Development of super thick plywood in Japan
17 February 2020Tokyo based Seihoku Plywood is developing a plywood with a thickness of more than 50mm and it is applying to obtain Japanese Organic Regulation (JAS) certificate. This would allow Seihoku to participate in the new engineered wood market.
The latest ITTO market update states that the current maximum thickness from Seihoku is 32 mm, which is purely down to the limitations of the press. Thicker panels are manufactured using Seihoku’s LVL manufacturing line. The veneer used is Japanese Larch which is thicker than standard at 3.73 mm.
The plywood industry is seeking to manufacture thicker panels to compete with lumber, laminated lumber and structural LVL opening up a new market for plywood manufacturers.
Seihoku has already manufactured a 200mm thick plywood sheet consisting of 57 veneers to be used as structural material for the wood-based, eleven stories high training facility which Obayashi Corporation plans to build.
