What is 22mm ply, and how do you specify it?

What is 22mm ply?

22mm ply is a plywood sheet with a nominal thickness of 22 mm, built from an odd number of wood veneers glued with the grain of each layer crossing the one before. It is the thickness buyers move up to when 18 mm feels too springy: floors over open joists, worktops, long shelves and stair parts.

The name says only the thickness. A 22 mm ply board can be a sanded furniture panel with a birch or poplar face, a construction panel with utility faces, or a film-faced sheet for formwork. The core species, the glue and the face grade decide what it costs and where it can go, so a buyer orders all four lines, not the thickness alone.

You will see the same panel written as 22mm ply, 22 mm plywood, plywood 22 or 22mm board. All mean the same nominal thickness; the specification lines below make it one product.

How thick is a 22 mm sheet in reality?

A sanded 22 mm furniture panel from Minh Thanh measures 22 mm within ±0.2–0.3 mm, so the sheet you receive sits between 21.7 and 22.3 mm at the widest tolerance and within ±0.2 mm where the order asks for it. Each core board is pressed and calibrated before the faces go on, which is how the thickness stays even across the sheet and from pack to pack.

Commercial and film-faced 22 mm panels carry a ±0.5 mm tolerance: 21.5–22.5 mm. Packing panels are ±0.5–1.0 mm. Length and width are ±2 mm for every grade.

Why it matters: a 22 mm worktop that varies by 0.6 mm between sheets shows as a step at every joint, and a CNC (computer numerical control) router set for 22.0 mm cuts a groove too shallow in a 22.4 mm sheet. Write the tolerance on the order next to the thickness.

22 mm plywood in inches: is 22/32 the same as 3/4?

No. 22/32 inch is 17.5 mm (the same as 11/16), while 3/4 inch is 19.05 mm. The North American panel sold as “3/4 plywood” is in fact 23/32 inch, about 18.3 mm, which is why it is often matched to an 18 mm metric sheet.

22 mm itself is 0.866 inch, close to 7/8 inch (22.2 mm). If a drawing from the US asks for 7/8 inch, a 22 mm sheet is the metric panel to quote; if it asks for 3/4, the match is 18 mm, explained in the 3/4 inch plywood guide and the 23/32 plywood article.

Plywood sheets 22mm: which sizes are made?

Plywood sheets 22mm thick come as full sheets of 1220 × 2440 mm, the 8 × 4 ft format used in most markets. Minh Thanh presses 22 mm in 1220 × 2440 and 1250 × 2500 mm as standard, and in custom sizes such as 1220 × 2500 and 1220 × 2280 mm.

For furniture plants that cut the same parts every day, one panel can be cut into 4, 6 or 8 pieces at the mill, so the packs arrive as blanks ready for edging. That is the cut-to-size plywood service, shipped regularly to Italy and other European markets.

A 1220 × 2440 mm sheet covers 2.98 m². At 22 mm it holds 0.0655 m³ of wood, so 15.3 sheets make one cubic metre. Those two numbers convert any price per m³ into a price per sheet.

How much does a 22mm plywood sheet weigh?

A 1220 × 2440 × 22 mm sheet weighs about 32.7 kg on a Styrax core, 38.0 kg on Acacia and 42.6 kg on Eucalyptus. Weight is volume (0.0655 m³) multiplied by the core’s planning density.

The difference is 10 kg a sheet between the lightest and the heaviest core. On a site where two people carry sheets up stairs all day, the Styrax core is the easier panel. In a workbench or a floor that should feel solid and hold screws close to the edge, the denser Eucalyptus core earns its weight.

The plywood weight calculator does the same sum for other thicknesses and sizes.

Which cores and faces can a 22 mm panel have?

Minh Thanh’s 22 mm furniture panels use a white Styrax core or a Eucalyptus core as standard, with Acacia and Pine cores made on order. The core is stitched both horizontally and vertically before pressing, so the layers lie closed without gaps at the edge.

Over the core, the face can be any of 10+ veneers. The most ordered are EV (engineered veneer), Poplar, Birch, Okoume and Pine; Bintangor, Eucalyptus, Gurjan and Sapele are made on request. Faces are graded as face/back pairs and matched to the sample you approve:

• Birch: D+/D or D/E (D+ is comparable to European B, D to BB).
• Poplar, Pine, Eucalyptus: A/A for two visible faces, A/B for one, B/B for painted or laminated parts.
• Exterior and CDX-type: utility C/D faces under a water-resistant bond.

For a 22 mm worktop with a clear lacquer, a birch face on Eucalyptus core is the usual build. For painted shelving, poplar on Styrax keeps the weight down. For a laminated counter, B/B faces are enough because the face is covered.

Which glue and emission class should a 22 mm panel have?

For furniture and interiors, 22 mm panels are glued with UF glue at E0 emission, the standard bond for indoor panels sold in Europe and the US. Panels meet the emission requirements European and US furniture buyers ask for, with CARB P2 / TSCA Title VI certification (ICTT mill no. 23024) as the accepted proof. The EPA’s TSCA Title VI guidance lists a 0.05 ppm formaldehyde emission limit for veneer-core hardwood plywood.

Six ASTM D6007 chamber tests between April 2025 and June 2026, run on 9, 15 and 18 mm panels from the mill, averaged 0.014–0.032 ppm against the 0.05 ppm CARB Phase 2 limit. Three were done by Shanghai Hongjun and three by ICTT Vietnam. If your market asks for its own method, third-party testing to that method, for example EN 717-1, is arranged through SGS on request.

Where the panel faces humidity or weather, order a different bond:

• MR (melamine-fortified): kitchens, bathrooms, covered outdoor parts.
• Phenolic (WBP): exterior uses such as stair treads, sheds and wall sheathing; see the WBP plywood guide.

UK labels on a 22 mm sheet

UK merchants print a set of labels, and the same labels go on a purchase order. The International Timber standards summary explains the EN 636 use classes and EN 314 bonding classes. BS EN 314-2 specifies bonding-quality requirements.

Wickes (checked on 21 October 2026) sells 3.6 to 18 mm non-structural hardwood plywood and 12 and 18 mm structural CE2+ softwood plywood, and no 22 mm sheet, so 22 mm is a trade-merchant and import size in the UK. Our 22 mm panels are furniture and interior panels with CARB P2 / TSCA Title VI certification and the ASTM D6007 results above; for a structural floor, the guide to structural vs non structural plywood shows which mark to ask for.

The bond and the emission class are two separate lines on the order: “UF glue at E0 emission” names both. Adhesive type alone does not establish an EN 636 use class; check the finished panel’s declared classification.

What is 22mm plywood used for?

22mm plywood is used where a sheet has to span, carry or take repeated fixings without moving. The common jobs:

1. Floors and floor decks: loft floors, mezzanines and raised platforms, where the extra 4 mm over 18 mm cuts the bounce between joists.
2. Workbenches and counters: a 22 mm top resists dents from tools and stays flat on a frame; two sheets glued together make a 44 mm bench top.
3. Stair parts: treads and risers in interior stairs, with a hardwood face for appearance.
4. Heavy shelving: library and warehouse shelves with long spans between supports.
5. Shop fitting and stages: counters, display plinths, exhibition and stage decks that are assembled and taken down again.
6. Van and trailer floors: often with an anti-slip or film face over the 22 mm panel.
7. Furniture carcasses: beds, wardrobes and kitchen islands where the side panel carries the load.

For outdoor floors and decks, the same thickness is ordered with a phenolic bond; for formwork, as film-faced plywood.

Is 22 mm plywood good for floors?

Yes. 22 mm plywood is one of the standard thicknesses for timber floors laid over joists, because it is stiff enough to carry furniture and foot traffic between supports and still light enough to handle. It is often chosen in place of 22 mm chipboard flooring where the floor may see water, because plywood does not swell at a wet edge the way particleboard does.

For a floor, three choices matter more than the face:

• Bond: MR or WBP where the floor may get wet during building or in use.
• Edge: square edges laid on noggins, or tongue and groove panels that lock between joists.
• Fixing: screw or ring-shank nail at the spacing the floor design states, with glue on the joists to stop squeaks.

A plywood floor in a building that has to meet a structural code needs a panel certified for that use; the structural vs non structural plywood guide explains the marks. Minh Thanh’s furniture panels are made for furniture and interiors, and its construction plywood range covers site use.

22mm vs 18mm plywood: when is the thicker sheet worth it?

Choose 22 mm when a part spans further than 18 mm can without sagging, or when the part carries weight at its edge. Choose 18 mm when the part is supported along its length and weight matters.

Stiffness of a panel in bending grows with the cube of its thickness, so 22 mm is about 1.8 times as stiff as 18 mm of the same build (22³ ÷ 18³ = 1.83). That is why a shelf that sags in 18 mm stays straight in 22 mm at 22 % more wood. The 18 mm plywood guide covers the thinner panel in detail.

How many 22 mm sheets fit in a 40HC container?

A 40HC container holds about 810 sheets of 1220 × 2440 × 22 mm plywood on a Styrax core: 18 packs of 45 sheets, about 53.05 m³ and 26,523 kg of plywood. Heavier cores fit fewer sheets because the weight limit is reached first.

How the plan is built: packs are about 1,000 mm high, so 1,000 ÷ 22 = 45 sheets per pack, then capped so the load stays within a 28,000 kg planning payload. On Eucalyptus, 45 sheets a pack would pass that limit, so the pack drops to 43. Packing materials come on top, and a lower booking limit from your shipping line lowers the count again. Run your own numbers in the packing calculator.

A mixed container is normal: 22 mm worktop panels can share the load with 18 mm carcass panels and thin backs by agreement.

How do you check a 22 mm delivery on arrival?

Open one pack from each specification and check five things before the panels go to the saw:

1. Thickness: caliper the four corners and the middle of three sheets; every reading inside the ordered tolerance.
2. Flatness: lay a sheet on a flat bench and look for twist or bow along the long edge.
3. Face: the grade against the approved sample, under the same light.
4. Edge: cut a strip and look at the layers: closed, without gaps or overlaps in the core.
5. Moisture: a meter reading inside 8–12 %, the range the panels leave the mill at.

Every Minh Thanh shipment is photographed and filmed before loading, and the buyer gets the photos and video, so you can match the packs in the container to the packs on the loading pictures.

What does 22mm plywood cost from a factory?

Factory prices for plywood are quoted per cubic metre, FOB the port of loading. In October 2026, Minh Thanh furniture and interior plywood starts from US$350/m³ and commercial plywood from US$250/m³, FOB Hai Phong.

To turn that into a sheet price, multiply by 0.0655 m³, the volume of one 1220 × 2440 × 22 mm sheet. The final price depends on the face, core, glue, size, quantity and delivery term: a birch face on a Eucalyptus core costs more than poplar on Styrax, and CIF to your port adds freight. Merchant prices per sheet in Europe also include import duty, storage and delivery, so they are not a like-for-like comparison with a container price.

22mm plywood price per sheet in dollars and pounds

One 1220 × 2440 × 22 mm sheet is 0.0655 m³. At the October 2026 starting rates it works out as below, with pounds at the 20 October 2026 ECB reference rate of US$1 = £0.74925 (Frankfurter).

These are raw FOB examples from the per-cubic-metre rate, not delivered sheet prices. Ocean freight, import taxes, storage, the merchant’s margin and delivery come on top. The UK standard VAT rate is 20%. Confirm the panel’s commodity code and applicable duty in the UK Trade Tariff. Claim a preferential rate only after checking the rules of origin and required proof.

For delivery, Ply Direct (checked on 21 October 2026) charges £10–60 + VAT by zone and order value, and £8 + VAT for samples. Merchant sheet prices for thicker structural stock give the shelf side. Beesley & Fildes lists sheets of Class 3 plywood in 25 mm and 12 mm. In the listings we checked on 21 October 2026 the 25 mm sheet was £77.35 inc VAT and the 12 mm sheet £37.63 inc VAT.

Typical days at sea from Hai Phong are 30–40 to Northern Europe, 25–35 to the Mediterranean and 20–30 to the US West Coast.

How do you order 22 mm plywood from Vietnam?

The minimum order is one 40HC container, which can mix specifications by agreement. Production takes 15–45 days after the 30% deposit, with the 70% balance against the scanned bill of lading or an irrevocable L/C at sight; terms are FOB Hai Phong, CFR or CIF.

The order runs in four steps:

1. Send the specification (the lines below) and the parts you make from the sheet.
2. Approve free samples of the face and core you chose.
3. Pay the deposit; production starts and the panels are pressed, sanded and packed.
4. Receive the loading photos and video, then the documents and the container.

US orders carry the TSCA Title VI label on the panels, and EU orders come with the EUDR compliance dossier (origin records and geolocation files).

What to write on a 22 mm plywood order

A complete 22 mm specification fits on one line per item. Copy this and change the values:

22 mm × 1220 × 2440 mm, birch face D+/D, Eucalyptus core, UF glue at E0 emission, sanded both faces, tolerance ±0.2 mm, for worktops; 1×40HC mixed with 18 mm carcass panels; CIF your port.

For a floor, change the bond to WBP and the face to C/D; for painted shelves, change the face to poplar B/B on a Styrax core. Send the line to contact@minhthanhplywood.com or WhatsApp +84 988 586 601; replies come within hours, Monday–Friday, 08:00–17:00 Vietnam time.