What is Ideal moisture content in plywood? - Lceted

Moisture content is an important parameter to determine the quality of plywood. If the plywood is too dry (if the moisture content is low), the strength of the plywood will be affected and weaken. On the other hand, if the plywood is too wet, it will rot.

Therefore the moisture of the plywood must be within acceptable limits, the Indian Standard Specification IS:303 (Administered by BIS) The optimum moisture content in plywood should be 5% to 15%. For marine grade plywood, the humidity specification will be the same. At any time of the year, the humidity of the plywood (depending on any part of the country) should be between 5 and 15 per cent.

Also Read: Types Of Wood Used For Making Plywood | Lceted

 

So how is the moisture in plywood reduced?

Plywood is a very strong engineered wood that is made by pressing several layers (thin pieces of wood) on top of each other. During the production of plywood, the wood is dried using mechanical dryers after rotary cutting to reduce the moisture content in the wood. This is necessary because if the moisture is more than 10%, pressing using glueing the layers is not possible.

 

For the purpose of drying the veneers, they are passed through hot ovens on belts moved by cylinders, while the fans spread the hot air generated by the heating coils of the oven across the veneer faces. Let them dry completely. Once the veneers are sufficiently dry, they are stacked on top of each other and bonded together using hot press machines (glueing veneers under high pressure and temperature) to form plywood sheets.

 

How is the moisture content determined?

The instruments like moisture meters are used to check moisture content in the plywood. These meters are available in both analogue and digital versions and work in the same way that a resistance meter works.

The moisture meter consists of two probes (pins) that are inserted into the plywood at a certain distance, and the battery-powered meter passes voltage through the wood.

Since water (which is in the form of moisture on the plywood) is a good conductor of electricity, an electric current is installed and the meter calculates the resistance of the current and shows it based on the percentage of moisture.

However, it is important to note that this content does not remain the same. For example, moving plywood to an area with a very humid climate after manufacturing is very likely to increase the moisture content. Ambient heat and humidity affect the plywood and try to balance it with its new environment.

Also read: Plywood Strength Comparison with Other Wood Products

Also Read: Flush Door Vs Wooden Door Vs Plywood Door -  Homeslibro