Sheet size & thickness · Malaysia
The standard plywood sheet in Malaysia is 2440 × 1220 mm (8ft × 4ft), and the thicknesses in normal use are 9 mm, 12 mm and 18 mm. 18 mm is what cabinet carcasses, doors and shelves are built from; 9 mm is for back panels. One sheet covers 2.977 m² (about 32 sq ft), and a pallet of 50 sheets covers roughly 149 m² before cutting waste.JIYU supplies 2440 × 1220 mm in 18 mm (9-ply or 11-ply cross-laminated) and 6 mm (backs and drawer bottoms), both ENF grade and in stock. Need a different thickness for a job? Ask — we will tell you straight whether we can supply it.
The standard sheet
Cutting plans, CNC nesting files and price comparisons in Malaysia all assume this sheet. If a quotation does not state the size, this is what it means.
Thickness by application
The mistake that costs most is going thinner on a carcass to save per sheet, then paying for it in sagging shelves and hinge screws that will not hold.
| Thickness | Where it is used | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 18 mm | Cabinet carcass, doors, shelves | The workhorse. Holds hinge and runner screws; does not sag at normal shelf spans. |
| 12 mm | Drawer bottoms, light panels, partitions | Fine where nothing heavy is carried and no hinge is screwed in. |
| 9 mm | Cabinet back panels, lining | Non-structural. Keeps the cabinet lighter and the cost down. |
| 6 mm and below | Lining, templates, packing | Not for carcass work — too little material for a screw to hold. |
⚠️ These are the thicknesses in general use in the Malaysian market. JIYU’s own standard is 18 mm — for anything else, ask first rather than assume it is in stock.
Quantity maths
Work in square metres, then add waste. Ordering exactly to the calculated area is how jobs end up one sheet short on the last day.
| One sheet (2440 × 1220 mm) | 2.977 m² | About 32 sq ft |
| One pallet (50 sheets) | ≈ 148.9 m² | JIYU minimum order |
| Add for cutting waste | 10–15% | Depends how efficiently your parts nest |
Istilah Bahasa Malaysia
Worth knowing if your workshop, supplier and site foreman are not all using the same language on the same job.
| English | Bahasa Malaysia | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Plywood | Papan lapis | Kadang disebut “plywood” juga dalam industri |
| Sheet size | Saiz papan | 2440 mm × 1220 mm (8 kaki × 4 kaki) |
| Thickness | Ketebalan | 9 mm / 12 mm / 18 mm |
| Blockboard | Papan blok | Teras kayu padat — bukan papan lapis |
| Formaldehyde grade | Gred formaldehid | ENF ialah gred paling ketat (≤ 0.025 mg/m³) |
Questions we get asked
2440 × 1220 mm, which is 8 feet × 4 feet. Practically every cutting plan, CNC nesting file and price comparison in the Malaysian market is built around this sheet, so it is the size to assume unless a supplier says otherwise.
Saiz standard ialah 2440 mm × 1220 mm (8 kaki × 4 kaki). Ketebalan yang biasa digunakan ialah 9 mm, 12 mm dan 18 mm — 18 mm untuk kabinet dan rak, 9 mm untuk panel belakang.
9 mm, 12 mm and 18 mm cover most furniture and interior work. 18 mm is the workhorse for cabinet carcasses, doors and shelves; 12 mm for lighter panels and drawer bottoms; 9 mm for back panels. Thinner sheets exist for lining and formwork but are not used for carcass construction.
18 mm. At an 800 mm span, anything at or below 15 mm starts to sag under normal loading, and once a shelf has sagged it does not come back. If the span has to be longer than 900 mm, add a support rather than more thickness.
For our 18 mm board, one pallet is 50 sheets — that is also our minimum order, so a first order stays small enough to test the board in your own production before committing to volume.
A 2440 × 1220 mm sheet is 2.977 m² (about 32 sq ft). Working from that, 50 sheets on a pallet is roughly 149 m². Add 10–15% for cutting waste depending on how efficiently your parts nest.
Ask, and ask in writing. A panel sold as 18 mm that measures nearer 17 mm across the sheet will show up in the fit of every door and drawer front. Consistency between sheets matters more for production than the nominal number.
Our standard is 2440 × 1220 mm in two thicknesses: 18 mm (9-ply or 11-ply cross-laminated, for carcasses, doors and shelves) and 6 mm (for cabinet backs and drawer bottoms). Both are in stock, ENF grade. If you need a different thickness for a specific job, ask on WhatsApp and we will tell you straight whether we can supply it.
Send us the job — cabinet run, panel list or total area — and we will come back with sheet count, specification and the test report.