UK timber traders are requiring more information about hardwood-faced plywood containing palm cores after seeing the product on the market.

An information paper is currently being prepared by The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) on the subject, while a recent International Tropical Timber Organisation market report noted a shift to “combi-products” (from poplar to eucalyptus cores) going a step further with use of palm core in some Chinese and Malaysian hardwood faced ply products.

“It is something that people know little about,” said one UK trader. “They know nothing about its strengths and durability when used as a construction panel. The trade has to take the issue very seriously.”

He questioned whether palm was actually wood, but said he had no objections about the plywood coming into the UK if the public were made aware that it was made from palm and the product was tested under EN 13986.

TTF head of technical and trade policy Nick Boulton, said he didn’t think there was much palm core plywood coming into the UK but agreed there was little information available about the product.

“There’s an assumption that we can use palm in the same way as we use wood veneers and I do not know that is necessarily the case.”

He said palm could be very quite dense which may make it suitable for flooring, but TTF members had questions about how it behaved in a structural panel.

Mr Boulton is writing a paper on the issue for the next National Panel Product Division meeting in September.

“In the future palm will play a much greater role,” he added. “Wood veneers are running out from where we normally get our plywood. And we have already gone down the plantation route.”

One plywood agent contacted by TTJ said he had been dealing in Malaysian manufactured palm-core ply products for a number of years without any problems. But he said the issue was sensitive and declined to give any further details.

Timber importer Timber Neutral sells black palm flooring for £135 per m² and claims it is 250% harder than oak. Palm has also been used in cladding applications.