Birch or Polypropylene?

"What is the difference between birch and polypropylene?" 

We get asked this a lot so we put together some specifications, applications and pro's/con's for each. Polypropylene is a lightweight option has a fluted core laminated to an ABS top skin. ABS is the sheet that is laminated to our birch wood. We also carry different types of wood upon request. We can also do different skins such as fiberglass, hexagrip, etc. 

Polypropylene's greatest feature is the weight. We typically recommend it for applications where the case needs to be as light as possible, especially when flying or just trying to shave off some weight. Most common uses are guitar cases, pedal boards, amp cases, keyboard cases, etc. Both have their pro's and con's but both are very good materials. On larger cases, we typically recommend birch and usually 3/8" or 1/2" if it is large or bearing high weight loads.

On pedal boards, guitar cases, etc - we would expect to see about 5-8 lbs off, sometimes more depending on the size of the case, with the polypropylene versus the wood. On amp and cab cases, it's often a good bit more. We have a calculator that we input the dimensions and hardware and we can usually get you a figure to the nearest pound of what a case will weigh if you have certain requirements.

Below are some basic comparisons, things we've (and our customers) have noticed. With airline prices, polypropylene can pay itself off pretty quick. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us!

Pictures:

1/4" Birch	1/4" Polypropylene
3/8" Birch	3/8" Polypropylene
1/2" Birch	3/8" Stucco

Basic Comparisons:

Technical Comparisons: