Just found out my goto plywood supplier in Phoenix has been selling me floor grade for 3 years

Was checking a label on a scrap piece and noticed it said BCX instead of ACX. Their sales guy even showed me a sample board back then and swore it was the right stuff. Anyone else ever get bait and switched on plywood grades?

3 comments

3 Comments

mila_murphy2119d ago

Isn't that just how everything is now though, people cutting corners everywhere you look?

shanelee19d ago

Yeah, ericj45 is spot on about the hidden stamps. Tbh I had the same thing happen with a supplier in Tucson a few years back, and what really saved me was taking a flashlight and checking every edge of every sheet before it leaves the yard. BCX usually has C-grade plugs or small knot holes on the back that ACX won't have, even if the face looks clean. Also, get yourself a pocket grade guide from APA - it lists the allowed defects for each face grade so you can spot a B side that's lying about being A pretty quick once you know what to look for.

ericj4519d ago

Flip the label over and check the back side for a grade stamp, some mills put it on the other face in a different spot. I found out the hard way that BCX and ACX can look almost identical from the front if the B side is hidden or sanded a bit. Your supplier might not even know they got sold the wrong stuff from their own distributor, it happens more than you'd think with commodity plywood.

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