What is formply in Australia?
Formply is the Australian trade name for plywood built as the concrete form face. Builders expect a stress-graded panel (usually F17 under AS/NZS 2269) with a sealed or film face so walls, columns and slabs strip clean. Imported film-faced panels that meet the same structural brief are often sold into the same formply programmes.
What F grade plywood is required for formwork in Australia?
F17 is the common commercial stress grade for wall and slab formwork. Lighter pours sometimes use F14; heavier work may call F22. The engineer’s specification wins, and the grade must sit with the right thickness and face for the pour height and finish class.
How does film faced plywood compare with Australian formply?
Australian formply is usually framed by AS/NZS stress grades and local surface classes. Film-faced export panels are more often written to EN 636 / EN 314 glue classes with a phenolic or polypropylene face. For buyers, the useful comparison is face quality, glue class, thickness and reuse band, not the marketing name on the sheet.
Can you import formwork plywood into Australia from Vietnam?
Yes. Vietnam is a major source of forming-grade plywood for Australian projects, subject to biosecurity (BICON) and the project’s structural and surface specs. Vinawood has manufactured plantation-grown panels in Vietnam since 1992 and can document glue class, face type and sheet size for the RFQ.
What sheet sizes are common for form ply in Australia?
The everyday sheet is 2400×1200 mm. Taller walls often use 2700×1200 or 3000×1200 to cut horizontal joints. Common thicknesses for forming sit around 12 mm, 17 mm, 19 mm and 21 mm; F17 at 17 mm or 19 mm is the volume workhorse on many sites.
Where does MatteFace fit an Australian formwork ladder?
MatteFace (MTF) is Vinawood’s matte phenolic formwork face — the product buyers often find when they search MDO formwork plywood. It sits beside glossy film-faced and HDO grades when the pour needs a flatter, less reflective as-cast face. Spec the face for finish class and reuse band, then confirm thickness and glue class for the pour.
