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Solid Wood and Veneered Panels: Cores, Faces and Grades

Edge-glued solid panels, veneered plywood and MDF, laminated blanks and sliced veneer cut to size. Send size, thickness, core, face species, face grade and quantity.

Send an RFQProduct lines
Wood panels: light hardwood boards and panel edges

Panels are the flat material other products are made from: edge-glued solid wood panels, veneered plywood and MDF, laminated blanks for thick parts and the veneer itself. Furniture and cabinet makers buy them as full sheets to cut in their own plant, or cut to size and ready to edge band.

A panel is defined by its core and its faces. The core sets weight, flatness, screw holding and cost. The face sets the look: species, how the veneer was cut, how the leaves are matched and the face grade. A veneered panel needs the same type of veneer on both faces to stay flat, so the back face is part of the spec too.

What this covers

  • Edge-glued solid wood panels, full stave or finger-jointed
  • Veneered plywood and MDF sheets
  • Cut-to-size and edge-banded panels for furniture and cabinets
  • Laminated blanks for legs, posts and thick parts
  • Sliced and rotary veneer sheets and spliced faces
  • Solid wood and veneer edge banding
Panels and veneerAt a glance
Species
White oak, Red oak, Black walnut, Hard maple, Cherry, Ash, Rubberwood, Acacia, Radiata pine, Plywood, MDF, Particleboard
Processes
Kiln drying, Rough milling, Finger jointing and edge gluing, Planing and moulding, Veneering and pressing, CNC routing, Sanding and finishing, Inspection and packing
Order size
Panels are usually priced per cubic meter or per sheet and shipped by the container. Standard sheet sizes and stock faces move faster. Custom species, face grades or cut-to-size work often carry a minimum per layup or per size.
Rules
  • TSCA Title VI for hardwood plywood, MDF and particleboard sold in the US: third party certified and labeled
  • EU formaldehyde emission limits for wood-based panels under REACH (Regulation (EU) 2023/1464)
  • ANSI/HPVA HP-1 is the common voluntary grading standard for hardwood plywood faces in the US
  • EUDR due diligence for wood placed on the EU market

Panels and veneer by product line

Each line has its own page with typical specs, species, construction options and the RFQ checklist factories quote from.

Edge glued panels

Solid wood panels glued from narrow staves, full length or finger-jointed, sanded to thickness and cut to size for furniture, shelving, stair treads and table tops.

How it is built

  • Edge-glued solid panelStaves glued side by side. Can be sanded, profiled and refinished, but moves with humidity across the width.
  • Veneer on MDFThe flattest face for veneer or paint. Heavy, and weaker at screw holes near edges.
  • Veneer on plywoodLighter and stronger in screw holding than MDF. Core voids or grain can show through thin faces.
  • Veneer on particleboardLowest cost core. Fine for flat case parts, poor for edges that take fasteners or moisture.
  • Face cut and matchRotary, plain sliced or quarter sliced veneer, laid book matched, slip matched or random. Each gives a different look and price.

What to send for a quote

  1. Panel length, width and thickness, with tolerances
  2. Core type and, for edge-glued panels, stave width and whether finger joints are allowed
  3. Face species, cut and match, plus face grade and back grade
  4. Emission standard the panel must meet for your market
  5. Sanded to which grit, primed or prefinished
  6. Quantity per size and how panels should be stacked and protected

Where orders go wrong

  • Unbalanced panels warpA veneer on one face and a different backer on the other pulls the panel into a bow. Ask for the same type and thickness of veneer on both faces.
  • Sand-through on thin facesThin veneer leaves little to sand before the core shows. Give a minimum face thickness if your plant will sand or profile the panels.
  • Core telegraphingPlywood voids, core joints or glue lumps show through a thin face under a gloss finish. Ask for a finished sample on the actual core.
  • Stave color variationEdge-glued panels from mixed lots look striped. Ask for color sorting rules and a reference sample.
Send an RFQ for panels and veneer

Questions about panels and veneer

Related guides:

What face grade should I ask for on veneered panels?

In the US, ANSI/HPVA HP-1 grades faces with letters (AA, A, B and lower) and backs with numbers. Visible faces on furniture and cabinets are often specified as A or better, with a lower back grade for hidden faces. If you use another grading system, describe the allowed defects in words and approve a sample.

Can panels meet US and EU emission rules in one order?

Often yes, but confirm it per product. Composite cores for the US must be certified to TSCA Title VI by a third party certifier and labeled, and the EU sets formaldehyde limits for wood-based panels under REACH. Ask for the certificates that cover the actual core supplier and lot.

Should I buy full sheets or cut-to-size panels?

Full sheets suit plants that nest their own parts and want flexibility. Cut-to-size and edge-banded panels save your cutting and edging time and lower freight on waste, but each size becomes a line item with its own minimum. Send your parts list and ask the factories to quote both ways.

How do I approve a veneer face before production?

Ask for a sample panel with the actual face species, cut and match on the actual core, sanded or finished the way you will use it. For projects where faces must match across a room, ask whether the plant can keep panels in sequence from one flitch and how it labels them.

Other product types

One RFQ, up to 3 factories that make panels and veneer

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