Thinking about purchasing a new piece of furniture for your home but not sure what type of plywood you need? Here are the important differences between 303 and 710 plywood – the simple way to better understand these two types!
What is 303 Plywood?
303 Plywood is stronger, and more water resistant than 710 Plywood. Ag3, the plywood made from Douglas fir and hemlock, is also significantly less expensive than 710 Plywood. 303 Ply-Lam uses another cellulose-free wood that reduces waste by approximately 8 to 10 percent.
Difference between 303 and 710 Plywood
Plywood is a board made of woven slabs of wood pressed together. The word ply comes from the Old English word plewp meaning fold, because of the layers that are laid in crosswise fashion to form a continuous plane surface. The difference between 303 and 710 plywood is the number of plies per inch. Most plywood has a thickness of 3/16 of an inch, and one plies per inch.
Additionally, with 710 PVC Plywood it meets Green Chemistry Standards. The wood, resin and chemicals are the same for both grades. The difference is found in the thickness of the plywood. The 303 grade has a thickness of 1/4″, 710 is 3/8″. This will make the lumber much cheaper for smaller projects as it only needs three sheets to build something that would normally require eight.
Many people are not aware of the difference between 303 and 710 plywood. All this comes down to is the width of one board of each type. There appears to be differences in price, performance and the strength of these types of plywood.
Both of these may be used for carpentry purposes, but you need to match their thickness with the versatility you wish to display. If durability is your issue and you want no fear of warping or shrinking, then choose a 710. If you are price conscious, go for 303 because it’s a less expensive option and it comes in large dense pieces that work excellently for cutting.
Although plywood comes in both 303 and 710 ratings (there are 3 or 4 grades of wood), the difference exists in the thickness of each piece. A 10-foot length of lumber from a 710 grade wood stock will be only 3/4 inch thick, while a 10-foot length from a 303 grade could be up to 1 inch thick.
Conclusion
There are many differences between the 3/4″ sheets of 303 and 710 plywood. The first is that 303 is non-toxic and timber water resistant. It also has less porosity than 710 which makes it denser. But even though these have mostly the same attributes, there are still many disagreements in what they’re used for. 303 may be safer but 710 is thicker and more stable due to not absorbing moisture from the air.
