Board standards for an interior BOQ: IS 303, IS 710 and others

Why the standard goes in the line

"18 mm plywood with laminate" describes sheets that differ several times over in price and in how they survive a wet kitchen. Naming the standard and grade fixes what is being priced and gives the site something to check: the grade is marked on each sheet.

Plywood: IS 303 and IS 710

• IS 303, plywood for general purposes. The 1989 edition grades plywood by the bond of its adhesive: MR (moisture resistant) and BWR (boiling water resistant), and an amendment renamed BWR as BWP. It also names faces by quality: AA, AB and BB. IS 303:2024 is the current edition in the BIS catalogue; check its grade names when you specify.
• IS 710, marine plywood, for wet areas such as vanities and sink bases, where a BOQ wants more than BWP.

Block board and particle boards

• IS 1659, block boards: a core of timber strips between veneers, used for long shelves and doors.
• IS 3087: medium-density particle boards for general purposes.
• IS 12823: prelaminated particle boards, the factory-laminated board of most low-cost modular units.
• IS 2202 (Part 1): wooden flush door shutters, solid core, with plywood face panels.

Boards sold under trade names (HDHMR, for example) should be named by product and maker in the line, with the maker's test certificate asked for.

Writing a line that can't be substituted

A joinery line names five things:

1. The board, its standard and grade: "18 mm IS 303 BWP plywood carcass".
2. The thickness of each part, if carcass, shutters and back differ.
3. The finish inside and out: "1 mm laminate outside, 0.8 mm inside", or acrylic, veneer, PU.
4. The edge band: "2 mm PVC edge band".
5. The hardware make, or "[make] or equal" with the reference named.

How joinery is measured, net as fixed and by area with its thickness, is in measurement rules. The checker flags a joinery line missing any of these; the item library has a line to start from for each item.

Boundary

Standards are cited by number and title from the BIS catalogue, not quoted; the standard governs. Which grade a job needs is a design decision this page does not make.