With hardly 30 plants for producing mat based, cold pressed calibrated plywood, Indian market is all of sudden finding it hard to supply. During months of September and October alone, few of the leading furniture makers have enquired about the new suppliers and manufacturers of calibrated plywood, which fits in to budget as well quality. As of now, the acceptance of calibrated plywood has been slow in trade because it cost 6 to 8% higher than direct pressing plywood. So far, the market of Okoume and Recon based calibrated plywood was dominated by imports largely from China, but the combination of double ‘C’s China and Covid, have led to a bigger demand for genuine calibrated plywood all of sudden.
With no ease in India-China standoff at borders hence liberal imports, better Containers availability, or affordable sea freight charges like earlier, the demand for calibrated plywood from domestic sourcing is expected to only grow with each passing month. Speaking to readymade furniture makers in Mumbai, Delhi, Indore and Surat, the verdict is clearly favoring Rs 50-52 PSF calibrated plywood requirements reaching to five times compare to Pre-covid level.
The Calibrated plywood demand has grown so sharply that conventional laid out plywood plants cannot match the price and quality with modern and more equipped plywood plants. Punjab based leading plywood manufacturer expressed that if Distributors and dealers understand the pain of pricing pressure on calibrated plywood manufacturer due to higher quality and pay the price, there will be no short supply for this material. The differences of 4 rupee per square feet in vital and marketeers have to demand it from market instead of reducing price and quality.
According to the Ply reporter survey conducted during September and October, that India is able to produce a total of 1200 trucks calibrated plywood as against an estimated demand 3 times higher. Though the price bracket of the calibrated plywood is asked by India market does not match to the supplier’s price a half-calibrated ply filling this gap. The calibrated plywood demand in India is slowly clinching a market share of 4 % that is further anticipated to grow to 11.0 % by 2022 reflected the Ply Reporter study