Dimensions / Building materials / Plywood / Film-faced formwork plywood
Film-faced plywood is plywood with a phenolic film pressed on both faces, made for concrete formwork as 1220 × 2440, 1250 × 2500, 1500 × 3000 and 1525 × 3050 mm panels; UPM calls 1250 × 2500 and 1525 × 3050 mm its standard WISA-Form sizes. The usual thicknesses are 12, 15, 18 and 21 mm: Metsä’s 18 mm Form has 13 plies, measures 17.1–18.1 mm and weighs 12.2 kg/m². The film is 120 g/m² a face as standard and 220 g/m² or more for harder use, and the edges are sealed with paint. Makers give reuse only as a guide: up to 80 for Riga Form, 30 to 100 for Metsä, and PERI gives no figure.
| WISA-Form standard sizes | Metsä Form 18 mm: limits; weight | Film, each face (Metsä Form; Form L) |
|---|---|---|
| 1250 × 2500mm1525 × 3050 mm | 17.1–18.1mm12.2 kg/m² | 120g/m²220 g/m² |
Sources: UPM, Metsä Wood. Checked October 2026.
Metsä Form at 1250 × 2500 × 18 mm is filled in. Enter your form area, panels, container and a measured thickness; each check follows a figure on this page.
The payload check counts the panels only: pallets, dunnage and wrapping add weight, and how many pallets fit by volume is a separate question.
300 m² plus 10% for cuts is 330 m²: 106 panels of 2500 × 1250 mm, 3.125 m² each. Your 106 panels cover it.
Metsä Form at 1250 × 2500 mm, 3.125 m² a panel, is filled in for 300 m² of form face plus 10% for cuts, an example: no maker gives an allowance.
106 panels of 3.125 m² at 12.2 kg/m² weigh about 4,041 kg, on 3 pallets of 50 at 18 mm; a 20GP takes 28,330 kg.
Metsä Form 18 mm weighs 12.2 kg/m² and packs 50 to a pallet at this size; ONE gives a 20 ft dry container 28,330 kg of payload.
Birch panels of 18 mm may be 17.1–18.1 mm; your 17.6 mm is within it.
Metsä Form 18 mm may be 17.1–18.1 mm; 17.6 mm is an example measurement.
Exporting formwork plywood? Photograph a panel, its film and its edge, mark the size, thickness, plies and film weight in SizeMarker and send it with your quote.
Mark a photoMakers’ sheets and formwork suppliers’ manuals. DokaPly Phenolic has a hardwood core, not birch.
| Panel | Sizes | Thickness; weight | Film; reuse (maker’s guide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metsä Wood FormThis page | 1200–1525 × 2400–3660 mm | 6.5–35 mm; 18 mm 12.2 kg/m², 21 mm 14.3 kg/m² | 120 g/m² normally; 30 to 100 uses |
| Metsä Wood FormPLUS | 1200–1525 × 2400–3660 mm | 12, 15, 18, 21 mm; 8.2–14.3 kg/m² | 220 g/m² normally |
| Latvijas Finieris Riga Form | 1220/1250 or 1500/1525 × 2440–3660 mm; up to 2150 × 4000 mm | 4–50 mm | 120 to 660 g/m²; as many as 80 uses |
| UPM WISA-Form Birch | Standard 1250 × 2500 and 1525 × 3050 mm | 6.5–50 mm; 18 mm 12.6 kg/m² | 120 or 220 g/m²; 20 to 80 uses |
| Koskisen KoskiForm | 1200/1220/1250 × 2400/2440/2500, 1500/1525 × 3000/3050 mm | 6.5–30 mm | 120 to 440 g/m² |
| Doka DokaPly Birch | 62.5 × 250, 125 × 250, 122 × 244, 150 × 300 cm | 18 mm, 13 plies, 12.2 kg/m²; 125 × 250 cm 38.5 kg | 120 g or 220 g per m² and side; up to 30 or 50 uses |
| PERI Birch 21 mm | 625 × 2500, 1250 × 2500, 1500 × 3000 mm | 21 mm; 14,80 kg/m² | 90, 45 or 29 to a pack; no reuse figure |
| Westag Betoplan TopGermany | 2500 × 1250 mm; up to 6000 × 2500 mm | 21 mm, 13.5 kg/m² | 550 g/m² each side; about 60 uses |
| Doka DokaPly Phenolic 15 mmDoka US | 4’ × 8’ | 15 mm, 9 plies; 25.401 kg a panel | 130 g/m²; 6-8+ reuses; 60 to a package |
| Fushi 18 mm film faced plywoodChina | 1220 × 2440, 1250 × 2500 mm | 9–25 mm | 20GP: 8 pallets, 21 CBM; 40HQ: 18 pallets, 50 CBM |
Sources: Metsä Wood · Metsä Wood · Latvijas Finieris · UPM · UPM · Koskisen · Doka · PERI · Westag · Doka · Fushi
Small panels: 1200–1250 mm wide up to 2800 mm long, or 1500–1525 × 1500–2135 mm; large panels: the rest up to 3660 mm. Average density 680 kg/m³.
| Nominal | Plies; limits | Weight | Per pallet: small; large |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 mm | 9; 11.5–12.5 mm | 8.2 kg/m² | 75; 50 |
| 15 mm | 11; 14.3–15.3 mm | 10.2 kg/m² | 60; 40 |
| 18 mm | 13; 17.1–18.1 mm | 12.2 kg/m² | 50; 35 |
| 21 mm | 15; 20.0–20.9 mm | 14.3 kg/m² | 45; 30 |
Sources: Metsä Wood
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Film weight, each faceMetsä; Koskisen; Westag | 120 g/m² normally; Form L at least 220 g/m²; Koskisen up to 660 g/m²; Westag 550 g/m² |
| AbrasionMetsä Form, Taber revolutions | 120 g/m² film 350; 220 g/m² 700; 440 g/m² 1500 |
| GlueAll makers above | Phenol formaldehyde to EN 314-2 Class 3 (exterior) |
| EdgesMetsä; Doka; PERI | Sealed with paint, which slows moisture but does not stop it; reseal cut edges and holes |
| ReuseLatvijas Finieris; Metsä; UPM; Westag; PERI | Guides only: Riga Form up to 80, Metsä 30 to 100, WISA 20 to 80, Westag about 60; PERI accepts no liability for a number |
| Swelling in useDoka | Moisture rises to about 18–25%; sheets swell about 9% in thickness and 0.2% in length and width |
| Size toleranceMetsä; Doka | Metsä ±3 mm over 2000 mm, ±2 mm for 1000–2000 mm; Doka prints ±3.5 mm, as per EN 315 |
| StandardDIN Media | DIN 68792:2016-08 covers large formwork panels of veneer plywood |
| US PlyformAPA V345 | B-B Plyform: five to ten reuses are common; HDO 20 to 50 or more |
| Weight of a panelOur calculation | 1250 × 2500 mm = 3.125 m² × 12.2 kg/m² at 18 mm: about 38 kg |
| ContainersONE | 20 ft: 5,898 × 2,350 × 2,390 mm inside, 28,330 kg payload; 40 ft: 26,840 kg; 40 ft high cube: 2,695 mm high, 28,800 kg |
| In the check aboveOur calculation | 300 m² + 10% = 330 m² ÷ 3.125 m² = 105.6, so 106 panels; 106 × 3.125 m² × 12.2 kg/m² = 4,041 kg on 3 pallets of 50, under 28,330 kg; 17.6 mm within 17.1–18.1 mm |
Sources: Metsä Wood · Koskisen · Westag · Doka · PERI · Latvijas Finieris · UPM · DIN · APA · ONE
1220 × 2440, 1250 × 2500, 1500 × 3000 and 1525 × 3050 mm are the common sizes; WISA-Form’s standard sizes are 1250 × 2500 and 1525 × 3050 mm, and PERI and Doka also sell 625 × 2500 mm half panels.
12, 15, 18 and 21 mm are usual. Metsä’s 18 mm Form has 13 plies and may be 17.1–18.1 mm; 21 mm has 15 plies and may be 20.0–20.9 mm.
The weight of phenolic film on each face. 120 g/m² is standard at Metsä; heavier films last longer: Metsä’s abrasion test gives 350 revolutions for 120 g/m², 700 for 220 g/m² and 1500 for 440 g/m².
Makers give guides only: Riga Form up to 80, Metsä 30 to 100, WISA 20 to 80, Doka up to 30 or 50 at 18 mm; PERI gives no number. Reuse depends on the film, the site, the release agent and handling.
About 12.2 kg/m² at 18 mm (Metsä), so a 1250 × 2500 mm panel is about 38 kg; Doka gives 38.5 kg for its 18 mm DokaPly Birch at 125 × 250 cm.
Buyers ask for the size, the thickness and its tolerance, the plies and core species, the film weight and colour on each face, the glue and bond class, the edge sealing, how many reuses you claim, and panels, weight and volume per pallet and per container. Mark the real panel, its film and its edge on your own photo in SizeMarker, as in the picture at the top, and send one product card for WhatsApp or WeChat.
