4 × 8 Plywood Weight Chart

Plywood Weight per Square Foot

Pounds and Kilograms

To convert, use 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg. A 63 lb sheet is 28.58 kg, and a 41.67 lb sheet is 18.90 kg.

Plywood weight follows the basic relationship weight = volume × density. Thickness is only one input.

Thickness and Panel Area

Volume is panel area times actual thickness, so a larger or thicker panel weighs more when everything else is equal.

Density and Species

Density depends on the species of every veneer, not only the face. The USDA Wood Handbook reports that the oven-dry density of most wood species falls between about 20 and 45 lb/ft³, which is a range for the wood itself and not for a finished panel.

Core Construction

Veneer core, MDF crossbands, particleboard, composite and combination cores all change density, flatness and screw holding.

Moisture and Treatment

Water and preservative add mass. Weight at the mill, on the truck and on the job site can therefore differ for the same panel.

• Other variables: ply count and arrangement, adhesive, sanding, overlays, surface coatings and grade.

A category name such as 23/32 equals 0.71875 in., but PS 1-22 permits a range of thickness for each category and structural panels carry a separate decimal label. The full range tables are on the Plywood Thickness Chart, which owns Performance Categories, PS 1 tolerances and metric conversion. Here, use thickness only to make weight calculations accurate.

For example, a 23/32 southern pine panel listed at 0.703 in. is about 2% thinner than the 0.71875 in. the fraction implies.

As with framing lumber, where the name and the real dimension differ (see the Lumber Size Chart), a plywood category name is not the measured thickness.

Order of Accuracy for Weight

1. Manufacturer-published panel weight.
2. Measured weight of the actual panel.
3. Actual measured thickness with a known panel density.
4. Decimal product label with a documented density.
5. Performance Category with an assumed density, as a rough estimate only.

Rows without a published weight say manufacturer-dependent, and the calculated range is only a rough guide. Real panels can fall outside it, since published 23/32 (63 lb) exceeds the 32 lb/ft³ estimate of 60.0 lb.

1/4-Inch Plywood Weight

Patriot Timber states that a 4 × 8 sheet of SurePly Premium UL weighs approximately 20 lb. Other 1/4 in. panels can be lighter or heavier with different species and cores. Common uses include underlayment, back panels, drawer bottoms, crafts and light finish work.

3/8- and 7/16-Inch Plywood Weight

No verified product weights are published here for these sizes. The calculated range for 3/8 is about 26 to 36 lb and for 7/16 about 31 to 42 lb across the assumed densities. These are lighter sheathing sizes, and the Roof Sheathing Thickness Chart covers panel selection for roofs.

15/32- and 1/2-Inch Plywood Weight

A southern pine ACX 15/32 panel with a listed thickness of 0.453 in. is published at 41.67 lb, about 1.30 lb/ft². 15/32 and 1/2 are separate Performance Categories, even though tradespeople sometimes say half-inch loosely.

19/32- and 5/8-Inch Plywood Weight

A southern yellow pine ACX 19/32 panel is published at 50.34 lb, about 1.57 lb/ft². 19/32 and 5/8 are separate categories with different thickness ranges. Do not scale directly from a 15/32 product unless you are making a labeled density-based estimate.

23/32- and 3/4-Inch Plywood Weight

A southern pine ACX 23/32 panel with a listed thickness of 0.703 in. is published at 63 lb, about 1.97 lb/ft². Georgia-Pacific gives 60 to 70 lb as a general reference for 3/4 in. plywood, noting that weight varies with material type. In Columbia’s comparison, 3/4 in. panels of two constructions list 54 lb and 74 lb (48.5 × 96.5 in.). Together these show a range, not one number.

1-Inch and 1-1/8-Inch Plywood Weight

Heavy floor, industrial and specialty panels vary widely by construction, so use the manufacturer’s published weight. Weight affects manual handling, shipping, roof and floor dead load, pallet capacity and crew size. Do not borrow OSB weights for plywood.

Weight per square foot lets you size any panel, including 4 × 9, 4 × 10 and cut pieces.

Volume Formula

For a rectangular panel, multiply length, width and actual thickness in consistent units.

Density Formula

• W: weight
• ρ: panel density
• L, W: panel length and width
• t: actual thickness

Worked 4 × 8 Example

The same volume-times-density idea underlies the Structural Steel Weight Chart, and unit weights for masonry are in the Concrete Block Weight Chart.

Density is the most important variable after dimensions. Use manufacturer values, not a single universal number.

Veneer-Core Density

Columbia reports 27.3 lb/ft³ for its softwood veneer core comparison panel in 3/4 in. testing.

Composite-Core Density

Columbia reports 38.4 lb/ft³ for Classic Core, a combination panel with veneer core inner plies and thin MDF crossbands. That is about 41% denser than the veneer core comparison, even though both are nominally 3/4 in.

Hardwood plywood is not automatically heavier than every softwood panel. Face veneer species, inner core species and the core type all count.

• Face veneer species: a hardwood face adds only a thin layer of the total thickness.
• Inner core species: most of the volume is core, so core species dominates.
• Core type: veneer core, combination core, MDF core, particleboard core and composite core all differ.

In Columbia’s comparison, a combination-core panel is much denser than a softwood veneer-core panel of the same nominal thickness, which is a construction effect and not a hardwood-versus-softwood effect.

Cabinet and furniture plywood is sold in several core types, and the choice changes weight and handling.

Core choice also affects flatness, screw holding, edge machining, stiffness and handling. Columbia notes Classic Core has superior screw holding and is lighter than composite cores of equivalent thickness. Do not assume universal density values for MDF or particleboard core without a product source.

Southern yellow pine and Douglas-fir plywood are both offered in several thicknesses and constructions, so a species name does not fix one weight. Panel weight depends on every veneer in the panel, and retail shorthand such as AC pine can hide that the core and back may be a different species. For example, one listing describes an A-grade southern pine face with a western species core and back. Avoid publishing one pounds-per-sheet value for a whole species category.

Water adds mass, so a wet panel weighs more than the same panel dry.

The USDA Wood Handbook defines moisture content as the mass of water divided by the oven-dry mass and explains how wood weight and other properties change with moisture. Panels pick up moisture from manufacturing, storage, rain, humidity and temporary construction exposure, and they lose it as they dry.

Pressure-treated plywood can weigh more than untreated plywood, but there is no fixed percentage. Several factors decide the difference:

• Preservative retention: more preservative adds more mass.
• Water carrier: treatment solutions add retained moisture.
• Initial post-treatment moisture: freshly treated panels are wetter.
• Species and thickness: both change how much solution a panel absorbs.
• Drying after treatment: weight falls as panels dry.

A supplier answer for treated plywood notes that exact weight varies with moisture content and the treatment process. Do not use dry untreated weight for freshly pressure-treated sheets, and weigh actual panels when accuracy matters.

Marine Plywood

Marine grade describes construction, not density. APA-based descriptions say marine plywood uses only Douglas-fir or western larch veneers, B-grade or better plies, sanded faces, an Exterior bond and restricted core gaps and repairs. Weight still varies with thickness, species mix and product.

Exterior and Exposure 1

A bond classification is not a density class. Exterior panels are not automatically heavier, and Exposure 1 panels are not automatically lighter. Weight comes from the actual product construction.

CDX Plywood

CDX has no single weight. C and D are face and back veneer grades, and the term is generally linked to Exposure 1. Species, core, thickness category and moisture all change the weight. See the Plywood Thickness Chart for CDX terminology and thickness designations.

Sanding removes a little material and changes thickness slightly, but species and core construction usually affect total weight more. Grade, surface veneer, core and moisture all matter too, so do not say sanded plywood is always lighter. PS 1-22 gives separate thickness limits for sanded and unsanded panels, which the Plywood Thickness Chart covers.

APA lists 4 × 8, 4 × 9 and 4 × 10 ft among common plywood panel sizes. At constant thickness, density and construction, weight is proportional to area.

4 × 9 and 4 × 10 Panels

A 4 × 9 panel is 36 ÷ 32 = 1.125 times a 4 × 8, or 12.5% heavier. A 4 × 10 panel is 40 ÷ 32 = 1.25 times, or 25% heavier.

Cut Panels

Actual panels can be slightly under nominal size. One retailer listing gives actual dimensions of 3.937 ft × 7.937 ft (about 47.2 × 95.2 in.), or about 31.2 ft². Check actual dimensions when you calculate from area.

Bundle counts vary by mill and product, so do not assume a universal number. Pallet and packaging weights also vary and are not included above.

Trucks and Trailers

Plywood is heavy in bulk. Compare the load to the vehicle manufacturer’s ratings: pickup payload, trailer GVWR, axle capacity and tongue weight. Use tie-downs, and remember that moisture and treatment add weight. The Material Delivery Planner can help plan a delivery.

Manual Handling

A 4 × 8 sheet is awkward as well as heavy. Wind can catch it, stairs and overhead work add risk, and team lifting, panel carriers and good staging help. There is no universal one-person lifting limit, so follow your site safety procedures.

Plywood self-weight matters in dead-load calculations for roof sheathing, wall sheathing, subfloors, mezzanine decks, multiple layers, concrete forms and industrial panels. Convert sheet weight to a uniform load:

Roof Sheathing

Sheathing weight adds to roof dead load. This page covers weight only. The Roof Sheathing Thickness Chart owns panel thickness, span ratings, rafter and truss spacing, H-clips, snow loads and fastening, and the Roof Rafter Span Chart covers the framing.

Subflooring

Subfloor panels add dead load to joists, and tongue-and-groove profiles and multi-layer floors add more. See the Floor Joist Span Chart for the joist side. APA’s Sturd-I-Floor guide is a current reference for floor panel categories and span ratings.

Multiple Panel Layers

Loads add. Two layers of the same 63 lb 4 × 8 panel give 2 × 1.97 = 3.94 psf.

Weight matters most in cabinet boxes, doors, shelving, furniture, RV interiors and casework, where people lift, hang and move the pieces. Compare veneer-core and composite-core products by their published densities, since two 3/4 in. constructions in the Columbia data differ by about 41% in density. Fasteners hold and edges machine differently by core, so weigh those effects along with weight.

Neither plywood nor OSB has one universal weight. Both depend on density, moisture content, thickness, panel construction, treatment and the specific product, so compare exact products. Do not use one OSB product as representative of all OSB, and do not substitute OSB weights for plywood.

How to Weigh Plywood Accurately

1. Identify the exact panel product.
2. Record the panel size and Performance Category.
3. Check the manufacturer’s published weight.
4. Weigh one representative sheet on a scale of known accuracy.
5. Avoid panels with unusual water exposure if you need dry design weight.
6. Weigh several panels where shipment accuracy matters.
7. Calculate the average sheet weight.
8. Multiply by the actual panel count.

A retailer’s listed weight can be an approximate catalog value rather than guaranteed shipping mass.

Estimating When Product Data Is Missing

• Best: the manufacturer’s published weight.
• Next: weigh an actual sheet.
• Next: actual thickness times a measured or known density.
• Last resort: a clearly stated approximate density assumption.

Do not mix a nominal thickness with an unrelated generic density and call the result exact.

Limitations

Charts

Calculators