Guides / Specification

Plywood Face Grades: A, B, BB, CP and C

September 21, 2026

Grade is the fastest way to move a plywood price up or down, and most buyers pick one because it sounds safe rather than because the job needs it.

Here is what each grade actually allows, and how to write it.

The grade pair

A quote says B/BB, BB/CC or A/B. The first letter is the face, the second is the back. Mills grade the two sides separately because most panels are installed with one side visible, and paying for two good faces when you only see one is the most common overspend in a plywood order.

Grade	What it allows
A	Sorted and sanded, uniform colour, no open defects. Small repairs are neat and rare
B	Light colour variation, small tight knots, a few neat patches
BB	Oval patches allowed and visible, sound knots, colour varies across the sheet
CP	Unsanded or lightly sanded utility face, repaired splits, open colour variation
C	Open knots, splits and holes within limits. A structural or hidden face

D appears on some quotes for the lowest face. In Vietnam it usually means a packing grade face and nothing more.

The grade does not tell you about the core

This is where buyers lose money. A beautiful A face can sit on a core full of gaps, and the panel will still be called A/BB. Face grade describes appearance. Core build describes how the panel behaves when you screw it, load it or cut it.

Ask for both in the same line: face and back grade, then core species, ply count and whether gaps are allowed. The core side of that is covered in what drives the price of Vietnam plywood.

Pick the grade from the finish

Work backwards from what covers the panel:

• Clear lacquer or stain: A or B face. Every patch shows through a clear finish
• Paint: B or BB. Filler and primer hide the patches, and the saving is real
• Laminate, melamine or veneer overlay: BB or CP. Nobody will ever see that face
• Hidden structure, crates, formwork backs: C or packing grade

If the panel is cut into parts, grade the sheet for the worst part, not the best. A B face that yields three clean doors and one patched one is a B face with a yield problem.

Tie the grade to a sample, always

Letters travel badly between countries. The only definition that holds in a dispute is a physical panel both sides agreed on.

1. Ask for production samples of the exact grade pair, not a showroom board
2. Mark and photograph them, keep one
3. Write the sample number into the purchase order next to the grade

Then judge the delivery against that board. Without it, a grade argument is two opinions.

What to write in the enquiry

One line covers it: face and back grade, sanded or not, finish the panel will take, and the sample reference if you already have one. For example: B/BB, sanded both sides, for a painted carcase, per sample PV-014.

That line stops the mill guessing, and guessing always resolves in the direction of the cheaper face. The rest of the enquiry lines are in what your enquiry has to say.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

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• Rubberwood Plywood from Vietnam: What the Species Brings and Where It Needs Care