Is plywood or steel formwork cheaper?
On most building jobs plywood-faced forms come out cheaper per pour, because the entry cost is low and panels suit jobs where each form sees a moderate number of casts. Steel is a capital purchase or a hire contract, so it only undercuts plywood when one section repeats at very high volume over a long programme. The fair comparison is cost per pour: the landed panel price plus edge sealing and repairs, divided by the pours the form actually delivers, with handling labour added on top.
How many times can plywood formwork be reused compared with steel?
Our panel ratings are ceilings, written as up to N. Form Basic and HDO Basic reach up to 10 pours, Form Extra and Pro Form Lite up to 15, and Pro Form, HDO Standard and HDO Premium up to 20. Steel and aluminium systems are rated by the companies that make them, so take those figures from the vendor's data sheet. On both sides, the number a site actually gets depends on cleaning, release agent and how carefully the forms are stripped.
What are the disadvantages of steel formwork?
Steel is heavy, so most panel sizes need a crane, and every strip-and-reset cycle waits when the crane is busy elsewhere. It is also a large upfront commitment that only pays back on high-repetition work, and fixed modules cope poorly with blockouts, odd columns and curved profiles. If the coating fails, rust can bleed into the concrete, and a dent in the skin prints into every cast that follows.
Does steel formwork give a better concrete finish than plywood?
Not by default. A clean, coated steel skin and a phenolic film-faced panel both cast smooth concrete, and the plywood face holds that finish through its working life when it is cleaned and lightly oiled. For a glossy off-form surface, film-faced or HDO plywood is the usual pick, while a matte exposed wall calls for
MatteFace Plywood, our matte phenolic formwork face that buyers often search for as MDO formwork plywood.
When should I choose steel formwork over plywood?
Steel earns its cost when one section repeats hundreds of times, as in a precast yard or a tunnel lining, and the programme is long enough to spread the investment. It also makes sense where handling is so rough that a panel face would never reach its rated life, or where tight tolerances repeat often enough to justify steel's stiffness. Below that volume, plywood-faced forms usually come out cheaper per cast.
Can a steel frame be used with a plywood face?
Yes. Frame formwork, often sold as steel-ply, bolts or rivets a replaceable plywood face into a steel or aluminium frame, so the frame carries the concrete pressure and the face gives the finish. The frame outlasts many faces, which turns the face sheet into the part you replace: once the film is scuffed through or the edges start to swell, the crew re-skins the frame instead of buying a whole new panel. Face sheets are usually cut to the frame module from 1220 x 2440 mm stock, and every cut edge and fixing hole should be sealed straight after drilling so water cannot reach the core.
Which plywood grade suits a steel or aluminium frame system?
Repeat commercial walls and faces fitted to a rented frame usually call for a Class 3 panel bonded with phenolic glue to EN 636-3. In our range that means Pro Form, Pro Form Lite, HDO Standard or HDO Premium, while HDO Basic shares the family name but is Class 2. For a short residential or retaining run, Form Basic or Form Extra (MUF glue, EN 636-2) often gives the lower cost per pour, and the RFQ should list face film and core glue as separate lines.
