“Single-Sided Formwork: How One-Sided Wall Forming Works — and Where the Plywood Sits” no está disponible en Español todavía

Single-sided (or one-sided) formwork casts a concrete wall with a form on one face only, used when the back of the wall is against earth, sheet piling, an existing structure, or a property line. With no opposing form to balance the concrete pressure, the load is carried by a braced steel A-frame anchored into the base slab.

Double-sided formwork uses two parallel faces tied together through the wall, so the ties take the concrete pressure. Single-sided formwork has no through-ties; the pressure pushes against a single braced assembly anchored to the slab. Double-sided is faster where both faces are reachable; single-sided is used where only one face can be formed.

The pressure passes from the plywood face to the steel gang frame, then to an inclined A-frame or strongback bracing rig, which transfers the horizontal thrust and overturning moment into the base slab through cast-in anchors set before the pour. The pour rate is capped to keep peak pressure within the bracing design.

The forming face is film-faced plywood, specified by adhesive class and reuse target. Phenolic EN 636-3 panels (Pro Form, up to 20 reuses) suit repeat single-sided lifts and fair-face finishes; melamine-cored EN 636-2 panels (Form Extra up to 15, Form Basic up to 10) suit shorter runs. In North America the HDO range is the repeat-lift equivalent.