Just found out my favorite plywood supplier has been giving me 4% less board foot than I paid for going back at least 2 years

Was doing inventory last Friday and double checked a stack of 3/4 birch against their invoice. My tape measure doesn't lie. 96 inches came in at 92.25 every single sheet. Called them up and the guy goes "oh yeah we shrink the sheet dimensions to account for sanding waste" like that's normal. I've probably lost $1200+ over the time I've dealt with them. Has anyone else caught their lumber yard pulling something shady like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamesblack3d ago

Brooke, you might want to double check your math on shelf sheets if you're still counting fingers. A 4x8 sheet of 3/4 plywood isn't actually 48x96 now at some places, like this guy found out. That 4% shrink adds up fast if you're doing a whole shelf wall - you could end up short half a sheet by the end of a big project. I've started measuring every stack before I load them, especially the birch since it's pricier per sheet. Just a habit from getting burned once myself.

burns.brooke3d ago

Man I probably wouldn't have caught that either, I'm still counting on my fingers to figure out how many sheets of plywood I need for a shelf.