Rubberwood plywood
Rubberwood plywood. Ready for work.
Plantation-hardwood panels in the standard 6–18mm range, with occasional 19, 20, 22, 25, 30, 35 and 40mm sizes against order, pressed for packing and general commercial work and loaded in full truckloads from Kochi. Made by our group in Perumbavoor, which has worked rubberwood since 1986.
By Edwin David, Director, Cochin Wood Industries — plywood manufacturer in Perumbavoor, Kerala. · Last updated 29 July 2026.
The hardwood Kerala peels more than any other.
Cochin Wood Industries is a rubberwood plywood manufacturer in Perumbavoor, the Kerala cluster that turns more rubberwood into plywood than anywhere else in India. Rubberwood is the timber of the para rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) — a plantation hardwood that is felled and replanted on a roughly 25 to 30 year cycle once its latex yield falls, so the raw material is farmed rather than taken from forest.
The cluster standardised on it for good reasons: steady plantation supply on our doorstep, a clean peel that gives even veneers, and a medium density that takes MR and BWR bonding well. That is why the packing and commercial plywood shipped out of Perumbavoor is, more often than not, rubberwood at its core.
Materials & applications
Choose the panel for the job.
Why the weight matters for your freight.
Rubberwood is a medium-density hardwood, so a rubberwood panel weighs less than a dense-hardwood or gurjan-cored panel of the same thickness. That difference matters when weight is the binding limit: with dense panels, or a low axle or destination road-weight cap, a lighter panel lets you load more usable sheets within the same weight limit, a direct freight saving on every square foot shipped. When the sheet layout sets the count first, as in the flat-stack examples on our container load estimator, a lighter panel lowers the gross weight at the same sheet count instead.
We work the arithmetic on our rubberwood plywood container-weight guide, and price and load export orders around it on the export desk.
Grade and bond, stated up front.
Our standard rubberwood range is MR-bonded to IS 303 — moisture-resistant, pressed for structure, and the grade most packing and general-commercial work asks for. Where the service is humid or splash-prone we make a BWR-bonded panel to order. Cores are rubberwood or eucalyptus; faces are commercial by default, with Okoume or Gurjan on request. Packing and commercial grade runs on minus tolerance — a nominal thickness may finish slightly under, never over — and we state the tolerance band on the quote so there is no argument at delivery.
Thicknesses and typical uses.
Standard supply runs from 6–18mm, with 6, 8, 12, 15 and 18mm covering most work. We also supply 19, 20, 22, 25, 30, 35 and 40mm occasionally against order. Confirm availability, quantity and minus tolerance on the written quote.
| Thickness | Typical use |
|---|---|
| 6mm | Liners, lids, partitions, cladding |
| 8mm | Light boxes and inner walls |
| 12mm | General cases, commercial panelling, box walls |
| 15mm | Heavy cases and crate walls |
| 18mm | Bases, decks and point-load crates |
Packing-grade rubberwood ply is quoted per thickness, ex-factory across the standard 6–18mm range, with occasional 19, 20, 22, 25, 30, 35 and 40mm sizes against order; GST and transport are extra. Rates move with log and veneer cost, so treat that as indicative only and confirm current pricing on enquiry. Our plywood price guide sets out how thickness, grade and freight build into a landed cost, and our Perumbavoor market commentary reads what is moving the cluster.
Where rubberwood plywood earns its place.
Most of what we make goes into packing cases, crates and pallets for exporters and case shops, where the weight advantage and a bond that ignores transit humidity matter more than a polished face. The same panel serves general commercial and panelling work, and it is the base we build Okoume-faced and calibrated panels on. If you are crating for shipment, note that plywood panels are ISPM-15 exempt; only solid-wood crate members need the heat-treatment stamp.
Common questions
Is rubberwood plywood waterproof?
Our standard rubberwood plywood is MR-bonded (moisture-resistant) to IS 303 — it stands up to transit humidity and damp handling but is not for permanent water immersion. For humid or splash-prone service we make a BWR-bonded rubberwood panel to order.
What thicknesses of rubberwood plywood do you make?
Standard supply is 6–18mm. The running thicknesses are 6, 8, 12, 15 and 18mm, with 19, 20, 22, 25, 30, 35 and 40mm available occasionally against order. Confirm availability and minus tolerance on the quote.
Is rubberwood plywood good for packing and export?
Yes. It is the grade most packing cases, crates and pallets are built from. Because rubberwood is medium-density, a panel weighs less than dense-hardwood ply of the same thickness. That lowers container weight, and adds sheets only where weight rather than the sheet layout is the binding limit. Plywood panels are also ISPM-15 exempt.
Do you export rubberwood plywood, and from where?
Yes. We ship from Kochi to 28 countries across six continents, quoted FOB. Country-specific terms are on our export pages; send your spec and destination for a written quote.
Tell us the spec, get a written quote.
Send thickness, monthly quantity and delivery location and we will come back with a written quote — usually within one business day. We supply in full truckloads pan-India and export from Kochi to 28 countries across six continents.