How many plywood sheets a van build takes — and what they weigh, by van and layout

October 12, 2026 · 8 min read

A Fiat Ducato L3H2 with a bed, kitchen, wardrobe and 3 overhead lockers takes 9 sheets of 2440 × 1220 mm plywood for its furniture — 6 of 18 mm, 2 of 6 mm and 1 of 27 mm for the worktop — and the cut pieces weigh 194 kg in birch ply or 128 kg in poplar. Add a 12 mm subfloor and 5.5 mm wall and ceiling lining and it is 25 sheets and 339 kg of birch.

These are not area-divided-by-sheet estimates. Each figure below is what VanPlot’s Build Pack produces for one of the layouts in the layout gallery: the cut list explodes every cabinet into its panels from the live dimensions, and the sheet layout packs those panels onto stock sheets with the saw kerf and the grain respected — the same nesting that writes the DXF files for a CNC shop.

Sheets and weight, layout by layout

Gallery layout	What is built	Sheets	By thickness (mm)	Offcut	Birch	Poplar	+ floor & lining
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter L2H2 — Weekender	bed, kitchen, overhead locker	6	1 × 27 + 4 × 18 + 1 × 6	49%	104 kg	69 kg	17 sheets · 233 kg
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter L3H2 — Family camper	bed, kitchen, 3 overhead lockers	6	1 × 27 + 4 × 18 + 1 × 6	34%	133 kg	88 kg	21 sheets · 296 kg
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter L4H2 — Mobile office	bed, 2 overhead lockers, table	3	2 × 18 + 1 × 6	45%	54 kg	36 kg	17 sheets · 231 kg
Fiat Ducato L2H2 — Weekender	bed, kitchen, overhead locker	6	1 × 27 + 4 × 18 + 1 × 6	49%	104 kg	69 kg	17 sheets · 229 kg
Fiat Ducato L3H2 — Family camper	bed, kitchen, 3 overhead lockers, wardrobe	9	1 × 27 + 6 × 18 + 2 × 6	35%	194 kg	128 kg	25 sheets · 339 kg
Fiat Ducato L4H2 — Mobile office	bed, 2 overhead lockers, wardrobe, table	5	4 × 18 + 1 × 6	29%	115 kg	76 kg	21 sheets · 274 kg
Ford Transit L2H2 — Weekender	bed, kitchen, overhead locker	6	1 × 27 + 4 × 18 + 1 × 6	50%	102 kg	68 kg	15 sheets · 217 kg
Ford Transit L3H2 — Family camper	bed, kitchen, overhead locker	6	1 × 27 + 4 × 18 + 1 × 6	49%	104 kg	69 kg	17 sheets · 232 kg
Volkswagen Crafter L3H3 — Weekender	bed, kitchen, overhead locker	6	1 × 27 + 4 × 18 + 1 × 6	49%	105 kg	69 kg	17 sheets · 238 kg
Volkswagen Crafter L4H3 — Family camper	bed, kitchen, 3 overhead lockers	6	1 × 27 + 4 × 18 + 1 × 6	33%	133 kg	88 kg	21 sheets · 294 kg
Volkswagen Transporter L2H2 — Weekender	bed	1	1 × 18	52%	17 kg	11 kg	10 sheets · 124 kg
Renault Trafic L2H2 — Mobile office	bed, table	1	1 × 18	34%	24 kg	16 kg	10 sheets · 132 kg
Volkswagen Caddy Cargo Maxi — Weekender	bed	1	1 × 18	56%	16 kg	11 kg	8 sheets · 82 kg
RAM ProMaster 159" · High roof · 2500 — Family camper	bed, kitchen, 3 overhead lockers, wardrobe	9	1 × 27 + 6 × 18 + 2 × 6	35%	194 kg	128 kg	25 sheets · 339 kg
Iveco Daily L3H2 — Mobile office	bed, table	2	2 × 18	64%	26 kg	17 kg	14 sheets · 161 kg
Peugeot Boxer L2H2 — Weekender	bed, kitchen, overhead locker	6	1 × 27 + 4 × 18 + 1 × 6	49%	104 kg	69 kg	17 sheets · 229 kg

Sheets is the furniture only, on 2440 × 1220 mm stock. By thickness is how those sheets split: a carcass, a back and a worktop cannot share a sheet, so each thickness is bought separately. Offcut is the share of the bought sheets that is not in a piece. Birch and Poplar are the weight of the cut pieces — what goes into the van, not the offcuts. The last column adds the subfloor and the wall and ceiling lining.

The spread is the furniture, not the van. A big-van weekender — bed, kitchen and one locker — is 6 sheets and 104 kg in a Ducato, Sprinter, Transit or Crafter to within a few kilograms, because the kitchen and locker are the same size in each. The Transporter, Trafic and Caddy layouts are a bed on a timber frame with at most a table, so the ply is the bed deck: 1 sheet each. The heaviest furniture row is Fiat Ducato L3H2 at 194 kg; the lightest is Volkswagen Caddy Cargo Maxi at 16 kg. Bed frames, battens and studs are lumber, on the Build Pack’s lumber list, and not in these figures.

Mixed thicknesses cost a sheet

The headline layout cuts 9 sheets because it uses three thicknesses. Cut every panel from one thickness and the same pieces nest onto 8 sheets: the 6 mm backs and the 27 mm worktop start sheets of their own that are mostly offcut (35% across the build). That offcut is the cost of a lighter back panel and a thicker worktop — usually worth it, but count it when you order.

12, 15 or 18 mm: what thickness changes

Thickness changes the weight in proportion and leaves the sheet count alone — a 12 mm panel is the same size as an 18 mm one. The table re-nests the Ducato L3H2 layout’s furniture with every panel at one thickness:

Thickness (mm)	One sheet, birch	One sheet, poplar	Sheets	Furniture, birch	Furniture, poplar
12	24.3 kg	16.1 kg	8	143 kg	95 kg
15	30.4 kg	20.1 kg	8	179 kg	118 kg
18	36.4 kg	24.1 kg	8	215 kg	142 kg

VanPlot’s recipes use 18 mm for carcasses, 12 mm for drawer boxes, 6 mm for backs, 15 mm for bed decks and 27 mm for worktops. Cutting all of it from 15 mm instead of 18 mm saves 36 kg on this layout in birch; 12 mm saves 72 kg, at the cost of screws that hold less and shelves that sag sooner. One 2440 × 1220 mm sheet of 18 mm weighs 36.4 kg in birch and 24.1 kg in poplar — the figure to check before you carry one alone.

Birch or poplar

The weights assume 680 kg/m³ for birch ply — the planner’s figure for every panel in the cut list — and 450 kg/m³ for poplar ply, a planning value inside the usual 400–500 kg/m³ range. Poplar is 34% lighter, which is 66 kg on the Ducato L3H2 furniture and 114 kg once the floor and lining are added. Birch has harder faces and holds hinge and runner screws better, so the common split is birch for carcasses and doors, poplar for linings, backs and panels that carry no hardware. Your supplier’s datasheet gives the density of the board you actually buy.

The floor and lining: the sheets nobody counts

A 12 mm subfloor and 5.5 mm lining on the walls, rear doors and ceiling of the Ducato L3H2 add 16 sheets and 145 kg in birch, or 97 kg in poplar — more sheets than the furniture. Thicker lining moves that figure fastest: VanPlot offers 5.5, 9 and 12 mm ply or tongue-and-groove boards, and the shopping list and sheet layout follow whichever you pick. The van conversion weight post puts the floor and lining next to the other components of a build.

What it does to payload

194 kg of birch furniture is 14% of the Ducato L3H2’s 1,405 kg payload; with the floor and lining, 339 kg is 24% — before water, batteries, people or gear. The payload calculator adds the rest, and the payload guide explains where the payload figure comes from.

2440 × 1220, 2500 × 1250 or 4 × 8 ft

The table uses 2440 × 1220 mm, the Build Pack default and the common UK and EU size. The same Ducato L3H2 furniture on the other stock sizes the Build Pack offers: 2500×1250: 9 sheets, 1525×1525: 8 sheets, 4×8 ft: 9 sheets. A square 1525 sheet changes the count because the long panels fit differently; the larger European sheet and the US 4 × 8 differ from 2440 × 1220 mm by millimetres.

Assumptions

Stock 2440 × 1220 mm, saw kerf 3 mm, grain respected on sides, doors and fronts.
Birch ply 680 kg/m³, poplar ply 450 kg/m³; weight is the cut pieces, not the offcuts.
Furniture as the gallery generates it for each van — the same layout the editor opens.
Floor and lining: 12 mm subfloor, 5.5 mm lining on side walls, rear doors and ceiling; window cutouts not subtracted.
Lumber (bed frames, battens) and bought parts (fridge, mattress, tanks) are not included.

Your own layout’s sheet count

Change the bed width or add a drawer and the count changes. In the editor, the Build Sheet and Build Pack give your layout’s own cut list, the sheet layout per material on the stock you pick, one DXF per piece and per nested sheet, and import files for Cutlist Optimizer and OptiCutter if you want to re-nest there. The VanKit comparison sets the two planners’ cut-file exports side by side.

FAQ

How many sheets of plywood do I need for a van conversion?

For the furniture of a large-van build with a bed, kitchen, wardrobe and 3 overhead lockers, 9 sheets of 2440 × 1220 mm: 6 of 18 mm, 2 of 6 mm for the backs and 1 of 27 mm for the worktop. A weekender (bed, kitchen, one locker) takes 6 sheets. A 12 mm subfloor and 5.5 mm wall and ceiling lining add 16 sheets in the Ducato L3H2. These are the Build Pack's nested counts for VanPlot's gallery layouts, not an area estimate.

How much does the plywood in a camper van weigh?

The cut furniture pieces of the Ducato L3H2 family layout weigh 194 kg in birch ply (680 kg/m³) and 128 kg in poplar (450 kg/m³). With the subfloor and lining, 339 kg in birch and 225 kg in poplar. One 2440 × 1220 mm sheet of 18 mm weighs 36.4 kg in birch and 24.1 kg in poplar.

What thickness plywood for a van conversion?

VanPlot's recipes cut carcasses from 18 mm, drawer boxes from 12 mm, backs from 6 mm, bed decks from 15 mm and worktops from 27 mm; the subfloor is 12 mm and the default lining 5.5 mm. Thickness changes the weight in proportion and not the sheet count: the same furniture at one thickness is 8 sheets at 12, 15 or 18 mm, weighing 143 kg, 179 kg and 215 kg in birch.

Birch or poplar plywood for a camper van?

Poplar ply is 34% lighter: 450 kg/m³ against 680 kg/m³ for birch. On the Ducato L3H2 family layout that is 66 kg less furniture weight. Birch has harder faces and holds hinge and runner screws better, which is why it is the usual choice for carcasses; poplar suits linings, backs and panels that carry no hardware.

Does the plywood count against my van's payload?

Yes, every kilogram of it. 194 kg of birch furniture is 14% of the Ducato L3H2's 1,405 kg payload; with the subfloor and lining, 339 kg is 24%. The payload calculator adds it to water, people and gear.