Plywood Through the Millennia
Archeologists have found pieces of laminated wood in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs. Elsewhere artisans experimented with various types of plywood in ancient China, in post-medieval Europe and in Czarist Russia.
Modern-era plywood was initially made from decorative hardwoods and used mainly in the manufacture of furniture, cabinets and doors. In the mid 1800s, Swedish architect Immanuel Nobel invented the rotary lathe and opened the door to plywood made from softwoods.
In the early 1900s, the Portland Manufacturing Company created a laminated wood panel for display at the 1905 Portland World's Fair. The three-ply veneer panel quickly gained popularity with door and cabinet manufacturers – and voila! An industry was born. Three decades later, another technological advancement, the development of a fully waterproof adhesive, opened up significant new markets for plywood.
During World War II, plywood was an essential war material and some 30 war-time mills produced between 1.2 and 1.8 billion square feet annually. The material was used in the construction of plywood barracks for GIs, plywood PT boats for the Navy, plywood gliders for the Air Force and plywood assault boats for the Army.
After the war, the plywood industry burgeoned due to the booming post-war economy. By 1954, the industry had grown to 101 mills and production approached 4 billion square feet. By 1975 U.S. production exceeded 16 billion square feet, and the industry was growing as well in Canada and other countries.
Today plywood is an indispensable building material and is used for myriad residential, commercial, industrial and artistic design applications. New technologies and manufacturing innovations enable architects and designers to continue to find new, exciting, creative applications for this ancient building material.
Above and opposite page: Several different exotic veneers were used throughout the high-rise residential buildings in the downtown San Diego redevelopment project.
Plywood cores in poplar, birch, pine or a combination. Face/back: okoume, red meranti, agathis, pine. Thicknesses from 2.0mm to 30mm.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the rotary lathe that enabled softwood plywood production?+
Swedish architect Immanuel Nobel invented the rotary lathe in the mid 1800s, which opened the door to plywood made from softwoods.
When was modern plywood first introduced commercially?+
In the early 1900s, the Portland Manufacturing Company created a three-ply laminated wood panel for display at the 1905 Portland World's Fair, which quickly gained popularity with door and cabinet manufacturers.
How was plywood used during World War II?+
Plywood was an essential war material used to construct barracks for GIs, PT boats for the Navy, gliders for the Air Force and assault boats for the Army. Around 30 war-time mills produced between 1.2 and 1.8 billion square feet annually.
What technological advancement expanded plywood's markets in the 1930s?+
The development of a fully waterproof adhesive, roughly three decades after the 1905 Portland World's Fair, opened up significant new markets for plywood.
How much did U.S. plywood production grow after World War II?+
By 1954, the industry had grown to 101 mills with production approaching 4 billion square feet. By 1975, U.S. production exceeded 16 billion square feet.
What veneers and core materials are used in modern decorative plywood panels?+
Plywood cores are made from poplar, birch, pine or a combination, with face and back veneers of okoume, red meranti, agathis or pine. Thicknesses range from 2.0mm to 30mm.