How we work
How we export: process, documents and compliance
Five steps from enquiry to a sealed container, loaded 40 km from Cochin Port. Here is what happens at each step, what you receive, and when.
From enquiry to container in five steps
Our group has made plywood in Perumbavoor since 1986. The export desk runs the same way: to the spec, on the schedule, container after container. The path from first message to sailing is five steps.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Spec confirmation | Thickness, sheet size, grade and face veneer — packing plywood or Okoume-faced panels — plus quantity and destination port. |
| 2. Proforma invoice | FOB Cochin, in USD. Sheets per container, net and gross weights, production lead time and payment schedule, all in writing. |
| 3. Production and inspection | Panels pressed to the approved spec. An inspection window is held open before loading — come yourself or send a third-party agency. |
| 4. Loading at the factory | Containers are stuffed at the factory, 40 km from Cochin Port. You get photos and video of your container as it loads. |
| 5. Documents and dispatch | The full document set is emailed on sailing. Originals follow by courier or through the bank, per your payment terms. |
Commercial terms
Every export quote is FOB Cochin, in US dollars. One number covers the goods, export clearance and loading on board at Cochin.
| Order type | Payment terms |
|---|---|
| Standard products | 50% advance with the order, balance before dispatch |
| Letter of credit | Irrevocable sight LC accepted in place of advance terms |
| Custom specifications | 100% advance with the order |
Payment by TT or irrevocable sight LC. For indicative ex-factory ranges (ex-factory Perumbavoor, GST and freight extra) see the plywood price guide — export quotes are built per enquiry against current rates, so confirm before ordering.
What you see before the container sails
You should not have to wait for the container doors to open at destination to know what is inside. Three things close that gap.
- Pre-shipment inspection. Welcome, by you or any third-party agency you appoint. We hold the goods for inspection before loading.
- Loading photos and video. Your container, your goods, shot at the door as it loads. Sent the same day.
- Packing list with real weights. Net and gross weight per bundle and sheet counts per pallet — the same numbers declared to the shipping line.
Behind all three sits the material guarantee: the panel that arrives matches the approved spec sheet. Same thickness, same grade, same construction as confirmed on the proforma invoice.
Documents we provide
The standard set, with every shipment:
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | Declared value and terms for customs at both ends. |
| Packing list | Bundle-wise net and gross weights and sheet counts. |
| Bill of Lading | Title document from the shipping line — surrendered or original, per your payment terms. |
| Certificate of Origin | Chamber-certified proof of Indian origin for destination customs. |
| Phytosanitary / fumigation certificate | Issued where the destination requires it — confirmed against your country’s rules at PI stage. |
Tell us your customs broker’s checklist when you confirm the order. Destination-specific documents are agreed before production ends, not after the container sails.
Compliance: ISPM-15 and emissions
Three points export buyers ask about, answered straight.
- ISPM-15 packing. All solid-wood packing — pallets, runners, bearers — is heat-treated and stamped ISPM-15 compliant.
- Plywood itself is exempt. Plywood is processed wood under ISPM-15, so the panels need no treatment stamp. Only the solid-wood packing around them does, and ours carries it.
- E1 glue line. A low-emission E1 glue line is available on Okoume-faced panels for markets and end uses that require it.
Cores are rubberwood and eucalyptus; faces are Okoume or Gurjan. The species detail is on Woods We Use.
Container weights that clear the destination
Plywood weighs out before it cubes out. We load every container to the lower of the ship-line payload and the destination road limit, so your boxes are never stopped at a weighbridge after arrival.
| Destination | Approx. 40ft load |
|---|---|
| Ship-line payload (general) | about 26.7 tonnes |
| Israel | about 24.5 tonnes |
| USA | about 20 tonnes |
Figures are approximate and confirmed per booking on the proforma invoice. Sheet counts per container follow from these caps — the arithmetic — payload caps, sheet weights and worked 40ft loadings — is on the container weight guide.
Start with the spec
We ship to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Israel. Country-specific terms are on the export pages, including UAE and Israel.
Send thickness, sheet size, grade and monthly quantity. A proforma invoice follows in writing — FOB Cochin, in USD.