Buying used formwork: wall, slab and shoring explained

Formwork is expensive when new and loses little performance when it has been looked after. That makes used and refurbished formwork an attractive option – if you know what to look for.

Wall, slab and shoring

• Wall formwork: framed steel or aluminium panels with plywood facing for walls, cores and foundations. Heavy-duty systems handle high fresh-concrete pressure; light systems can be moved by hand.
• Slab formwork: panel systems with drop heads or timber-beam systems with props for floors and ceilings.
• Shoring towers and props: carry the slab formwork and loads at greater heights.

Used, refurbished or new?

Used formwork comes as it was taken off the last site: cleaned, with signs of use on the facing. Refurbished panels have been cleaned and fitted with new plywood facing; they give a concrete finish close to new material. New parts, such as props or panels, fill gaps in an existing fleet. You will find all three conditions under formwork components.

What to check

• Frames: straight, no cracked welds, connection points undamaged.
• Facing: no delamination, holes can be plugged; for exposed concrete, choose refurbished panels.
• Completeness: clamps, ties, inside and outside corners, compensation pieces and props in matching numbers.
• System: stay within one system; panel heights and connection hardware are system-specific.

Planning the quantity

Formwork is planned per pour, not per building: the area you can form in one cycle, multiplied by the number of cycles you need to keep in use at the same time. Send us your drawings or the area per cycle and we will suggest a package from stock.