Palm core plywood features at London debate

The hotly-debated topic of palm plywood will be discussed by traders in London on February 9.

The meeting at the Plywood Club of London at the Mastergunner, Moorgate, will look at the issues surrounding plywood with a palm core. Mike Harrod of PT Agencies will make a presentation on the product, followed by an open discussion.

Some voices in the timber trade have openly questioned whether palm is actually a bona fide wood species and highlighted the lack of testing of the material for structural use in a panel product.

The Timber Trade Federation recently advised plywood traders, after consulting the British Standard Committee, that products with a palm core should be identified as containing palm. TRADA has also said that products should not be described without the “palm” prefix as that could be misleading.

The February 9 meeting had originally intended to feature a representative from Ove Arup.