A supply lane built around Cochin Port
Our group began working timber in Perumbavoor, Kerala, in 1986. Our factories sit about 40 km from Cochin Port, so containers move from press to terminal without a long inland leg. Qatar is one of six GCC markets we ship to, alongside the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain; the full list of destinations is on our export hub.
For a Doha importer, the practical result is a short, repeatable pipeline: specification agreed in writing, production against that specification, and a loaded container handed to your carrier at Kochi. The same panel, the same grade, the same dimensions, container after container.
What Qatar buyers order: construction and packing
Orders from Qatar fall into two groups. Construction buyers take film-faced shuttering plywood for concrete formwork, marine plywood (IS 710 BWP) for wet areas, and commercial or BWR panels for fit-out work. Packing and logistics buyers take packing-grade MR plywood for crates and cases, plus ready-made plywood boxes, pallets and cable drums.
Okoume is available as a face veneer on both the MR-packing and BWR grades where a lighter, cleaner-faced panel is wanted. We also make calibrated Okoume-faced panels on a eucalyptus core, made to the E1 emission class (test report on request for the lot quoted), 16 mm at roughly 32 kg per sheet, supplied bare or HPL-laminated.
| Product | Typical use in Qatar | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Packing-grade MR plywood (IS 303) | Crates, cases, pallet decks | 6, 8, 12, 15 and 18 mm typical |
| Film-faced shuttering plywood | Concrete formwork | Made to your thickness and sheet size |
| Marine plywood (IS 710) | Wet areas, marine and joinery work | BWP bonded |
| Okoume-faced plywood | Lightweight cases, furniture, joinery | Face veneer on MR or BWR base; calibrated option made to the E1 emission class (test report on request) |
| Plywood boxes, crates and pallets | Ready-made export packaging | ISPM-15 where required: solid-wood parts treated and marked by a DPPQS-registered provider; certificate where the quote states it |
| Crate skids and pallet runners | Built into our crates and pallets | Rubberwood and jackwood, not supplied as loose sawn timber |
Routing: Kochi to Hamad Port
Hamad Port, south of Doha, is Qatar's main container gateway and the port we route every Qatar shipment to. On FOB Cochin terms your forwarder or carrier books the ocean leg; we make and pack the goods, load the container and deliver it to the terminal at Kochi with the export documentation in order.
Plywood is dense cargo, but either weight or the sheet layout can limit a container, so we plan each container within the applicable weight limit and the space available, and issue a packing list showing sheet count, net and gross weight before dispatch. If you are consolidating panels with plywood boxes and crates, we load mixed containers against a single packing list.
ISPM-15: what applies and what does not
A point that saves Qatar importers paperwork: plywood panels themselves are exempt from ISPM-15, because plywood is processed wood and the manufacturing process removes the pest risk the standard targets. Treatment obligations apply to solid wood, meaning pallet runners, crate skids and sawn timber, not to the panels.
In the boxes and crates we make, the solid-wood components are treated and IPPC-marked by a DPPQS-registered treatment provider where the destination requires it; the treatment method follows the destination's rules, and a treatment certificate is supplied where the quotation states it. The distinction is explained in our note on heat treatment versus methyl bromide.
Commercial terms for Qatar orders
Export quotes are issued in USD on FOB Cochin terms. Standard products ship on 50% advance with the balance paid before dispatch; made-to-order and custom-fabricated goods are 100% advance. We accept bank transfer (T/T).
Every quote is written against an agreed specification: grade, thickness, sheet size, quantity and any veneer preference. We do not quote blind, and we reply to enquiries within one business day at sales@cochinwood.in or +91 95674 10175. The specification is confirmed in writing before production begins, and we warrant that the goods conform to the grade and standard on the proforma invoice at the time risk passes.
Import essentials for Qatar
What your clearing agent needs to land a plywood shipment in Qatar. We quote in USD, FOB Cochin by default and CFR or CIF where agreed; customs duty is added at import on the CIF value, and any VAT on the customs value plus that duty.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| HS code | 4412 (plywood; the national 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 | 5% GCC Common External Tariff on CIF value |
| VAT at import | None (0%) |
| Conformity / standards | QGOSM standards / QS-Mark where applicable |
| Clears at | Hamad Port |
| Documents we provide | Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, bill of lading |
| 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 |