Compare plywood and block board.

             

Sr. No.	BLOCK BOARD	PLYWOOD
1.	Block boards have thickness like 16mm, 19mm, and 25mm.	Plywood have thickness like 3mm, 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 15mm, 19mm, 25mm etc.
2.	In block board, the core is of battens and, two thin plywood are placed on either side of the battens.	Odd No. of plies/veneers are pasted to each other with alternate layers having cross grains.
3.	Block board is used as structural member, shelving and for panels.	Plywood is used for backing also, in addition to these uses.
4.	Fixing of Screws / Nails on the edge of the block board is easily done.	In plywood screws and nails are to be fitted with care. Screws with lengths less than 25 mm do not fit properly.
5.	It is possible to round the sheet across the length by removing ply/veneer of one side.	In plywood, only 3mm and 4mm plywood can be rounded across the length. It is not possible to bend plywood from 8mm onwards.
6.	Block boards are more prone to termite, since these can have gaps between the battens. In these gaps termites lay eggs.	Plywood is relatively less prone to termite since the gaps between layers are filled with adhesive while the ply is getting manufactured
7.	Block board has poor bending stiffness across the width of the sheet.	Plywood has almost the same bending stiffness in both axes.
8.	Block board is about 10 % cheaper than plywood of the same thickness and quality.	Plywood is about 10 % costlier than Block board of the same thickness and quality.