Understanding Plywood Grades

Thanks for the feedback. I did search, however there were many different versions of similar grades.Bruce from Boise, I came to the same conclusion. That is why I asked this question on the forum.

The site that nightguy listed is for Canada. It doesn't mention the grades that I see most often at big box stores
like cabinet or construction grade. If I were go to a lumber yard in Canada, would I ask for a plywood grade of
"Select-Tight Face(SEL TF)"? Also, according to the chart the best grade is A-C-A. With C being the plies. So I read that is that some plywood has a good face and back, but the ply is the lowest quality.

Do USA lumber yards use the same grading standards as the Canada yards?
Should have been more specific in OP. What are the grades used at lumber yards in USA.

According the site provided for Columbia products, when I call a lumber yard I tell them I want A, AA, B or C grade
depending on the type of veneer. Not sure if all grades are available for all wood species. Should I just ask for a quote of the best grade they have for the species I want?

I called one and asked for the type of grades they provided and was more confused after talking with them
than before I called.

At this point, think I'll stick with the best grade I can from HD or Lowes.

There are different standards for construction grade versus cabinet grade because the are actually two very different products. I have heard folks refer to a "finish grade" and have no idea what it is. I suppose it's possible that's what the box stores sell. Anyway, back to the cabinet grade which is what I recommend for interior furniture projects: in the US they use the letter/number grade, the "A" being best and the "show" side of the plywood, the number "1" is also best and consider (usually) the back side of the piece. I've had pieces I could not tell which was "A" as opposed to "1", but if you buy a NA made piece of hardwood plywood it should/will follow those standards. To be honest, I avoid the box store stuff anymore except for the construction grade, or I buy the hardwood it's for things like garage/basement cabinets, etc. I can go to my hardwood supplier and buy B-2 maple or birch that is a lot nicer than anything they have…and priced within maybe 10%. The higher grades can get expensive, and in some cases may cost more on a board foot basis than solid wood. But the stuff at the box stores may have what I call "variable thickness", and it's tough to cut a good fitting dado for it at times, whereas the USA stuff is much more consistent.