The formwork decision is really about cost per pour, not just sticker price. Steel and plywood formwork sit at opposite ends of that trade-off.
Plywood formwork
Plywood is inexpensive to buy and easy to cut to shape, but it swells, delaminates and dents. Most plywood faces give only a handful of clean pours before the finish suffers.
Steel formwork
Steel panels cost more upfront but survive hundreds of reuses, hold a precise shape and deliver a smooth concrete finish that often needs no plastering.
Cost per use
- Plywood: low buy price, high replacement frequency
- Steel: higher buy price, very low cost per pour over its life
- Steel wins on repeated, standard pours; plywood suits one-off shapes
We supply reusable steel formwork panels in standard and custom sizes, with OEM dimensions on request.
