Plywood Weight Calculator
Calculate plywood weight by wood species, thickness, and sheet count.
Includes density tables for oak, walnut, birch, maple, and more.
Plywood Weight Calculation
Plywood weight depends on three factors: the wood species (density), the panel thickness, and the sheet dimensions.
Different species have very different densities.
A sheet of oak plywood weighs nearly twice as much as the same sheet in cedar.
The Formula
Weight = Volume × Density
For a standard 4×8 ft (1220 × 2440 mm) sheet: Weight (lbs) = (Thickness in inches / 12) × 32 ft² × Density (lbs/ft³)
Or in metric: Weight (kg) = Thickness (m) × 2.977 m² × Density (kg/m³)
Plywood Density Reference Table
| Species | Density (lbs/ft³) | Density (kg/m³) | Weight per 3/4" 4×8 sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balsa | 10 | 160 | 20 lbs (9 kg) |
| Cedar | 23 | 368 | 46 lbs (21 kg) |
| Pine (Southern Yellow) | 35 | 561 | 70 lbs (32 kg) |
| Poplar | 29 | 465 | 58 lbs (26 kg) |
| Birch (Baltic) | 42 | 673 | 84 lbs (38 kg) |
| Maple (Hard) | 44 | 705 | 88 lbs (40 kg) |
| Walnut (Black) | 38 | 609 | 76 lbs (34 kg) |
| Oak (Red) | 44 | 705 | 88 lbs (40 kg) |
| Oak (White) | 47 | 753 | 94 lbs (43 kg) |
| Ash | 42 | 673 | 84 lbs (38 kg) |
| Cherry | 35 | 561 | 70 lbs (32 kg) |
| MDF | 48 | 769 | 96 lbs (44 kg) |
| OSB (Oriented Strand Board) | 40 | 641 | 80 lbs (36 kg) |
| Marine Plywood | 42 | 673 | 84 lbs (38 kg) |
Important Notes About Plywood Density
Plywood is not solid wood. It is thin veneers glued together, and that changes the number.
The glue adds weight, while the core veneers are usually a lighter species than the face.
A “walnut plywood” panel is normally walnut face veneers over a poplar or birch core, which is
why a real panel comes in 10 to 15 percent under solid walnut of the same size.
The densities in the table above are already panel densities, glue and mixed core included. They are not solid-wood values, so do not subtract that 10 to 15 percent a second time.
Worked Example
You need 6 sheets of 1/2" thick walnut plywood (4×8 ft sheets).
Per sheet, nominal: (0.5 / 12) × 32 × 38 = 50.7 lbs Total, nominal: 50.7 × 6 = 304 lbs (138 kg)
Now the same sum on the thickness the sheet actually measures, 0.451":
Per sheet: (0.451 / 12) × 32 × 38 = 45.7 lbs Total: 45.7 × 6 = 274 lbs (124 kg)
Thirty pounds of difference on six sheets, and the second figure is the real one. At 45.7 lbs a single sheet is a one-person lift if you have a panel carrier, but all six together is a real load in a half-ton pickup, which typically tops out near 1,500 lbs of payload once you are in it.
Common Plywood Thicknesses
A sheet sold as 3/4" has not measured 3/4" since the 1960s. Sanding takes some off, and the mills settled on the numbers below:
| Nominal | Actual | Metric | Shortfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4" | 0.205" | 5.2 mm | 18% |
| 3/8" | 0.354" | 9.0 mm | 6% |
| 1/2" | 0.451" | 11.5 mm | 10% |
| 5/8" | 0.578" | 14.7 mm | 8% |
| 3/4" | 0.703" | 17.9 mm | 6% |
| 1" | 0.953" | 24.2 mm | 5% |
The shortfall column is the part worth reading. It is not a flat 5 percent across the board: thin panels lose proportionally the most, so 1/4" ply weighs nearly a fifth less than its nominal thickness suggests, while 1" is within 5 percent.
This calculator reports both numbers. The nominal figure is what the arithmetic in the formula gives you, and the actual figure uses the measured thickness from the table above. Order and load against the actual figure, since that is the sheet that turns up on the truck.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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