Plywood & OSB Weight Chart — Panel Thicknesses & Sheet Weights
Plywood and OSB panel thicknesses per PS 1 and PS 2 with APA-published weights per square foot and computed 4x8 sheet weights.
Updated August 22, 2026
Structural wood panels are labeled by performance category, not by exact thickness — and the two stopped matching decades ago. A “1/2-inch” subfloor panel at the yard is almost always a 15/32 category panel, and “3/4-inch” sheathing is 23/32. The categories themselves come from the U.S. Voluntary Product Standards: PS 1-19 for plywood and PS 2-18 for OSB and plywood performance panels, both free public documents. The first table lists the standard category ladder with the exact decimal and metric equivalents of each label.
The weight table transcribes APA’s published approximate panel weights — the numbers the association tells engineers to use for dead-load calculations — and computes the rest: OSB weighs 10% more than plywood of the same category (APA’s own adjustment rule, a consequence of OSB’s higher resin content and compressed strand mat), and a 4×8 sheet is exactly 32 square feet. So a 23/32 (“3/4”) plywood sheet computes to about 70 lb and its OSB twin to about 77 lb — worth knowing before you order a lift or carry sheets up a ladder solo. Only categories whose APA figures could be verified in two independent publications are tabulated; several odd categories are omitted rather than estimated.
Panel Performance Categories — PS 1-19 (Plywood) / PS 2-18 (OSB & Plywood)
| Performance category | Thickness (in, decimal) | Thickness (mm, computed) |
|---|---|---|
| 3/8 | 0.375 | 9.5 |
| 7/16 | 0.438 | 11.1 |
| 15/32 | 0.469 | 11.9 |
| 1/2 | 0.500 | 12.7 |
| 19/32 | 0.594 | 15.1 |
| 5/8 | 0.625 | 15.9 |
| 23/32 | 0.719 | 18.3 |
| 3/4 | 0.750 | 19.0 |
| 7/8 | 0.875 | 22.2 |
| 1 | 1.000 | 25.4 |
| 1-1/8 | 1.125 | 28.6 |
The category label is the panel’s nominal thickness class, not a guaranteed measurement — PS 1 and PS 2 allow thickness tolerances that differ between sanded and unsanded panels (see the standards for the tolerance tables). Decimal and mm columns are fraction arithmetic, computed.
APA Approximate Panel Weights (Gated) & Computed 4×8 Sheet Weights
| Category (sold as) | Plywood (psf) | OSB (psf, computed +10%) | Plywood 4×8 sheet (lb, computed) | OSB 4×8 sheet (lb, computed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/8 (3/8″) | 1.1 | 1.21 | 35 | 38.7 |
| 1/2 (1/2″) | 1.5 | 1.65 | 48 | 52.8 |
| 19/32 (5/8″) | 1.8 | 1.98 | 58 | 63.4 |
| 23/32 (3/4″) | 2.2 | 2.42 | 70 | 77.4 |
| 3/4 (true 3/4″ sanded) | 2.3 | 2.53 | 74 | 81.0 |
| 1 (1″) | 3.0 | 3.30 | 96 | 105.6 |
Plywood psf per APA Panel Design Specification Table 6 (dead-load values); OSB = plywood × 1.10 per the same table’s footnote; sheet weights = psf × 32 ft². The 7/16, 15/32, 5/8, 7/8, and 1-1/8 categories are omitted: their APA figures could not be verified in a second independent publication (1-1/8 sources disagree outright). Actual production panels vary with species and resin — treat these as design dead loads, not scale weights.
Sources & Further Reading
- PS 1-19 (Structural Plywood) and PS 2-18 (Performance Standard for Wood-Based Structural-Use Panels) — U.S. DOC/NIST Voluntary Product Standards (performance-category ladder)
- APA Panel Design Specification (Form D510), Table 6 — approximate panel weights (psf) and the “increase tabulated weights by 10% for OSB” rule
- Independent APA-traceable reproductions used for the weight gate: Ohio University “Weights of Materials” structural dead-load list; Dan Smith PE material-weight list; UMass BCT OSB-vs-plywood article (confirms the OSB weight premium)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a sheet of 3/4-inch plywood weigh?
A “3/4-inch” panel from the yard is usually the 23/32 performance category, which computes to about 70 lb per 4×8 sheet from APA’s 2.2 psf dead-load figure — and about 77 lb in OSB. True 3/4 sanded plywood runs 2.3 psf, or roughly 74 lb a sheet. Actual scale weight swings a few pounds either way with species and moisture; the tabulated values are the ones engineers use for dead load.
Why is my 1/2-inch plywood actually 15/32 thick?
Because panels are graded by performance category, and the category delivers the structural properties at the thinner dimension. PS 1 and PS 2 define 15/32 and 1/2 as separate categories with their own tolerances, but the market sells 15/32 as “1/2” and 19/32 as “5/8” — the span ratings stamped on the panel, not the label, are what the code checks. If a detail genuinely needs 0.500 in of wood, specify the category, not the trade name.
Why does OSB weigh more than plywood of the same thickness?
OSB is made of compressed strands with more resin and wax and fewer voids than a veneer lay-up, so its density is higher — APA’s design rule is simply to add 10% to the plywood weight for the same category. That extra mass is why a 23/32 OSB subfloor sheet computes to about 77 lb versus 70 for plywood, and it is also part of why OSB feels stiffer underfoot at the same span rating while soaking up more water weight when wet.
What span rating do I need — and why isn’t there a span table here?
The stamp reads like 32/16: the first number is the maximum roof-support spacing in inches, the second the maximum floor-joist spacing. 24/16 covers 16″ o.c. roofs and floors; Sturd-I-Floor panels carry a single floor span number. This chart omits a full rating-by-category table because ratings depend on grade and construction, not thickness alone — check the stamp on the actual panel and the APA span tables for the load case.
Try the Calculators
Plywood & OSB Weight Chart — Panel Thicknesses & Sheet Weights — reuven.tools/reference/plywood-osb-panels — verified against: PS 1-19 (Structural Plywood) and PS 2-18 (Performance Standard for Wood-Based Structural-Use Panels) — U.S. DOC/NIST Voluntary Product Standards (performance-category ladder); APA Panel Design Specification (Form D510), Table 6 — approximate panel weights (psf) and the “increase tabulated weights by 10% for OSB” rule; Independent APA-traceable reproductions used for the weight gate: Ohio University “Weights of Materials” structural dead-load list; Dan Smith PE material-weight list; UMass BCT OSB-vs-plywood article (confirms the OSB weight premium)