Austral Plywoods has long been a staple in the Australian forest and wood products industry, known for supplying premium appearance-grade plywood for almost a century.
From its Brisbane mill, the company has been operational since 1925, manufacturing products exclusively produced from Araucaria cunninghamii (hoop pine) – a premium domestic species 100 per cent sourced from the sustainable plantations of Queensland’s South Burnett region.
For almost 100 years, Austral Plywoods has remained committed to continuous innovation, and the team is confident its plywood sets the standard. The company mainly trades with wholesalers and has a well-earned reputation for producing high quality products while delivering excellent customer service.
Products manufactured include a wide range of durable and aesthetically pleasing panel products to suit any purpose. This includes marine plywood, extreme interior and premium exterior plywood, and premium structural appearance grade plywood.
The company enjoys long-standing and trusted relationships with its loyal clients. It is this trust and reliability that has seen its plywood sought out for use in the construction and renovation of many high-profile and impressive projects over the years. Examples include the Brisbane Supreme & District Courts, Perth Arena, Abedian School of Architecture, 2000 Summer Olympics venue ‘The Dome’, and the Melbourne Recital Centre.
All plywood produced by Austral adheres to the relevant Australian standards and certifications, meaning customers can depend not only on a premium product, but also the sustainability and ethics through which these products have been grown, harvested, and manufactured.
Innovations, improvements, and expansions to the product range
As Austral Plywoods approaches its 100-year anniversary, the team has no intentions of slowing down. Ever the innovators, its augmented reality system, powered by AI, helps users seamlessly overlay its products onto images of the walls and ceilings in their homes to offer a realistic preview.
The team is also excited to share some significant changes and expansions to its product range, designed to enhance its Australian-made plywood products.
The biggest development is the transition towards producing ‘multiply’ panels across its entire plywood range, in response to customer demand. ‘Multiply’ panels are manufactured with veneers of the same thickness, giving additional strength and flatness as well as providing an attractive edge to the panel.
Additionally, the company’s Interior plywood range has been upgraded to ‘AB’ grade,
featuring an ‘A’ grade face, ‘B’ grade back and a 100% ‘A’ grade core. This adjustment is in response to requests from architects and cabinet makers for panels suited to joinery, CNC cutting, and laser work.
These changes will provide customers with plywood panels that excel in value, appearance, workability, and environmental sustainability.
Another exciting development is Austral’s involvement with the recent launch of its Austral CrocPly product, made for the most demanding floor applications, using hoop pine plywood overlaid with a hard wearing, waterproof and slip resistant film.
Austral CrocPly features a multiply marine plywood core with a wire mesh and film-faced surface, providing an Australian-made alternative to imported products like Hexa Plywood. This construction meets the Australian Marine standard. The versatile material is suitable for various applications, including:
- truck and trailer decking
- vehicle floors
- scaffolding
- pedestrian platforms
- stair treads
- ship decking
- stage platforms
For more information on Austral Plywoods and anything you’ve read in this article, please contact sales@australply.com.au
