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Performance Category and Thickness

Performance Category, Panel Thickness and Span Ratings are key categories that need to be considered together.

US PS 1 specifies thickness tolerances and Performance Categories for plywood grades and requires a thickness label in 1000ths of an inch. We have listed the minimum and maximum allowable panel thickness and recommended thickness label for each relevant Performance Category.

Unsanded, Touch sanded and Overlaid panels

Performance Category³	Thickness Requirements for Unsanded, Touch Sanded and Overlaid Grades^1,2
Performance Category³	Minimum Thickness inches (mm)	Maximum Thickness inches (mm)	Recommended Thickness Label⁴ inches
1/4	0.219 (5.56)	0.281 (7.14)	0.225
11/32	0.313 (7.94)	0.375 (9.53)	0.322
3/8	0.344 (8.73)	0.406 (10.32)	0.354
7/16	0.406 (10.32)	0.469 (11.91)	0.418
15/32	0.438 (11.11)	0.500 (12.70)	0.451
1/2	0.469 (11.91)	0.531 (13.49)	0.483
19/32	0.563 (14.29)	0.625 (15.88)	0.578
5/8	0.594 (15.08)	0.656 (16.67)	0.609
23/32	0.688 (17.46)	0.750 (19.05)	0.703
3/4	0.719 (18.26)	0.781 (19.84)	0.734
13/16	0.781 (19.84)	0.844 (21.43)	0.788
7/8	0.831 (21.11)	0.919 (23.34)	0.849
1	0.950 (24.13)	1.050 (26.67)	0.970
1-1/8	1.069 (27.15)	1.181 (30.00)	1.091
1-1/4	1.188 (30.16)	1.313 (33.34)	1.213
Note:¹ Thickness requirements are based on a tolerance of 1/32 or ±0.8mm for panels with Performance Categories of 13/16 and less, and ±5% for panels with Performance Categories greater than 13/16. Inch units are presented as primary units due to customary practice in the United States.²Panel thickness measurements are conducted in accordance with procedures set forth in US PS 1 and based on a panel moisture content of 9%.³ Acceptable abbreviations are PERF-CAT, CAT or Category.⁴ Recommended thickness labels for Performance Categories less than 9/16 are 3% above the minimum. For Performance Categories greater than or equal to 9/16, the minimum values are those for sanded panels.

Sanded Plywood Panels

Performance Category³	Thickness Requirements for SANDED Plywood^1,2
Performance Category³	Minimum Thickness inches (mm)	Maximum Thickness inches (mm)	Recommended Thickness Label⁴ inches
1/4	0.234 (5.95)	0.266 (6.75)	0.234
11/32	0.328 (8.33)	0.359 (9.13)	0.328
3/8	0.359 (9.13)	0.391 (9.92)	0.359
7/16	0.422 (10.72)	0.453 (11.51)	0.422
15/32	0.453 (11.51)	0.484 (12.30)	0.453
1/2	0.484 (12.30)	0.516 (13.10)	0.484
19/32	0.578 (14.68)	0.609 (15.48)	0.578
5/8	0.609 (15.48)	0.641 (16.27)	0.609
23/32	0.703 (17.86)	0.734 (18.65)	0.703
3/4	0.734 (18.65)	0.766 (19.45)	0.734
13/16	0.788 (20.02)	0.837 (21.26)	0.788
7/8	0.849 (21.56)	0.901 (22.89)	0.849
1	0.970 (24.64)	1.030 (26.16)	0.970
1-1/8	1.091 (27.72)	1.159 (29.43)	1.091
1-1/4	1.213 (30.80)	1.288 (32.70)	1.213
Note:¹ Thickness requirements are based on a tolerance of ±0.016” (1/64”) or ±0.4mm for specified Performance Categories of 3/4 and less, and ±3% for panels with a Performance Category greater than 3/4. Inch units are presented as primary units due to customary practice in the United States.² Panel thickness measurements are conducted in accordance with procedures set forth in PS 1 and based on a panel moisture content of 9%.³ Acceptable abbreviations are PERF-CAT, CAT or Category⁴ Recommended thickness labels for Performance Categories are based on the minimum permissible thickness for that category.