How Much Does a Sheet of Laminated Plywood Weigh?

The short answer: A full 2440 × 1220mm sheet of our laminated board weighs from about 11kg to 42kg. The lightest is 4mm ply laminated on one side, at 11kg. 13mm lightweight ply comes in at about 23kg, 18mm birch ply at about 42kg and 18mm MDF at about 40kg. The table below covers every core and thickness we press.

Weight of a full sheet

All sheets are 2440 × 1220mm, the standard 8 × 4ft size. Both faces are laminated unless the table says one side. Weights are approximate, as the wood in a core varies a little from one batch to the next.

Board	Finished thickness	Weight per sheet	Weight per m²
4mm lightweight (poplar) ply, laminated one side	4.8mm	11kg	3.7kg
4mm lightweight (poplar) ply	5.6mm	13.5kg	4.5kg
13mm lightweight ply	14.6mm	23kg	7.7kg
4mm birch ply, laminated one side	4.8mm	11kg	3.7kg
4mm birch ply	5.6mm	14kg	4.7kg
15mm birch ply	16.6mm	36kg	12.1kg
18mm birch ply	19.6mm	42kg	14.1kg
15mm MDF	16.6mm	34kg	11.4kg
18mm MDF	19.6mm	40kg	13.4kg

More on each core: lightweight laminated plywood, laminated birch plywood and laminated MDF. The same figures are on our board data sheet.

Why the finished board is thicker than the core

We use high pressure laminate (HPL), which is 0.7 to 0.9mm thick. Each laminated face adds about 0.8mm, so an 18mm core laminated both sides finishes at about 19.6mm.

This catches people out when they compare suppliers. Our 13mm lightweight ply finishes at 14.6mm, and many sellers call that same board “15mm lightweight ply”. Compare it with their 15mm figures, not with a bare 15mm core.

We laminate both faces as standard because a board laminated on one side tends to bow. The 4mm boards are also available laminated one side, for linings that are fixed flat. Going by the 4mm weights, the second face adds about 2.5 to 3kg to a full sheet.

Weight and van payload

In a van conversion, the furniture comes out of your payload. Payload is the van’s gross vehicle weight minus its empty weight, and it also has to cover everyone on board and everything you pack. The core you choose makes a real difference to how much of it the furniture uses.

Say your cupboards and bed base use six full sheets of board around 15mm thick:

Board	Six sheets weigh about
13mm lightweight ply (14.6mm finished)	138kg
15mm MDF	204kg
15mm birch ply	216kg

That’s close to 80kg between the lightest and heaviest choice for the same furniture. Our campervan furniture boards page has more on boards for van builds.

Working out the weight of cut parts

A full sheet is 2.98m². To estimate the weight of a part, take its area in m², divide by 2.98 and multiply by the sheet weight. The weight per m² column in the table does the first step for you.

Take a 600 × 400mm cupboard door in 13mm lightweight ply:

1. Area: 0.6m × 0.4m = 0.24m²
2. Share of a sheet: 0.24 ÷ 2.98 = 0.081
3. Weight: 0.081 × 23kg = about 1.9kg

The same door weighs about 3.4kg in 18mm birch ply and about 3.2kg in 18mm MDF. Hinges and handles are extra.

For a whole build, add up the parts rather than counting sheets. The offcuts don’t go in the van, so a parts total gives a truer figure.

Lifting and delivery

As a general guide, a sheet over about 25kg is easier as a two-person lift. One person can manage the 4mm sheets and 13mm lightweight ply, though a full sheet is still awkward to carry on a windy day. The 15mm and 18mm birch ply and MDF sheets are a job for two.

We deliver on a pallet across mainland UK. Have someone on hand to help carry the sheets in, and bear in mind a stack adds up fast: ten sheets of 18mm MDF weigh about 400kg.

You can also collect free from our workshop in Plympton, Plymouth. Use the table to check your vehicle or trailer can take the load before you set off.

Free samples and cut to size

Every board is pressed to order, and our normal turnaround is two weeks from order. To check a colour before you buy, order a free sample of any of our 750+ decors from Formica, Egger, Polyrey, Merinolam, Altofina, Geaves and Stylam.

If you’d rather not handle full sheets at all, send us your cutting list or a DXF drawing. We nest the parts, cut them on CNC and can band the edges in the same job. Our cut to size page has the details, and our guide to cutting laminated board without chipping covers doing it yourself.