces and the allowed defects can be found in the birch surface guide.  

WISA-Form birch plywood is a popular material for concrete moulds due to its strength. In demanding formwork and casting applications, film-coated birch plywood is highly durable and can be used for dozens of castings if properly maintained.  

How to choose the right thickness 

No matter what type of WISA plywood you decide to use, you can rely on its performance, so you don't need to buy anything "extra". If a surface will be covered, appearance does not matter. And the same goes for thicknesses: forget about buying an extra thick plywood panel just to be safe. You can trust that WISA plywood will perform as promised. 

Check with your distributor what thicknesses they stock. On the product page, you will find the manufactured standard thicknesses of each product, as well as the panel sizes. Standard sizes and thicknesses, and also weights, are gathered on our dedicated webpage.  

Find the detailed technical performance, like strength, on the DoP Declaration of Performance (DoP) reference list and, for the UK, in the Declaration of Conformity (DoC) documents on the website.  

Plywood for indoor or outdoor use? 

All WISA plywood products, including those with fire-retardant, water-repellent or other treatments, are always M1 certified. The certification is a low-emission classification of building materials, meaning that they are safe to use in permanent structures of homes and other buildings.  

WISA products are biologically durable, especially spruce veneer, and nearly all of them are bonded with weather-resistant glue. Nevertheless, they do not like too much rain. Therefore, we suggest that any part of a building that is left outside, even under a roof, is covered somehow, at least with a suitable paint.  

Text: Sara Steensig