Kochi to Hamburg, and the grade that survives it
Our factories are in Perumbavoor, Kerala, about 40 km from Cochin Port, and our group began working timber there in 1986. Factory stuffing, terminal entry and the sailing are scheduled for the booking. Confirm the current route and port-to-port estimate with your forwarder; allow for transshipment, weather and terminal delays.
That climate profile decides the bond. Specify expected wetting, storage, handling and cargo sensitivity. The bond and crate construction require an order-specific design; voyage duration or cargo weight alone cannot select a safe wall build.
Hamburg is the discharge port we quote against by default. We sell FOB Cochin, so if your forwarder routes through Bremerhaven or another North European port, name it in the enquiry and we quote that routing. Germany is one of several lanes we run out of Cochin; the rest are on the export hub.
What we ship to Germany
Two kinds of buyer use this lane: panel importers and distributors buying sheets, and engineering exporters buying the packaging their own machines travel in. Choose the face against your agreed appearance, handling and finish requirements; our face-veneer guide explains the selection questions. Agree a sample and permitted defects rather than relying on a destination-wide assumption.
| Product | Typical use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Packing-grade plywood, MR (IS 303) | Cases, crating, industrial packing | Typical thicknesses 6, 8, 12, 15 and 18 mm. Okoume face on request. |
| Plywood boxes and crates | Machinery, castings, project cargo | Send gross mass, centre of gravity, lifting/support points and any stacking requirement. Confirm an approved packing design; no generic wall construction establishes a safe load rating. |
| Commercial and BWR plywood | Furniture, joinery, interior work | Calibrated panels with an okoume face and eucalyptus core, made to the E1 emission class (test report on request for the lot quoted), bare or HPL-laminated. |
| Plywood and timber pallets | Freight and warehouse handling | 1200 x 800 mm Euro and 1200 x 1000 mm ISO footprints are the usual sizes. |
| Container flooring plywood | Container repair and refurbishment enquiries | 28 mm hardwood-core panels, nominally 65 kg per 8 × 4 ft sheet, black film on one side; choose with or without groove. Floor specification and required documents confirmed on the quote. |
| Runners and scantlings | Crate frames and runners | Supplied only built into the crates and pallets we ship, not as loose sawn timber. |
Check solid-wood packaging and repairs
Plywood panels are processed wood and exempt from ISPM-15, so bare sheets need no stamp. A replaced solid-wood runner can affect an otherwise compliant package. Have the authorised treatment provider or importer check repaired or remanufactured packaging against ISPM-15 before loading.
Our solid-wood packing components are treated by a DPPQS-registered treatment provider where the destination requires it and stencilled with the IPPC mark, country code IN, the treatment code and the registered facility number; the treatment method follows the destination's rules, and a treatment certificate is supplied where the quotation states it. Confirm the permitted treatment and marking procedure with the destination authority and treatment provider. Repair and remanufacture have specific marking rules under ISPM-15; include that check in your receiving procedure.
EUDR, CE marking and what to ask for at enquiry
The EU Deforestation Regulation places the obligation on the operator putting the product on the EU market, which is the importer, not the exporter. Our job is to make your due-diligence statement possible: species and country of harvest for the timber in the panel, faces and cores both, issued with the quote, plus legality documentation for harvest and trade in the country of origin. Use the European Commission’s current EUDR implementation guidance to confirm the product scope, operator category, transition rules and application date. Much of what we press is plantation timber — rubberwood above all — which traces to plots far more readily than mixed natural-forest material.
For construction use, wood-based panels travel under the harmonised standard for wood-based panels in construction, with a Declaration of Performance and CE marking, and formaldehyde declared by class. A declared E1 class does not by itself demonstrate REACH Entry 77 compliance; confirm both the construction-product requirements and the restriction below for the actual use. Low-formaldehyde construction is a manufacturing choice made at the glue kettle; it cannot be retrofitted at the port.
We do not hold one certification that covers everything we make — licences are held factory by factory. If your order needs a CE Declaration of Performance, FSC chain of custody, or a stated emission class, name it at enquiry; we quote it only where our factory for your order holds it, and the quotation names the certificate — it cannot be added after the panels are pressed. Original certificates are submitted on request. See company verification for the registrations you can check yourself, and formaldehyde compliance for plywood exports for how the emission regimes differ.
EU formaldehyde: confirm the article and its use
Reference review: 1 October 2026. REACH Annex XVII Entry 77 restricts placing covered articles on the EU market after 6 August 2026 where formaldehyde release exceeds the applicable limit. For furniture and wood-based articles, it is 0.062 mg/m³ under Appendix 14 conditions. E1 or CE documentation alone does not demonstrate this requirement.
Scope exceptions include exclusively outdoor use, certain construction articles outside the building envelope and vapour barrier without indoor emissions, and exclusively industrial/professional use without foreseeable general-public exposure. Other exceptions exist; use the full restriction and test conditions. Tell us the finished article, intended use and required evidence. Your importer must confirm scope and the applicable test basis before the construction is agreed.
Terms, currency and paperwork
Export quotes are issued in USD. FOB Cochin is our default term; CIF Hamburg is available on request, priced against current freight. We do not publish rates. Each quote is built against your thickness, size, grade and quantity, and the reply goes out within one business day.
Standard products ship against 50 percent advance with the balance before dispatch; made-to-order and custom-fabricated goods are 100 percent advance. We accept bank transfer (T/T). Documentation is ready when the container sails: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin, with a phytosanitary certificate where the destination requires one.
Import essentials for Germany
What your customs agent needs to land a plywood shipment in Germany. We quote FOB Cochin in USD; duty and VAT are added at import by your agent.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| HS code | 4412 (the item within 4412.31 / 4412.33 / 4412.34 / 4412.39 turns on panel construction and individual ply thickness as well as face species, and finished cases, pallets and drums are generally considered under 4415 — your broker confirms the line) |
| Customs duty | The payable EU duty depends on the exact CN/TARIC code, panel construction and face species, Indian origin, entry date and any valid preference claim. Ask your customs broker to check EU TARIC and Access2Markets for the shipment, including additional measures and the evidence required for any preference. A concluded trade agreement alone does not establish preferential entitlement. This guide does not assign a blanket duty rate or promise that no trade-remedy measure applies to every India-origin plywood line. |
| VAT at import | Einfuhrumsatzsteuer is charged at Germany’s standard VAT rate of 19% — there is no reduced 7% rate for plywood or other manufactured wood panels; the reduced-rate wood entry in Anlage 2 UStG (item 48) covers only firewood and sawdust or wood waste, not HS 4412 products. The assessment basis is the customs value plus the customs duty (§11 UStG), not CIF alone, the broker confirms the assessment basis and any additional charges for the actual shipment. |
| Landed-cost note | Indicative only — your broker must confirm the destination tariff line and the rates in force. Import VAT is not charged on CIF alone: the base is the customs value plus customs duty, and local law may add fees and other incidental charges. |
| Due diligence | EUDR sits on the EU operator placing the product on the market. We issue species and country-of-harvest declarations with the quote and support the due-diligence documentation. |
| Conformity / standards | For construction use: Declaration of Performance and CE marking under the harmonised standard for wood-based panels, with the formaldehyde class declared. Named at enquiry, not added later. |
| Clears at | Hamburg by default; we sell FOB Cochin, so another North European port can be nominated. |
| Typical transit | 22 to 28 days port to port, Cochin to Hamburg. Add production and stuffing time at our end. |
| Documents we provide | Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, bill of lading. Phytosanitary certificate where the destination requires one. |
| ISPM-15 | Panels exempt; solid wood in assembled crates and pallets treated and IPPC-marked by a DPPQS-registered treatment provider where the destination requires it, with a treatment certificate where the quotation states it. Repaired or remanufactured packaging must follow the applicable ISPM-15 marking procedure. |