Interstate Plywood & Lumber

Top quality veneer with special requirements for sequencing, balancing and other parameters.

Architectural Grade

The reverse side to the face of a panel, typically the inferior grade veneer of the two sides.

Backs

Two or more veneer components of equal width making up the face of a board.

Balance match

A piece of lumber 1” thick, 12” wide and 1’ long or its volumetric equivalent.

Board foot

Adjacent pieces of veneer producing a repeating grain pattern matching at the joint.

Book match

Grain matched at the edge joint resulting from the turning over of every other strip of veneer during manufacturing.

Book matched

Voids in wood made by any variety of mollusks or wood-boring insects.

Borer holes

A group of veneers or plywood generally containing 24 or 32 consecutive sheets.

Bundle

A twist in the grain of the wood, typically occurring near a knot.

Burl

The square section of a log made ready for cutting into a veneer.

Cant

Drain appearance characterized by a “V”-like pattern.

Cathedrals

A lengthwise separation along the surface of the wood

Check

Core or certain layers made up of something other than veneers or solid wood.

Composite Plywood

The inner layers of plywood also referred to as the “center”, typically made of veneers, particleboard or lumber.

Core

A method used to strengthen and stabilize plywood, by orienting the grain direction in adjacent layers, perpendicularly.

Cross band

A veneer sheet made to result in the grain running in the 4’ direction, typically referred to as an 8×4 as opposed to a long grain or 4×8.

Cross grain

An imperfection in the grain of wood running at right angles to the face and back of the plywood panel.

Crossbar

An interruption in the smooth flow of the veneer, such as knots, spits, voids, etc.

Defects

Separation of either the veneer or inner plies due to the failure of the adhesive.

Delamination

A stain in the wood caused by various factors including sap, chemical reaction, or by the cutting knife itself.

Discolorations

A veneer or laminate used to cover the exposed edges of the plywood.

Edge banding

Two matching veneers matched at each end, as opposed to each edge (book match), resulting in continuity in the grain at the joint.

End match

–The most common types of plywood readily available at home centers. Glue used is more moisture resistant and suitable for outdoor use..

Exterior Plywood

Veneer typically comprising the most decorative part or superior side of a panel.

Face

Used to identify the special characteristics and quality of a panel.

Grades

The arrangement, direction or pattern in wood or veneers.

Grain

A method of cutting veneer utilizing a “stay-log”. The resulting grain pattern is between rotary and plain sliced.

Half round

General term used to classify broad-leaved trees as opposed to coniferous or softwood needle bearing trees.

Hardwood

The mature or center portion of a tree, often darker in color and more decay-resistant than sapwood.

Heartwood

The shared edge between two materials adjacent on the same plane.

Joint

Sound knots less than ¼” in diameter.

Knot (pin)

A circular fiber in a board fixed in its place, once a branch from the living tree.

Knot (sound)

Plywood consisting of thin sheets of veneer glued to a core of narrow boards.

Lumber core

Plywood made with a waterproof adhesive to be used underwater.

Marine plywood

Medium Density Fiberboard, or a panel or core manufactured from pressure cooked wood fibers, resin, and wax.

MDF

Thermally fused, resin saturated paper finish typically over a particle board core, highly satin and abrasion resistant.

Melamine

Particle Board Core made from particles of wood, such as wood chips or saw dust, held together by a resin-type adhesive, formed into a mat then heated and pressed to produce a smooth, dense panel, much like the color of oatmeal.

PBC

The small soft center core of a tree around which growth takes place.

Pith

Veneer sliced parallel to the pith of the log.

Plain sliced (flat-cut)

A single sheet of veneer forming one layer in multi-layered piece of plywood.

Ply

Plywood that is treated or coated before being sold or distributed.

Pre-finished

A straight grain appearance in the veneer that results from cutting from a quarter of the log (tangential cut) with the cut radial to the pith.

Quarter sliced

A straight grain veneer appearance cut from a quartered log on a 90-degree angle to the grain.

Rift cut

Veneer produced from a whole log set in a lathe and turned against a special knife.

Rotary cut

The outer and living portion of the tree. Typically lighter in color, found between the heartwood and bark.

Sapwood

Shop-grade plywood, or an imperfect panel containing some defects, generally defined as at least 85% usable.

Shop

Veneer sheets laid side by side (as opposed to turned over for book-matching) and joined together in order to form a whole sheet with repetitive grain appearance.

Slip matched

The coniferous or cone bearing trees also referred to as gymnosperms.

Softwoods

Separation of wood fiber running parallel to the grain.

Splits

Plywood that consists of face veneers of a lesser grade. The resin that adheres the plies is designed for extra strength to avoid separation of layers.

Structural plywood

A thin sheet of wood with a thickness from 1/100” up to ¼”.

Veneer

Plywood in which the inner layers are made of veneers with adjacent layers typically at right angles to each other.

Veneer Core

Face of a panel made of rotary cut veneers not containing any splices, with continuous grain pattern across the panel.

Whole Piece face

Contact Information

999 Gould Street
New Hyde Park, NY 11040
(516) 352-0966 phone
(516) 352-2966 fax
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