Custom-Cut Phenolic Plywood: A Durable, Moisture-Resistant Solution for Commercial, Industrial & Agricultural Projects
Did you know that years ago, Accurate CNC began as a woodshop?
Well, we did—and though we’ve grown into a full-service CNC machine shop, we’ve never forgotten our roots. Our customers still rely on our woodworking capabilities for a wide variety of projects. But across all of the projects we’ve worked on and all of the types of wood we’ve worked with, one of the most common and versatile materials is trusty, reliable plywood.
Among the many types of plywood to choose from, phenolic plywood stands out as a robust and durable material that’s useful for a broad range of industrial and agricultural applications. Though if you’ve never worked with phenolic plywood before, you might not even know that it exists—or that custom-cut phenolic plywood may be a great option for your next project.
How is Phenolic Plywood Different from Standard Plywood?
Just like standard plywood, phenolic plywood is available in numerous sizes, thicknesses, and plies—among the most versatile and cost-effective is ¾” 13-ply. Available in standard size 4’x8’ sheets, phenolic plywood is easy to work with and can be cut just like standard plywood.
What separates phenolic plywood from its standard counterparts is the non-stick phenolic resin coating. This thin layer is bonded to each side of the plywood to enhance strength, durability, and moisture-resistance. To increase moisture-resistance even further, we recommend sealing the edges of phenolic plywood to encapsulate the material in a water-resistant coating and ensure maximum longevity.
Once the edges are treated, phenolic plywood is an exceptional material to use within humid environments, as well as for many industrial applications where durability or moisture are considerations.
The One Downside to Phenolic Plywood
While phenolic plywood offers a variety of benefits, it does have one drawback—wood stain, varnish, and paint don’t adhere to the resin coating. As such, if you choose to use phenolic plywood for your project, be certain that the color and finish you purchase is acceptable for your aesthetic requirements and application.
Phenolic Plywood vs. MDF and Fiberboard
If you’re considering using MDF or fiberboard, our simple advice is—just don’t. These options are inexpensive, but there’s a reason. MDF and fiberboard are heavy, crack and warp easily, and are not resistant to moisture. There are many alternatives available depending on your needs—standard plywood and phenolic plywood cost only slightly more and will last far longer. Durable plastics like UHMW are another fantastic option.
But if you’re not sure which material is best for your project, that’s what we’re here for; we’re happy to advise you on choosing the best material for your design and end-use application.
Industrial Applications for Custom-Cut Phenolic Plywood
Phenolic plywood is an incredibly popular material for industrial applications, particularly in construction, agriculture, and high-volume retail environments.
We regularly use phenolic plywood to manufacture parts and products like:
Conveyor Beds
Phenolic plywood is strong, smooth, and wear-resistant, making it an ideal surface for belt-driven conveyor systems that carry pallets across assembly and packaging lines. In fact, among our customers, this is the most common use for phenolic plywood.
Concrete Forms
Due to its strength, moisture-resistance, and cost, custom-cut phenolic plywood is widely used for concrete forms. However, as you might expect, it will have a shorter lifespan than steel forms. Nevertheless, phenolic plywood can be great for short-term or one-off commercial projects around the home or on the farm.
Workbenches and Cabinetry
Far superior to MDF and fiberboard and cheaper than steel, phenolic plywood is an excellent material for building workbenches and cabinetry, especially if they’ll be used in high-moisture environments or regularly be exposed to liquids.
Industrial Flooring
With its durability and moisture resistance, custom-cut phenolic plywood is great for industrial flooring. Not only is it strong enough to support heavy loads, it will hold up for many years and is incredibly easy to clean.
Retail Fixtures
In high-traffic retail environments, fixtures have to be durable, functional, attractive, and easy to clean; luckily, phenolic plywood has all of those properties. In addition, phenolic plywood can easily be cut to create unique brand-specific fixtures.
Agricultural Structures
Some of our own favorite uses for phenolic plywood are agricultural structures—we use phenolic plywood for chicken coops and garden beds. Not only does it hold up well outdoors, its moisture-resistance and non-stick phenolic coating mean we can just hose out the chicken coops without needing to scrape or scrub.
Accurate CNC: Your Source for Phenolic Plywood CNC Routing Services
Custom-cut phenolic plywood is an excellent option for many projects, and is incredibly easy to work with. However, it’s even easier when you’re using it as part of our CNC wood router services—you won’t even have to go to the lumber yard because we have phenolic plywood in stock!
No hauling plywood home and converting the garage to a wood shop. No “close enough” cuts. No hassle at all. Whatever you want to manufacture from phenolic plywood, our CNC router service provides a fast and cost-effective solution.
And with our Accurate Transport delivery and freight transportation services, if you’re within 100 miles of our Idaho machine shop, we can bring your finished parts straight to your door.
Want to get a quote for custom-cut phenolic plywood parts? Have a project in mind that phenolic plywood might be great for? Contact our team and let us know what you have in mind.