Mission
To manufacture wood products that builders, exporters and furniture makers can specify with confidence — and that outlast the projects they go into.
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Forty years. One craft.
Forty years processing timber so it outlasts the buildings, ships and crates it ends up in — manufactured in Perumbavoor since 1986, exported to fifty countries.
- 40+years on the Periyar
- 50+destination countries
- 20products in catalogue
- 1,000+B2B clients
Founded 1986
It started on the banks of the Periyar.
In 1986, a small team in Perumbavoor began processing Kerala hardwoods for local builders. There was no marketing plan, no global ambition — only the conviction that wood was being mishandled across the supply chain, and that doing it properly would, eventually, find its market.
The market found us. Within a decade, we had moved from sawing to plywood, then to engineered panels, and then, as Cochin Port matured into a major export hub forty kilometres from our gate, to industrial packaging for the world's container fleet.
Today, under the direction of Mr. Edwin David, Cochin Wood Industries supplies twenty products across plywood, engineered panels, industrial packaging and sawn timber — shipping to more than fifty countries and remaining based in the same Perumbavoor town where founder David Thoppilan set down the first saw. The business was incorporated as Cochin Wood Industries Pvt. Ltd. on 10 December 2021.
What we stand for
Mission, vision, values.
Vision
To be the most-trusted Indian wood house — a full-line manufacturer for marine, structural, decorative and packaging applications, in every market we serve.
Values
Integrity in sourcing. Discipline in manufacturing. Reliability in delivery. Respect for the forest, the workforce and the customer — in that order, every time.
Milestones
Four decades, one direction.
Seven inflection points that shaped the operation — from a Perumbavoor workshop in 1986 to twenty product lines and fifty export markets today.
- 1986
The first sawmill
Founded by David Thoppilan with one rotary saw and three workers in Perumbavoor — processing Kerala hardwoods for local builders and joiners.
- 1994
Plywood manufacturing begins
First hot-press installed. Commercial-grade plywood becomes our flagship line, then BWR and BWP grades follow.
- 2002
Engineered panels & flush doors
Block boards, flush doors and finger-joint boards added to the catalogue, serving the booming Indian housing market.
- 2008
Marine & shuttering plywood
Phenolic-bonded marine boards and HD shuttering plywood for high-rise concrete formwork — entering construction at scale.
- 2014
First export shipments
Container-flooring boards and ISPM-15 packaging start shipping out of Cochin Port to the Gulf, South-East Asia and Africa.
- 2021
Incorporated as Pvt. Ltd.
Cochin Wood Industries Private Limited is registered on 10 December 2021, formalising the family business under second-generation leadership.
- 2026
50+ countries · 20 products · 4 lines
Today, Cochin Wood Industries supplies a full portfolio of plywood, engineered panels, industrial packaging and sawn timber across more than fifty export markets and 1,000+ B2B clients.
From the director
"We have never tried to be the cheapest plywood manufacturer in India. We have only ever tried to be the one a customer phones a second time."
Mr. Edwin DavidDirector, Cochin Wood Industries
Standards we manufacture to
Compliance, not as paperwork — as practice.
Every grade we manufacture, every container we ship, every panel we stamp — against the standard the buyer specified, with documentation in the export folder.
IS 303 · IS 710 · IS 4990
Plywood standards
BWR and BWP grades to BIS IS 303 and IS 710; concrete shuttering plywood to IS 4990, with per-lot test certificates available on request.
IS 1659 · IS 2202
Block boards & flush doors
Block board construction to IS 1659; solid-core flush doors built to IS 2202 with phenolic resin bonding.
ISPM-15 IPPC
Export packaging
All wooden packaging — pallets, crates, cable drums — heat-treated and IPPC-stamped to ISPM-15 phytosanitary standards.
FSC Chain-of-Custody
Sustainable forestry
FSC-certified timber sourcing with documented chain-of-custody, supporting buyers who require sustainably-managed forest origin.
CARB P2 · EPA TSCA · CE
Export emissions compliance
Panel products tested to CARB Phase 2 and EPA TSCA Title VI formaldehyde limits for the US market, plus CE marking for European destinations.
ISO 9001:2015 · FIEO
Quality & export readiness
ISO 9001:2015-aligned quality management; FIEO membership and full export documentation — phytosanitary, fumigation, COO — handled in-house.
Nurturing our roots
Beyond manufacturing — community & environment.
A factory is part of the place it sits in. Forty years in Perumbavoor have taught us what we owe back — to the workforce, the forest, and the trade we operate in.
Economic empowerment
Direct employment for over 200 workers in Perumbavoor, ongoing skills training across the mill, and a sourcing preference for local timber, transport and ancillary suppliers.
- 200+ direct jobs in Perumbavoor
- Skills training across the line
- Local-supplier sourcing preference
Environmental stewardship
FSC-certified raw material, kiln waste recovered as boiler fuel, and continuous reduction in formaldehyde emissions through CARB P2-compliant resin systems and wet-scrubber abatement.
- FSC chain-of-custody timber
- Kiln waste → boiler fuel
- CARB P2 + wet-scrubber abatement
Industry innovation
Active R&D into low-emission adhesives, hardwood-substitute species, and modern CNC finishing — sharing techniques with peer mills through industry associations and FIEO networks.
- Low-emission adhesive trials
- Hardwood-substitute species R&D
- Knowledge-share via FIEO networks
Frequently asked
Questions, answered.
The questions buyers, specifiers and exporters most commonly ask — about grades, MOQs, lead-times, certifications and shipments.
BWR (Boiling Water Resistant) plywood is bonded with melamine-fortified urea-formaldehyde resin and conforms to IS 303 — the right choice for general furniture, panelling and dry interior joinery.
BWP (Boiling Water Proof) plywood is bonded with phenol-formaldehyde resin, conforms to IS 710, and survives prolonged exposure to boiling water. Specify BWP for kitchens, bathrooms, exterior joinery, marine applications and any humid environment.
Standard plywood is manufactured in 4, 6, 9, 12, 16, 19 and 25 mm thicknesses. Block boards run 18, 22, 25, 30, 35 and 40 mm. Container flooring ships at 28 mm. Shuttering plywood is most commonly produced at 12 and 18 mm.
Custom thicknesses and dimensions are available for orders above 200 sheets — talk to our technical desk.
Yes — our BWR and BWP commercial plywood ranges are manufactured to IS 303 and IS 710 respectively, with ISI marking available on request. Block boards conform to IS 1659 and flush doors to IS 2202.
For domestic India deliveries, our practical MOQ is one truckload (~400 sheets at 18 mm) — we can split mixed thicknesses across the load.
For export shipments, we typically load by 20-foot or 40-foot container; the MOQ is one container's worth, mixed across thicknesses, grades and product lines as needed.
Standard catalogue items in stock thicknesses ship in 3–7 days for domestic deliveries. Mill-fresh production runs (custom thickness, surface treatment or large quantities) take 7–15 days from receipt of advance. Export containers, including ISPM-15 fumigation and documentation, ship within 14–22 days from confirmed PO.
Yes. We send 6″ × 6″ sample swatches by courier free of charge for buyers in India, and at-cost (typically USD 30–50 per sample set, courier inclusive) for international buyers. Larger physical samples and full-sheet evaluations are available against a quoted fee.
For first-time export buyers we transact on 30% advance, 70% against scanned BL, by T/T. Established buyers can move to L/C at sight or D/A 30–60 days after a satis/A 30–60 days after a satisfactory trade history. We do not transact on open account.
Today we serve over fifty countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Maldives, Mauritius, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
If your destination is not listed, ask anyway — we have shipped to many one-off ports.
Yes. All our wooden packaging — pallets, boxes, crates, cable drums and lagging — is heat-treated and stamped to ISPM-15 phytosanitary standards.
Absolutely. We welcome buyers, specifiers and trade partners to walk our facility. Drop us an email at sales@cochinwood.in with your dates and we'll arrange a pickup from Cochin International Airport.
Yes. We offer a 7-year manufacturer warranty on flush doors and BWP marine plywood against manufacturing defects, delamination and borer/termite attack — provided the product is installed and used in accordance with our specification sheet.
The fastest path: visit our Contact page, or write to sales@cochinwood.in with product, thickness, quantity and destination port. Our export desk replies within one business day.
Visit our facilities
See where it's made.
We welcome customers, specifiers and partners to walk our facilities in Perumbavoor — from the rotary peelers to the export bay.