How does a first order with a plywood supplier grow from one trial 40HC into repeat supply?

What does a first order with a plywood supplier look like?

A first order with us is one 40HC of a build you have sampled and approved, written on a technical sheet and quoted FOB Hai Phong, CFR or CIF. A 30% deposit starts production, which takes 15–45 days; the 70% balance is paid against the scanned bill of lading. Repeat orders then quote the same sheet.

The trial container is not a smaller version of a normal order. It is a full 40HC, and it does one job: to prove that the build on the sheet arrives as written and performs on your site. Everything after it, from the second container to a monthly call-off, depends on that proof.

Can my first 40HC carry several thicknesses?

Yes. A 40HC usually carries one or two products, and three to six products can be mixed by agreement, for example several thicknesses of one film-faced build, or a film-faced and an anti-slip build. Each mix changes how full and how heavy the container is, so we plan the load with you before production.

Our planning model stacks packs about 1,000 mm high: 16 packs with an Acacia core, 15 with Eucalyptus, against a planning payload of 28,000 kg of panels that the carrier and route confirm. A two-thickness Acacia-core load shows how a mix works:

The figures follow from the per-pack counts and sheet weights of our planning table: about 31.1 kg for an 18 mm sheet and about 36.3 kg for a 21 mm sheet with an Acacia core. Real sheets are weighed before final loading, and the packing list is the number that counts. Our 40HC loading page shows how packs go in.

How long after the deposit is a trial container ready?

A trial container is produced 15–45 days after the 30% deposit, depending on quantity, production conditions and agreement. Loading and the draft shipping documents follow, then the balance and the sea days to your port. Plan the whole chain, not only the production time, before you set a site date.

Sea days vary by carrier and route. Add the production days, a few days for loading and the drafts, the sea days and your own clearance and delivery, and you have the date the first panels can reach site. A mixed container takes no longer to produce than a single-product one of the same quantity, but each extra build adds one more line to check before loading.

Payment terms and Incoterms on the trial container

The trial container runs on the same terms as every order: a 30% deposit to start production, and the 70% balance against the scanned bill of lading, by T/T or irrevocable L/C at sight. We sell FOB Hai Phong, CFR or CIF to your port; duty, clearance and delivery inland stay with you.

Incoterms rules are a set of eleven three-letter trade terms reflecting business-to-business practice in contracts for the sale and purchase of goods. The three we use split the costs differently:

On a first container, CFR or CIF keeps the freight booking with us while you learn the route; FOB suits buyers who already ship regularly from Hai Phong with their own forwarder. Our terms of supply carry the same terms.

What to fix in writing before the deposit

Before the deposit, fix the build, the quantities and the terms in writing: one technical sheet per build, the mix and quantities for the container, the Incoterm and port, and the payment terms. Whatever is not written is not part of the order, and it is the first thing that differs on a second container.

The sheet is the contract for the panel, and for European orders it names the service and bonding class too. EN 636 specifies requirements for plywood for general purposes or structural application in dry, humid or exterior conditions. EN 314-2 specifies requirements for bonding classes of veneer plywood according to their end uses. Formwork meets wet concrete, so the sheet names the exterior class and bonding class 3. If you want CE structural plywood, check that the thickness sits inside the 3.6–30 mm scope of our certificate 0407-CPR-2146. Our list of the fields our mills quote on gives every line.

Documents with the first container

The first container comes with the documents your market needs: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin (EUR.1 for EU-bound lots), phytosanitary and fumigation papers, insurance under CIF, and the order’s certificate documents. Certificate files are sent before the order is confirmed; draft shipping documents follow for approval after loading.

For CE structural plywood sold into the EU, the declaration of performance travels with the product. The declaration of performance shall be supplied in the language or languages required by the Member State where the product is made available. Tell us the destination country so the declaration comes in the right language.

Check the drafts against the technical sheet and the order before you pay the balance: product names, thicknesses, quantities, consignee and port. A correction is easy on a draft and slow after the originals are issued. Our note on the documents with each container lists every paper.

What should I review after the first container is used on site?

Review the first container twice: on arrival, for thickness, size and edges against the technical sheet and the untouched sample; and after the first pours, for face, edges and bond. Write both reviews down with dates and photos before you order again, because they turn one container into a specification you can repeat.

Separate what the panel did from what the site did. A panel that swells at a cut edge that nobody sealed, or loses its face because no release agent was used, is a site result; a panel whose glue lines open after a few dry pours is a build result. The review is only useful if it says which.

How do you keep the build the same on repeat orders?

We keep the build the same by writing it once and quoting it every time. Each build has a technical sheet with its core, glue, film weight and colour, thickness and tolerance, size and edge sealing; each repeat order names that sheet, and production follows the same sequence at our mills.

You can check it yourself. Keep one untouched piece from the approved sample and one from each container, labelled with the date and the sheet. Hold the new arrival against them: same film, same edge paint, same thickness on your caliper. A difference you can see is a question to send us before the panels go into service.

Do repeat buyers get free samples?

Yes. Samples are free for repeat buyers and buyers with an order. New buyers also receive free samples and book their own courier, and that courier cost can be credited against a real order. On a repeat order, ask for a sample whenever a line of the build changes.

A sample on a change does the same job as the first sample: it lets you test the new line before a container is pressed with it. Our note on film-faced samples shows what to test.

How many containers a month can you supply on a call-off?

Our two mills in Chi Linh, Hai Phong can produce up to 150 containers a month. A call-off is planned around that capacity and around production of 15–45 days per order, so the earlier we see your programme, the steadier the containers can follow it.

Capacity is a ceiling across both mills, not a reserved share for any one buyer. What makes a call-off steady is the forecast: send the expected containers per month and the builds, and we plan production slots against them. Our order process page shows how an order moves through the mills.

From single orders to a call-off plan

Move from single orders to a call-off plan once the first container’s review is written and the build is fixed. A call-off plan lists the builds, the expected containers per month, the ports and the lead times, so each release is an order against a plan rather than a new negotiation.

The plan does not change the terms of each release: a 30% deposit, production of 15–45 days and the 70% balance against the scanned bill of lading. What it changes is the planning: we see your programme ahead, and you see when each release will load.

Changing the build on a repeat order

Change a build on a repeat order by writing the change as a new line on the technical sheet, taking a sample of the new build and approving it before production. A change made by e-mail only is the most common reason a repeat container differs from the one before it.

1. Name the change. Film weight, glue, thickness, core species or pattern.
2. Get the sample. Samples are free for repeat buyers.
3. Test it. The same tests as the first sample.
4. Update the sheet. A new sheet reference for the new build.
5. Order against the new sheet. The old sheet stays valid for the old build.

Some changes move the container plan. A heavier film or a Eucalyptus core adds weight; a thicker panel puts fewer sheets in each pack. We redo the loading plan whenever a change touches weight or thickness.

Mistakes that slow down the second order

The second order slows down when the first one left no record: no technical sheet quoted, no sample kept, no site review written, or a change agreed only by phone. Each missing record turns the repeat order back into a first order.

None of these costs money to fix; each costs a few minutes at the right moment. Our note on how to check a formwork plywood mill covers the checks that come before the first order.

Starting your first container with us

Start with the build lines and the use: core, glue, film weight and colour, thickness, size, edges, quantities and port. We send free samples cut from that build and the certificate files for it, then a technical sheet and a dated offer. One 40HC, a 30% deposit and 15–45 days of production later, your first container loads at Hai Phong.

Our mills page describes the two plants, and the buyer FAQ answers the questions that come next. Send your build lines through the specification form or to [email protected].