Actual plywood thickness chart (free printable PDF)
Every PS 1 plywood category with its labeled thickness and the range a sheet can measure, sanded and unsanded, in inches and mm.
3/4" sheathing is the 23/32 category on its stamp, labeled .703" (17.9 mm).
Actual plywood thickness chart
| Category | Label | Unsanded | Sanded |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 | .225" / .234"5.7 / 5.9 mm | 0.219–0.281"5.6–7.1 mm | 0.234–0.266"5.9–6.8 mm |
| 5/16 | .290" / .297"7.4 / 7.5 mm | 0.281–0.344"7.1–8.7 mm | 0.297–0.328"7.5–8.3 mm |
| 11/32 | .322" / .328"8.2 / 8.3 mm | 0.313–0.375"8.0–9.5 mm | 0.328–0.359"8.3–9.1 mm |
| 3/8 | .354" / .359"9.0 / 9.1 mm | 0.344–0.406"8.7–10.3 mm | 0.359–0.391"9.1–9.9 mm |
| 7/16 | .418" / .422"10.6 / 10.7 mm | 0.406–0.469"10.3–11.9 mm | 0.422–0.453"10.7–11.5 mm |
| 15/32 | .451" / .453"11.5 mm | 0.438–0.500"11.1–12.7 mm | 0.453–0.484"11.5–12.3 mm |
| 1/2 | .483" / .484"12.3 mm | 0.469–0.531"11.9–13.5 mm | 0.484–0.516"12.3–13.1 mm |
| 9/16 | .547"13.9 mm | 0.531–0.594"13.5–15.1 mm | 0.547–0.578"13.9–14.7 mm |
| 19/32 | .578"14.7 mm | 0.563–0.625"14.3–15.9 mm | 0.578–0.609"14.7–15.5 mm |
| 5/8 | .609"15.5 mm | 0.594–0.656"15.1–16.7 mm | 0.609–0.641"15.5–16.3 mm |
| 11/16 | .672"17.1 mm | 0.656–0.719"16.7–18.3 mm | 0.672–0.703"17.1–17.9 mm |
| 23/32 | .703"17.9 mm | 0.688–0.750"17.5–19.1 mm | 0.703–0.734"17.9–18.6 mm |
| 3/4 | .734"18.6 mm | 0.719–0.781"18.3–19.8 mm | 0.734–0.766"18.6–19.5 mm |
| 13/16 | .788"20.0 mm | 0.781–0.844"19.8–21.4 mm | 0.788–0.837"20.0–21.3 mm |
| 7/8 | .849"21.6 mm | 0.831–0.919"21.1–23.3 mm | 0.849–0.901"21.6–22.9 mm |
| 1 | .970"24.6 mm | 0.950–1.050"24.1–26.7 mm | 0.970–1.030"24.6–26.2 mm |
| 1-1/8 | 1.091"27.7 mm | 1.069–1.181"27.2–30.0 mm | 1.091–1.159"27.7–29.4 mm |
| 1-1/4 | 1.213"30.8 mm | 1.188–1.313"30.2–33.4 mm | 1.213–1.288"30.8–32.7 mm |
Unsanded also covers touch-sanded and overlaid panels. Where the label column shows two figures, the first is for unsanded panels and the second for sanded. 23/32 is highlighted. mm = inches × 25.4, rounded to 0.1 mm.
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How to read the chart
Find the fraction printed on your panel’s stamp in the Category column. PS 1 requires every panel to carry its Performance Category and a thickness label in thousandths of an inch, and the label has to sit inside the category’s range. Below 9/16, the recommended label is 3% over the unsanded minimum, so sanded and unsanded panels of one category have different recommended labels. From 9/16 up, both labels are the sanded minimum. A maker may print a different label as long as it’s inside the category’s range, so a stamp won’t always match the Label column.
Sanded and unsanded ranges
The two range columns are what a panel may actually measure. Unsanded grades such as C-D, and touch-sanded and overlaid panels, are held to 1/32" either side of the category up to 13/16, and 5% either side above that. Sanded panels are held to 1/64" up to 3/4, and 3% above.
23/32 and 3/4 are two categories
The 23/32 category is labeled .703" and the 3/4 category .734", 1/32" apart. Unsanded, both ranges include 0.719" to 0.750", so a sheet measuring in that band could be either one, and the stamp tells you which. Georgia-Pacific’s Plytanium sheathing comes in 3/8, 15/32, 19/32 and 23/32 categories at 0.354", 0.451", 0.578" and 0.703", which are PS 1’s recommended labels. Weyerhaeuser lists its southern pine sheathing as 11/32, 15/32, 19/32 and 23/32, and Roseburg’s AC sanded panel is 23/32" thick.
A caliper reading in inches or mm converts to its category too.
Convert a readingCabinet plywood
Hardwood plywood, used for furniture and cabinet panels where looks matter more than strength, is made to a different standard, HP-1. PS 1’s ranges don’t cover it, so measure the sheet itself.
Common questions
What does .703 mean on plywood?
It's the panel's thickness label in thousandths of an inch. .703 inch is 17.9 mm, the label PS 1 recommends for the 23/32 category.
How thick is 1/2 inch plywood?
Plywood called 1/2 inch can be stamped 15/32 or 1/2. The 15/32 category, the one Georgia-Pacific's Plytanium and Weyerhaeuser's southern pine sheathing come in, is labeled .451 inch (11.5 mm), from 0.438 to 0.500 inch unsanded. The true 1/2 category is labeled .483 inch (12.3 mm).
How thick is 5/8 plywood?
The 19/32 category is labeled .578 inch (14.7 mm) and the true 5/8 category .609 inch (15.5 mm). Georgia-Pacific's Plytanium and Weyerhaeuser's southern pine sheathing come in 19/32.
Where we get our information from
Thickness ranges and labels are from PS 1-22, Table 10 and Appendix D, and the labels also match APA’s TT-054C. The maker figures come from their own spec sheets and product pages. Millimetres are converted from inches and rounded to 0.1 mm. Checked against published data from NIST, APA, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Georgia-Pacific and Weyerhaeuser (plus 1 more).
See all 6 sources
- NIST, Voluntary Product Standard PS 1-22, Structural Plywood (2023)
- APA, Panel Thickness Tolerances and Labeling, Technical Topics TT-054C (2013): Table 1 and sample panel trademarks
- USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-190, 2010), chapter 11, wood-based composite materials
- Georgia-Pacific, Plytanium Plywood Rated Sheathing (product page and specification sheet)
- Weyerhaeuser, Southern Yellow Pine Plywood (product page)
- Roseburg, Exterior Core sanded plywood (product page)
Ranges are for US structural plywood made to PS 1. For a floor, roof or wall, the panel's span rating and your building code decide the thickness, so ask your building department.