What Plywood to Use for Shelves? Home Furniture Home Improvement by Chloe Fowler - November 25, 2017November 25, 2017 What Plywood to Use for Shelves? Are you looking to build a plywood shelf? Even before you begin your project, it is important to understand where and how you intend to use the wooden shelf. For instance, if you want to place a shelf in your living room to keep books, you need a sturdy and spacious shelf that serves the purpose. Similarly, to display products in your store, such as ornaments, watches, and more – you will need shelves that are meant for display rather than the strength. Plywood is a good material for those interested in making their own shelves. The wood quality is available in various grades that determine the smoothness of the surface. Plywood is a relatively strong and durable variety of wood. In fact, it is also inexpensive compared to other types of wood. If you’re planning to make a shelf of your choice, then nothing beats the convenience of using plywood, which is easy to cut and make adjustments. It is difficult to advise a specific shelving material because it depends on the amount of weight that is placed on them. Plywood is stronger and doesn’t sag easily. Also, the moisture repelling characteristics of the material make it ideal for storing things especially in the kitchen. Kitchen cabinets made from plywood are most preferred as they not only keep the storage airtight, but also hold the maximum weight, especially evident for wall mounted frames. Less expensive CDX plywood is stronger and more efficient than solid lumber. But, it is crucial to choose the right panel. CDX is the most common choice in this case. Thickness of the panel ranges from ¼ to 1 ¼ inches while other measurements include 3/8, 5/8, ½ and ¾ inches. Due to the standard sanding of the wood finish, the actual thickness of the plywood sheets should be shorter than 1/32 inches size. The plywood variant is used for a number of applications including shelving. CDX plywood used for constructing shelves should be created a bit longer to enhance its capacity to hold the maximum load. It is the right choice for several home style DIY projects for its durable, inexpensive and resistant nature. How to build CDX Plywood Shelf Cut the lumber in vertical and horizontal legs. For a simple shelf, cut the legs in 2×4 in vertical and 2×6 that supports horizontal span. The screws and nails hold the plywood grade together. Start by building the shelf frame of the 2×6 piece. Assemble the 2×8 to accommodate in the frame. The horizontal wood frame should be sturdy enough to be able to provide the maximum support to the vertical ply. The benefit of using plywood of the CDX grade does not flex under pressure and is resistant to moisture and humidity. The way you design your shelf will ensure that it can hold a ton of stuff. Make a list of the materials needed and the lumber measurements to cut the wood clean. There are so many ways to frame your shelf – horizontal, cubical, vertical, corner, and much more. CDX plywood has a slight advantage over the OSB type due to its stiffness. Hence, when building a shelf cabinet, the subflooring panels need not be thick.