plywood

Plywood, manufactured board composed of an odd number of thin sheets of wood glued together under pressure with grains of the successive layers at right angles. Laminated wood differs from plywood in that the grains of its sheets are parallel. Plywood is noted for its strength, durability, lightness, rigidity, and resistance to splitting and warping. It can be molded into curved or irregular forms for use in truck, airplane, and boat bodies, luggage, furniture, and tubing, or it can be made into large panels suitable for structural use. Plywood was made in ancient Egypt and China. China’s plywood trade has developed at a frantic pace. Imports plunged from around 1.7 million cubic meters in 1998 (they were as 2.3 million cubic meters in 1993) to just 650000 cubic meters in 2001.