When you're ordering a ply lining kit, thickness is usually the first thing that trips people up. It's tempting to just go with whatever's thickest because it feels like better value, but thicker isn't always better - it adds weight, cuts into your payload, and on a van that's already loaded with tools and stock every kilogram counts.
Here's how we'd think about it, panel by panel.
Floors: The floor takes the most punishment - dropped tools, dragged crates, wet boots - so this is the one area where it's worth going a bit heavier. 12mm is the most common choice for a van floor and holds up well under day-to-day use. If you're planning to bolt down racking or carry a heavy load day in day out, some installers step up to 18mm on the floor for extra rigidity, especially if there isn't already a subframe underneath.
Side walls and wheel arches: Walls don't take anywhere near the abuse the floor does, so 9mm ply is usually plenty. It's lighter, easier to handle when you're fitting it solo, and still gives you a solid surface to screw racking or shelving into - just make sure your fixings are long enough to bite properly.
Roof lining: If you're lining the roof at all, go as light as you can get away with. 6mm or 9mm is standard here. Nobody needs a heavy panel over their head, and the roof isn't structural in the way the floor is.
Weight and payload: It's easy to forget that ply lining a van adds weight before you've put a single tool or item of stock inside it. A full 12mm kit across floor, walls and doors can add somewhere in the region of 40-60kg depending on the size of the van, so if you're already close to your payload limit, it's worth doing the maths before you order. Dropping from 12mm to 9mm on the walls alone can claw back a useful few kilos without weakening the parts that actually need to be strong.
What we'd recommend: If you only take one thing from this, match the thickness to the job, not the van. A courier van doing light parcel drops doesn't need the same spec as a plumber's van full of copper pipe and a floor-mounted vice. When you order a kit from us, every panel is CNC cut to your van's exact shape regardless of thickness, so you're not paying for wasted material either way - it's just a case of picking the right ply for how the van actually gets used.
If you're not sure, give us a shout with your van and how you use it, and we'll point you to the right kit.