Technical notes · panel types

Plywood types and face veneers guides for construction panels

In short

PK Ply makes three construction plywood types in our two mills in Chi Linh, Hai Phong: film-faced plywood for concrete formwork, anti-slip plywood for decks and floors, and CE-marked structural panels. All three share hardwood face veneers and an Acacia or Eucalyptus core; the film and the glue make the difference.

Compare the types Send your specification

Film-faced formwork
Anti-slip: rice, hexagon, wire-mesh
CE structural, EN 13986
Hardwood face veneers
MUF or phenolic glue

panel families we make: 3
thickness range: 9–40 mm
CE structural scope: 3.6–30 mm

Film

Three panel types in one film

The film shows the three panel types side by side: a smooth film face for formwork, a patterned face for grip, and a structural build for load. Each is filmed at the press and at the edge-painting line.

Which plywood type for the job · 2:20, English captions

The short answer

What is film-faced plywood used for?

Film-faced plywood is used to form concrete. Slabs, walls, columns, beams and stair flights are cast against its smooth film, which keeps water out of the wood and lets the panel strip clean for the next pour.

Is film-faced plywood waterproof? The film face is water-resistant and sheds water, and a phenolic glue line holds through boiling. The weak point is the edge: our panels leave the mill with paint on all four edges, and every cut made on site needs a fresh coat before the next pour.

Under the film sit smooth hardwood face veneers. Below them the core veneers run crosswise, so the sheet stays flat and stiff between the joists.

Brown film, black film and wire-mesh anti-slip plywood sheets on a concrete wall — Three panel types: brown film, black film and anti-slip.

Compare

Filmface, formply, anti-slip and structural: the key differences

The names overlap, so compare what each panel is made and certified to do. Formply is the Australian name for formwork plywood made to AS 6669; filmface is the wider trade name for any film-faced sheet.

Our formwork plywood is certified to AS 6669:2016 by CMI Certification. The certificate states no stress grade, so we quote none.

Construction plywood types compared
Type	Face	Main use	What to ask for
Filmface (film-faced)	Smooth film, black or dark brown	Slab and wall formwork	Glue, film weight, reuse target
Formply	Smooth film	Formwork in Australia	AS 6669 certification of the product
Anti-slip	Patterned film: rice, hexagon, wire-mesh	Decks, platforms, floors	Pattern and film weight per order
CE structural	Film or plain hardwood face	Load-bearing panels	Declaration of Performance, EN 13986

Anti-slip

How does anti-slip plywood differ from smooth film-faced plywood?

Only the face changes. An anti-slip panel has a pattern pressed into its film for grip underfoot, while a formwork panel needs a smooth film so the concrete comes away clean.

We press rice, hexagon and wire-mesh patterns. The catalogue lists a 220 g/m² anti-slip reference; the film and the duty are fixed per order.

SGS pendulum-tested two of our anti-slip specimens under DIN EN 16165. The results apply to those specimens; we claim no slip class from them.

Anti-slip plywood

Our range

Which panel types do our mills make, and which do we not make?

We make construction plywood only: film-faced formwork panels with MUF or phenolic glue, anti-slip panels and CE-marked structural panels, in 9–40 mm.

We do not make furniture plywood, birch, poplar or okoume faces, packing or commercial plywood, or other engineered-wood products. A buyer who needs those should source them from a mill that specialises in them.

A CE-marked structural panel fits better than formwork plywood when the panel itself carries load in the finished work and the project asks for a Declaration of Performance. Our factory production control certificate covers structural plywood of 3.6–30 mm in dry, humid and external conditions.

Replacement plywood facing for frame systems.

Note

Replacement facing for frame formwork

AS 6669 formwork plywood

What our Australian formwork certification covers.

Certificate

AS 6669 formwork plywood

Buyer questions

Questions about plywood types

What is film-faced plywood used for?

Forming concrete: slabs, walls, columns, beams and stairs are cast against its smooth film, which strips clean for the next pour.

What is the difference between filmface and formply?

Formply is the Australian name for formwork plywood made to AS 6669; filmface is the general trade name for film-faced plywood. Our formwork plywood is certified to AS 6669:2016 by CMI Certification.

How does anti-slip plywood differ from smooth film-faced plywood?

The film carries a pressed pattern (rice, hexagon or wire-mesh) for grip underfoot. Core, glue and edge sealing are the same as on our formwork panels.

Is film-faced plywood waterproof?

The film is water-resistant and a phenolic glue line survives boiling, but water enters through bare edges. Our panels leave the mill with all four edges painted; seal every site cut too.

Which plywood types do you not make?

Furniture plywood, birch, poplar or okoume faces, packing and commercial plywood, and other engineered-wood products. We make construction plywood only.

When should I order CE structural plywood instead of formwork plywood?

When the panel carries load in the finished work and the project needs a Declaration of Performance under EN 13986. Our FPC scope covers 3.6–30 mm.

Quotation

Send your specification

Tell us the job and the type you have in mind. We reply with the build we would press, a technical sheet and an FOB Hai Phong price.

Send your specification

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