BS1088 specifies requirements for two classes of marine plywood:

• standard; and

• lightweight,

intended for use primarily in the manufacture of marine craft and in other marine and waterway applications.

The requirements also take into consideration the use of marine plywood in building construction.

BS1088 addresses in particular the resistance of plywood to bio-deterioration and loss of bond strength with time. It does not make provision for other properties which might additionally be relevant in a particular end use.

Plywood made in accordance with this standard might also need to meet additional requirements in legislation and/or standards specific to its end use that are not covered by this standard.

With particular reference to building construction, experience has shown that rapid ingress of water at the panel edge during the build process can cause differential swelling in the core, resulting in localized catastrophic rupture of the wood fibres, thus giving the appearance of delamination. If subsequent integrity of the waterproof envelope of the building is not maintained, similar problems can arise. BS1088 cannot make provision for such events since the choice of veneer species is based only on density and resistance to bio-deterioration.

NOTE1 Where marine plywood is to be used in building construction, attention is drawn to the Construction Products Regulations 2013 [1]. Conformity with these can be verified through demonstrating conformity with BSEN13986.

NOTE2 When used in building construction, good site practice with particular reference to protection of the building elements against wetting is of the highest importance for ensuring the intended results for the building.