5/8 plywood actual thickness
5/8" plywood can be stamped 19/32 or 5/8, two PS 1 categories whose labels sit .031" apart.
Sanded 19/32 is held to 0.578" to 0.609".
Start from
Surface
Size name
Inches or mm, such as 0.70, 17.8 mm or 23/32.
Called 5/8"
Stamped 19/32
.578" (14.7 mm) on the label, and 0.563" to 0.625" unsanded.
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A panel stamped 5/8 instead is labeled .609" (15.5 mm), 0.594" to 0.656" unsanded.
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19/32 or 5/8 on the stamp
Georgia-Pacific’s Plytanium rated sheathing comes in 19/32, labeled 0.578", and Weyerhaeuser’s southern pine list has 19/32 rated sheathing and 19/32 CDX. Boise Cascade’s sheathing guide lists a 19/32" panel as well. PS 1 also has a 5/8 category, labeled .609" (15.5 mm). Unsanded, the two ranges overlap from 0.594" to 0.625", and in that band only the stamp separates them.
Sanded 19/32 and 5/8
Sanded 19/32 runs 0.578" to 0.609", and sanded 5/8 runs 0.609" to 0.641". PS 1’s table of recommended labels for sanded panels, in its nonmandatory Appendix D, has no 19/32 row. Its other rows sit at each category’s sanded minimum, and the sanded minimum for 19/32 is 0.578", the same figure as its unsanded label.
Building with 5/8 plywood
- Pocket holes: the pocket-hole screw selector goes by stock thickness, so start from a measured sheet.
- Screws: how long a screw should be works from the real thickness, and the pilot hole finder opens with plywood picked.
- Cabinet panels: hardwood plywood is made to HP-1, outside PS 1, so measure it and convert the reading.
- Floors, roofs and walls: the panel’s span rating and the building code where you live decide what goes there, and your building department can tell you.
Common questions
Is 19/32 plywood the same as 3/4?
No. 19/32 is 5/32 inch thinner than 3/4 and 1/32 inch thinner than 5/8, the size name it sits next to. Plywood called 3/4 is stamped 23/32 (labeled .703 inch) or 3/4.
What is 19/32 plywood in mm?
19/32 inch works out to 15.1 mm. Its .578 inch label is 14.7 mm, and an unsanded 19/32 panel can measure 14.3 to 15.9 mm.
Where we get our information from
Ranges and recommended labels for 19/32 and 5/8 are PS 1-22’s (Table 10 and Appendix D). Georgia-Pacific, Weyerhaeuser and Boise Cascade list their own panels. Millimetres are converted from inches. Checked against published data from NIST, Georgia-Pacific, Weyerhaeuser, Boise Cascade and USDA Forest Products Laboratory.
See all 5 sources
- NIST, Voluntary Product Standard PS 1-22, Structural Plywood (2023)
- Georgia-Pacific, Plytanium Plywood Rated Sheathing (product page and specification sheet)
- Weyerhaeuser, Southern Yellow Pine Plywood (product page)
- Boise Cascade, Plywood Sheathing Specifications Guide (LMB-6400)
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-190, 2010), chapter 11, wood-based composite materials
The figures apply to US structural plywood made to PS 1. Measure any other sheet before relying on its thickness.