Blog
Industry insights, how-to guides, and the latest news from the world of plywood and wood products.
Formwork Removal Time: How Long Before You Strike Concrete Forms
How long to leave concrete forms on before striking, element by element, what ACI 347 and IS 456 require, and how clean,…
Plywood for Concrete Stair Formwork: Riser, Stringer & Soffit Spec
How to spec plywood for cast-in-place concrete stairs — the raking soffit, riser boards, and side forms. Thickness and…
Plywood for Foundation & Footing Formwork: Spec, Pressure & Reuse
Which plywood belongs on strip footings, pad footings, pile caps, and shallow foundation walls — 18 vs 21 mm spec, why…
Freight Costs Surge as Peak Season Starts Early: June 2026 Brief
Ocean freight spiked in early June as peak season started weeks early, raising landed costs for plywood buyers while…
Plywood for Beam Formwork: Soffit and Side Panel Spec, Pressure, and Reuse
How to spec plywood for concrete beam formwork: soffit versus side panels, 18 vs 21 mm, the higher concrete pressure in…
Plywood vs Steel Formwork: Cost, Reuse, Finish, and When Each Wins
Plywood vs steel formwork compared honestly on cost-per-pour, reuse life, concrete finish, weight, and adaptability —…
Plywood Weight: 4×8 Sheet Weights by Thickness, Species, and Glue System
Plywood weight reference table by thickness (1/4 to 1 inch), plantation hardwood and softwood density numbers, glue and…
Plywood Shear Wall: Code, Sheathing Spec, and Why Formwork Plywood Is a Different Animal
What makes a wall a shear wall, how IRC and IBC spec plywood sheathing, the edge-nailing and holdown details that…
Plywood for Wall Formwork: When Plywood-Faced Forms Beat System Walls (and When They Don't)
When plywood-faced wall forms beat system formwork from Doka, PERI, MEVA, and ULMA, and when they don't. Cost-curve…
Plywood for Column Formwork: Rectangular, Circular & How to Match Panel Spec to Pour Count
When plywood-faced column forms still beat steel modular systems, and when they don't: pour-count thresholds,…
Lumber Climbs as US Single-Family Cools: June 2026 Brief
Lumber futures climbed back to USD 593/MBF in late May as tight supply offset softer single-family demand. EU permits up…
Plywood vs Lumber: When Sheet Goods Beat Dimensional Lumber (and When They Don't)
Plywood vs lumber is the wrong framing — they don't replace each other in any meaningful application. This guide maps…