The industrial picture

A port-led pocket on the Saurashtra coast

Pipavav is one of the more interesting port-led industrial pockets on the west coast. The deepwater all-weather terminal sits on the Saurashtra coast in Amreli district, with a hinterland that stretches up through Bhavnagar, Rajula, Sihor and the GIDC estates feeding it. The cargo mix here is not just containerised exports — it includes RoRo car shipments, heavy project cargo, agri commodities and a steady flow of engineering goods from inland Gujarat. The port is also the only one in India with direct rail connectivity for RoRo car exports, with car trains running down from the northern auto plants. That mix creates a very specific plywood need: export-ready packing cases, heat-treated pallets and container flooring that holds up under multi-modal handling.

Around the port and up the Bhavnagar belt, the sectors that buy plywood-based packaging at scale include:

• Auto and auto-component exporters feeding the RoRo and container lines, often using returnable wooden cases for engine assemblies, transmissions and body panels.
• Engineering and machinery makers in the Bhavnagar, Sihor and Chitra GIDC estates, shipping heavy fabrications, valves, pumps and gearboxes.
• Diamond and gem-tool exporters further inland — Bhavnagar is a polishing hub — needing smaller, higher-value cases.
• The ship-breaking yards at Alang, around 70 km from Pipavav, a steady consumer of crating ply for re-rolled steel, machinery and salvaged equipment heading out as cargo.
• Agri and bulk processors in Amreli and Junagadh districts that crate processed goods and machinery for both export and domestic dispatch.
• Chemical and plastics manufacturers in the wider Saurashtra cluster, who often case-pack finished goods on plywood pallets for FCL export.

The common thread across these segments is that the cargo is heavy, the journey is multi-leg (factory → trucker → port → ocean), and the buyer at the far end is unforgiving about case damage. Packaging that "just looks okay" does not survive that chain.

What we ship

The Pipavav-bound range

Packing-grade plywood

Our base grade for Pipavav-bound work is MR packing-grade plywood — hardwood core, phenolic-glue bonded, calibrated for crate manufacturing. The thicknesses we move regularly:

Sheet sizes are typically 8x4 ft, but we cut to size in our facilities for high-volume crate buyers — this avoids both wastage and the labour of resawing at the customer's end.

Crate construction

For port-direct Pipavav cargo, the crate spec matters as much as the ply. The combinations we build to:

• Plywood skin (10–18 mm) over a sawn-timber frame, with pine, jackwood or rubberwood runners depending on load.
• Heat-treated, ISPM-15 marked timber for any structural member, because the destination port — not Pipavav — is what enforces it. Buyers shipping to the EU, US, Australia or the GCC need this without exception.
• Through-bolted or screwed corner joinery for cargo above ~500 kg; nailing alone is not sufficient for the road leg up to Pipavav.
• Internal bracing and skid mounts where the cargo is fragile or top-heavy.

Pallets

The pallet sizes we supply most often into Pipavav-bound consignments are 1200x1000 mm (standard export), 1200x800 mm (Euro) and 1100x1100 mm (Asia-Pacific containerised). Two-way and four-way entry are both available. Block pallets are preferred where forklift access from all four sides matters at the destination port.

Container flooring

For high-cube and project cargo where the floor of the container itself takes damage from heavy handling, we supply 18 mm plywood flooring panels — keruing-faced where the buyer specifies it, or Okoume-faced for premium export work. Okoume is a face-veneer option on the same packing and BWR cores, not a separate grade. This is a specific ask that comes up more from Pipavav than from a typical port, because of the RoRo and heavy-cargo profile of the terminal.

Logistics

Kochi to Pipavav

Pipavav is roughly 1,800 km by road from Kochi, with the route running up via Bengaluru–Hubballi–Belagavi–Pune–Vadodara–Rajkot and then west into the Saurashtra coast. Trailer transit time is typically 5–7 days door-to-door depending on the season and the number of trucks moving in convoy. We move 32-ft single-axle and multi-axle trailers on this lane, with full-truck loads of cut-to-size plywood, pre-fabricated crate panels or finished pallets stacked tight.

For buyers who prefer it, we also ship coastal — Kochi to Mundra or Hazira, and trans-shipment into Pipavav. The lane economics shift depending on diesel and trailer availability, so we quote both options. For repeat buyers we hold a small running stock at the destination and dispatch on call, which removes the lead-time question on urgent crating jobs.

Choosing a grade

Which grade for which load

The choice of grade should follow the cargo, not the other way round. A useful rule of thumb for Pipavav-bound work:

• MR packing-grade plywood — default for export crates, pallets and general port packing. Phenolic-bonded, holds up across the road leg and the ocean leg under normal humidity.
• Okoume-faced plywood — for premium export packing, high-value engineering goods, machinery cases that need a clean face, and container flooring on long-haul deepsea routes. Lighter, more uniform face, better screw retention. This is the Okoume veneer applied to the packing or BWR core, not a distinct grade.
• BWR / shuttering ply — not normally the right grade for packing. Worth specifying only for site-cast concrete formwork on construction projects in the Bhavnagar or Pipavav port-side infrastructure builds.
• Sawn timber (jackwood / rubberwood runners) — for skids, runners and crate frames under the plywood skin. Sized to the crate's payload.

FAQ

Common questions

Can you supply ISPM-15 compliant pallets for Pipavav exports?

Yes. We supply heat-treated and stamped pallets and crate timber for all export consignments. The treatment is done at registered facilities and the IPPC stamp is applied per the standard. We can quote with or without ISPM-15 depending on whether the cargo is domestic or export.

Do you deliver direct to the freight forwarder or only to the factory?

Either. For Pipavav-bound jobs we regularly deliver pre-fabricated crate panels and assembled pallets straight to the CFS or the forwarder's warehouse close to the port, so the cargo is packed at the last possible point. This reduces handling damage on the long road leg.

What is the minimum order quantity?

For full-truck loads from Kochi we quote from a single 32-ft trailer onwards, roughly 18–22 tonnes depending on the mix. Smaller orders are best aggregated with other buyers in the lane — talk to us before splitting an order.

Get a quote

Send us the crate spec

If you crate engineering goods, auto components, ship-breaking salvage or any export cargo through Pipavav, send us the crate dimensions, payload, destination port and the monthly volume you expect. We will come back with a delivered or ex-Kochi quote, plus a recommended grade and crate spec — all manufactured in Perumbavoor, where our group has built plywood since 1986. Request a quote through the contact form, or browse the resource hub for grade guides, sizing tables and ISPM-15 notes that may help before you confirm the spec.