What is anti-slip plywood?
Anti-slip plywood is phenolic film-faced plywood with a textured pattern (hex, wire-mesh, or pyramid) pressed into the surface during hot pressing. The texture provides mechanical grip in wet conditions, making the panel suitable for formwork decks, scaffold boards, trailer floors, van conversions, and elevated walking surfaces.
What is the difference between hex and wire-mesh anti-slip plywood?
Hex (honeycomb) gives all-direction grip because the six-sided cell geometry has no preferred axis — preferred for formwork decks where crews walk in random directions. Wire-mesh is an orthogonal grid pattern with slightly directional grip (highest perpendicular to the wire orientation) — common on European panels and fine for scaffold boards where traffic moves end-to-end.
What thickness of anti-slip plywood do I need?
9 mm for lightweight overlays and machinery service plates, 12 mm for van and campervan subfloors, 15 mm for standard scaffold boards, 18 mm for formwork decking and livestock trailer floors, 21 mm for heavy formwork loads, and 24–30 mm for heavy-duty industrial scaffolding. Match thickness to span and load — going thicker on a board where 15 mm is rated adds weight crews have to carry up; going thinner on a deck where 18 mm is right adds deflection that telegraphs into the cast concrete face.
How many times can anti-slip plywood be reused?
Up to 20 reuse cycles on the smooth side and up to 12 on the textured face for a Vinawood Pro Form panel in formwork service, when stored flat and edge-sealed. Numbers are maximums, not averages. Crews who store panels flat and seal cut edges hit the upper end; crews who leave panels stacked outdoors uncovered cut the count in half. The textured face wears earlier than the smooth face under direct boot traffic.
Is anti-slip plywood the same as marine plywood?
No. Marine plywood (BS 1088 or EN 636-3 with marine-grade veneer specification) is engineered for above-waterline structural marine work and freshwater dock decking. Anti-slip plywood is phenolic film-faced plywood with a textured face for foot-traffic safety. They share the WBP phenolic adhesive class but address different failure modes — marine resists delamination from water exposure on cut edges; anti-slip provides mechanical grip on the working surface.
Does anti-slip plywood need EN 636-3 / Class 3 phenolic glue?
For sustained outdoor wet exposure (formwork in monsoon or rain seasons, scaffold boards on exposed sites), yes — EN 636-3 / EN 314-2 Class 3 with WBP phenolic adhesive is the right specification. For short-cycle dry use (covered formwork programs, indoor van builds, livestock trailers under shelter), EN 636-2 / Class 2 with WBP melamine adhesive is acceptable and costs less. Read the spec sheet — surface texture and adhesive class are two separate specifications.
