Here’s a question most homeowners never think to ask: ‘What thickness of plywood are you using for my drawers?’ And yet, this single factor can be the difference between furniture that lasts 15 years and furniture that sags, warps, or comes apart within 3.
Plywood comes in a range of standard thicknesses — from 3mm all the way up to 18mm. Each has its ideal application, and using the wrong one is a common cost-cutting shortcut that contractors rarely advertise.
Standard Plywood Thicknesses and Their Uses
| Thickness | Best Used For |
| 3mm (1/8″) | Cabinet backing panels, decorative back panels — structural support not required |
| 5.2mm (1/4″) | Lightweight backing, small drawer bases with minimal load |
| 9mm (3/8″) | Drawer bases for light items (clothing, accessories) |
| 12mm (1/2″) | Standard drawer boxes, small shelf panels — good all-rounder |
| 15mm (5/8″) | Heavier drawer boxes, mid-span shelving, kitchen base cabinets |
| 18mm (3/4″) | Main cabinet carcass, shelves bearing significant load, worktops |
Why Thickness Gets Cut
The most common cost-cutting move is using 9mm plywood where 12mm or 15mm should be used — particularly for drawer boxes and shelf panels. The saving per sheet is small, but across an entire apartment’s worth of carpentry, it adds up for the contractor. For you, the homeowner, it means drawers that flex under load and shelves that bow over time.
What to Look For in Your Quotation
A detailed carpentry quotation should specify the plywood thickness for each component — not just ‘custom carpentry’ as a line item. Ask for a breakdown that includes:
- Carcass/main body thickness (should be 18mm)
- Shelf panel thickness (15mm minimum for shelves over 600mm span)
- Drawer box thickness (12mm for standard drawers, 9mm only for very lightweight use)
- Back panel thickness (9mm is fine)
If your contractor can’t or won’t provide this breakdown, you don’t have enough information to make a fair comparison between quotes.
Our Standard at My Reno Studio
We use 18mm E0 plywood for all main cabinet carcasses, 15mm for shelving, and 12mm for drawer boxes as our baseline specification. This is what we believe every homeowner deserves — and we put it in writing in every quotation.
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