ISO 13608:2014

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 13608
First edition
2014-02-15
Plywood — Decorative veneered
plywood
Contreplaqué — Contreplaqué à placage décoratif
Reference number
©
ISO 2014
© ISO 2014
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ii © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Classifications . 2
4.1 Classification according to the decorative veneer . 2
4.2 Classification according to the face . 2
4.3 Classification according to exposure classes . 2
5 Requirements and test methods . 2
5.1 Panel dimensions and tolerances . 2
5.2 Surface appearance requirements and determination of quality grade . 3
5.3 Physical and chemical requirements, sampling, and test methods . 3
5.4 Conformance . 6
6 Marking, identification, and documentation . 6
Annex A (normative) Immersion and delamination test . 7
Annex B (normative) High-low temperature cycle test . 9
Annex C (informative) Classification by surface appearance .11
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
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electrotechnical standardization.
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described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
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to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 89, Wood based panels, Subcommittee SC 3,
Plywood.
iv © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 13608:2014(E)
Plywood — Decorative veneered plywood
1 Scope
This International Standard specifies the terms, classifications, requirements, test methods, marking,
for decorative veneered plywood with natural wood veneer, coloured veneer, laminated veneer,
multilaminar veneer, and other types of veneer as decorative surface and plywood as a core panel,
where the surface veneer thickness is less than 0,55 mm.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 1954, Plywood — Tolerances on dimensions
ISO 2074:2007, Plywood — Vocabulary
ISO 2426-1, Plywood — Classification by surface appearance — Part 1: General
ISO 2426-2, Plywood — Classification by surface appearance — Part 2: Hardwood
ISO 2426-3, Plywood — Classification by surface appearance — Part 3: Softwood
ISO 9426, Wood-based panels — Determination of dimensions of panels
ISO 12460-1, Wood-based panels — Determination of formaldehyde release — Part 1: Formaldehyde
emission by the 1-cubic-metre chamber method
ISO 12460-3, Wood-based panels — Determination of formaldehyde release — Part 3: Gas analysis method
ISO 12460-4, Wood-based panels — Determination of formaldehyde release — Part 4: Desiccator method
ISO 12465, Plywood — Specifications
ISO 12466-1, Plywood — Bonding quality — Part 1: Test methods
ISO 12466-2, Plywood — Bonding quality — Part 2: Requirements
ISO 16979, Wood-based panels — Determination of moisture content
ISO 18775, Veneers — Terms and definitions, determination of physical characteristics and tolerances
ISO/IEC 17065, Conformity assessment requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 2074, ISO 12465, ISO 18775,
and the following apply.
3.1
decorative veneered plywood
plywood with natural wood veneer, coloured veneer, laminated veneer, multilaminar veneer, and any
other types of veneer as decorative surface and plywood as a core panel, where the surface veneer
thickness is less than 0,55 mm
3.2
coloured veneer
wood veneer produced from either bleaching or dying procedure
3.3
laminated wood veneer
veneer sliced from wood flitch that is assembled from small pieces of wood strips with joints parallel to
grain
3.4
colour difference
difference between surface colour of the decorative veneer and the control colour of the sample veneer
colour or uneven colour of the surface in some case
Note 1 to entry: It does not include the colour difference between early wood and later wood, as well as the natural
grain colour difference on the wood surface itself.
4 Classifications
4.1 Classification according to the decorative veneer
a) natural wood veneered plywood;
b) coloured veneered plywood;
c) laminated wood veneered plywood;
d) multilaminar decorative veneered plywood.
4.2 Classification according to the face
a) single-faced decorative veneered plywood;
b) double-faced decorative veneered plywood.
4.3 Classification according to exposure classes
a) Exposure Class 1: for use in dry conditions;
b) Exposure Class 2: for use in tropical-dry/humid conditions.
5 Requirements and test methods
5.1 Panel dimensions and tolerances
5.1.1 General
Test methods and requirements as given in ISO 1954 and ISO 9426 apply to determine length, width,
squareness, and edge straightness of the panel.
5.1.2 Panel thickness and tolerances
Tolerance of thickness of decorative veneered plywood refers to the nominal thickness marked on the
product label and shall satisfy the requirements given in Table 1.
Tolerance of thickness within one panel shall satisfy the requirements given in Table 1.
2 © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

Table 1 — Thickness tolerance for decorative veneered plywood
Dimension in millimetres
Thickness, Thickness tolerance within one
Tolerance on nominal thickness
t panel
t < 4 0,3 ±0,20
4 ≤ t < 7 0,5 ±0,30
7 ≤ t < 20 0,6 ±0,40
t ≥ 20 0,6 ±0,50
5.2 Surface appearance requirements and determination of quality grade
5.2.1 Determination of surface appearance
5.2.1.1 Apparatus
— Scale magnifier glass;
— Photoelectric integrating colour measurement instrument;
— Steel rule, to an accuracy of 0,5 mm.
5.2.1.2 Test method
— Inspect visually the surface appearance for each panel tested;
— Classify the decorative veneered plywood in accordance with criteria given in Annex C.
5.2.2 Quality grades
Decorative veneered plywood shall be classified by the surface appearance.
The list of characteristics which shall be taken into account is given in ISO 2426-1.
NOTE 1 An example of classification according to appearance classes is given in ISO 2426-2 and ISO 2426-3.
The classes of the surface are chosen from classes E, I, or II. (See Annex C.)
NOTE 2 The quality grades of the face and back surface appearance are usually defined by contract.
Colour difference allowance shall follow the agreement or contract. Photoelectric integrating colour
measurement instrument or photo electricity integral colourimeter shall be employed for arbitration,
and
a) indiscernible refers to the total colour difference lower than 1,5,
b) inconspicuous refers to the total colour difference between 1,5 approximately 3,0, and
c) obvious refers to the total colour difference higher than 3,0.
5.3 Physical and chemical requirements, sampling, and test methods
5.3.1 Requirements
Unless otherwise specified, requirements and test methods given in Table 2 shall be fulfilled.
Determination of the formaldehyde release shall be carried out in accordance with ISO 12460-1 as the
reference method and ISO 12460-3 or ISO 12460-4 for factory production control.
Table 2 — Specifications
Characteristics Test method Requirements
Moisture content (%) ISO 16979 6,0 — 14,0
Immersion and delamination test Annex A Length of failure or delamination between surface
veneer and plywood shall be less than 25 mm on each
side.
High-low temperature cycle test Annex B No crack, blister, crinkle, on surface
a 3
Formaldehyde release ISO 12460-1 ≤0,124 mg/m
NOTE If there is specific national or local law setting a lower limit of formaldehyde release, it applies.
a
If factory production control methods are employed to determine formaldehyde release, a correlation between the
utilized method and the 1-cubic-meter chamber method as in ISO 12460-1 shall be established.
When the faced decorative veneered plywood is manufactured in a two-stage process, the substrate
plywood shall meet the requirements of ISO 12465.
5.3.2 Sampling and preparation of test pieces
Preparation of test pieces for properties determination is given in Figure 1 and Figure 2. Three samples
shall be cut from one panel to be tested as shown in Figure 1. Then test pieces for moisture content
test, immersion and delamination test, high-low temperature cycle test, and formaldehyde release
determination are cut as shown in Figure 2. All the test pieces shall be coded in sequence.
Key
1, 2, and 3 samples
4 length of panel
5 half-length of panel
6 width of panel
Figure 1 — Example of cutting plan for test sample preparation
4 © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

Key
1, 2, 3, and 4 samples as given in Table 3
5 length of panel
6 width of panel
Figure 2 — Example of cutting plan for test pieces preparation
When cutting test pieces, it is possible to change the cutting position to avoid any defect that could affect
the accuracy of test results. The surface of the test pieces shall be kept clean.
The dimension and number of test pieces shall follow the requirements in Table 3 with marking.
Table 3 — Dimension and number of test pieces
Dimension
Marking of
Property (length × width) Number Note
samples
mm
Moisture content 100 × 100 or at least 3 ① —
20 g
Immersion delamination 75 × 75 6 ② —
High-low temperature cycle 150 × 150 3 ③ —
Formaldehyde 1-Cubic-metre 500 × 500 2 ④ Two test pieces could be taken from
release chamber any position from test sample as
method shown in Figure 1.
Desiccator 150 × 50
...