What decides the gurjan plywood price?

What is the gurjan plywood price in India in 2026?

Indian dealers quote gurjan plywood per square foot, and a standard 8 × 4 ft sheet is 32 sq ft. Indicative 2026 retail rates run from about Rs 40-60 per sq ft for gurjan-faced commercial (MR) plywood to Rs 110-150 per sq ft for 100% gurjan, which puts the sheet between about Rs 1,300 and Rs 4,800.

The 12 mm sheet is priced below the 16 mm rate because it holds about three-quarters of the wood, and Plyneer lists IS 710 gurjan in 12 mm, 16 mm and 18 mm. Treat every figure as a range: city, brand, tax and delivery move it by 10 to 20%.

Export comparison. At US$350/m³ FOB, an 18 mm 1220 × 2440 mm sheet is about US$18.8, or about Rs 1,600 at an assumed Rs 85 to the US dollar, before freight, duty and the importer’s margin. That sits in the same band as the Rs 1,824 retail sheet above, which is why Indian converters and traders ask for gurjan-faced panels from Vietnam.

Brands buyers compare. Indian buyers choose between branded, ISI-marked plywood with a printed grade and a warranty, and local unbranded sheets that cost less but carry no mark. Whichever they pick, the price gap between quotes comes from the face-versus-full-gurjan test below, so ask each dealer to state face, core and bond in writing.

What decides the gurjan plywood price?

The gurjan plywood price is set mostly by how much gurjan the panel contains, then by its bond grade, thickness, size, quantity and delivery term. A sheet with gurjan only on the face and back can cost a fraction of a full gurjan sheet of the same thickness, and a 710 marine grade costs more than an MR grade of the same build.

Each row moves the price independently, which is why gurjan plywood rates spread so widely and two “gurjan plywood” quotes can differ widely and both be fair. Compare quotes only after each one names face, core, bond, thickness and grade.

What does “gurjan” mean on a face and in a core?

Gurjan is the trade name in India for timber of the genus Dipterocarpus, sold as keruing in Malaysia and Indonesia, apitong in the Philippines and yang in Thailand. It is a reddish-brown tropical hardwood with a coarse texture and natural resin, which gives it good water resistance once bonded with phenolic glue.

On a plywood quote, the word can mean three different builds:

1. Gurjan face: a thin gurjan veneer on the face, and often the back, over a core of another species. This is the most common build for furniture and interiors.
2. Gurjan core or “full gurjan”: gurjan veneers in every ply. Heavier, more water resistant, and the most expensive.
3. Mixed hardwood with gurjan: gurjan in some plies and other hardwoods in the rest.

The difference matters for price and weight. Ask the supplier to name the species of the face, the back and the core on the quotation, not just “gurjan plywood”.

What do the grade names mean: MR, BWR, BWP, IS 303 and IS 710?

In the Indian market, gurjan plywood grades combine an Indian Standard number with a bond name. IS 303 is the standard for general-purpose plywood; IS 710 is the standard for marine plywood.

“Gurjan 710” therefore means a gurjan panel sold to the marine standard, and a “gurjan 710 plywood price list” is a list of marine-grade rates. The marine grade costs more than MR or BWR because of the phenolic glue, the stricter veneer rules and the testing.

Outside India, the same bonds have other names: MR and melamine-fortified (MUF), WBP phenolic, and EN 314-2 bond classes 1, 2 and 3. The BSI record identifies BS EN 314-2:1993 as the plywood bonding-quality requirements standard. Our marine plywood buying guide explains how marine grades compare across markets.

How do you work out a price per sheet from a price per m³?

Multiply the price per cubic metre by the volume of one sheet. A 1220 × 2440 mm sheet (8 × 4 ft) holds 2.977 m² of face, so its volume is 2.977 × thickness in metres.

A worked example: at US$350/m³, an 18 mm sheet works out to 350 × 0.0536 = about US$18.8 before freight, and a 12 mm sheet to about US$12.5. In India, dealers quote per square foot; an 8 × 4 sheet is 32 sq ft, so the sheet price is 32 times the rate per square foot.

Two cautions: thin panels carry more glue lines per m³ and cost a little more per m³, and some quotes use nominal thickness while the sheet measures less. State the measured thickness and tolerance on the order.

What is the price of 12 mm, 19 mm and 8 × 4 gurjan plywood?

The price of a 12 mm, 19 mm or 8 × 4 gurjan sheet is the grade’s rate times the sheet’s size, so the useful comparison is between grades at the same thickness.

• 12 mm gurjan plywood: about two-thirds of the wood in an 18 mm sheet. Used for drawer sides, backs and wall panelling.
• 19 mm gurjan plywood: the Indian furniture thickness, about 6% more wood than 18 mm. Used for carcasses, shelves and doors.
• 8 × 4 sheets: the standard size, 1220 × 2440 mm; 1250 × 2500 mm panels hold 5% more face area.

For a fair comparison, collect three quotes at the same thickness and ask each to state face, core and bond. A low price on “gurjan” usually means a gurjan face over a lighter core, which is a good panel for dry furniture but not a 710 marine panel.

Why do gurjan plywood rates differ between quotes?

Two gurjan plywood quotes differ because the panels are not the same, even when the name is. The usual hidden differences:

1. Core species: a light poplar or Styrax core against a gurjan or dense hardwood core.
2. Ply count: fewer, thicker core veneers cost less to lay up than more, thinner ones.
3. Core gaps and overlaps: a carefully laid core costs more than one with open joints.
4. Glue spread and type: less glue, or UF sold as BWR, cuts cost.
5. Measured thickness: an “18 mm” sheet that measures 16.5 mm uses about 8% less wood.
6. Face veneer thickness: a thin face sands through easily.
7. Testing: a tested, marked grade carries the cost of tests and rejects.

The cheapest quote is rarely the lowest cost of gurjan plywood per usable sheet. Ask for a sample, cut it, weigh it and boil a strip if the grade claims BWR or BWP.

What is red core plywood?

Red core plywood is a trade name for plywood whose inner plies are a reddish hardwood, such as gurjan, keruing or red meranti, or are dyed or glued to look red. Buyers pay more for it because a red hardwood core suggests a dense, water-resistant panel.

The name alone proves nothing. Check three things:

• The species, by cutting a sample and looking at the core veneers: real hardwood shows grain and pores, a dyed core shows uniform colour.
• The weight, against the stated density: a dense red hardwood core weighs more than a poplar or Styrax core.
• The bond, by a boil test on a strip: a BWP panel holds after boiling, a UF panel opens.

A light, pale plantation core is not worse for dry furniture; it is lighter to handle and cheaper. It is only wrong when the quote promised a red hardwood core.

How do you check a gurjan sheet before you buy?

Check a gurjan sheet in six steps, on a sample or on the first pack of a delivery:

1. Read the edge. Count the plies and look at the colour of each: gurjan is reddish-brown with a coarse texture.
2. Look at the face under a raking lamp for resin spots, splits, overlaps and sand-through.
3. Measure thickness at four corners and the centre with a calliper; compare with the quoted tolerance.
4. Weigh the sheet and divide by its volume to get its density; compare with the species on the quote.
5. Test the bond by boiling a strip for the time the grade requires, then try to separate the plies with a chisel.
6. Check the mark and papers: the standard number and grade on the sheet, and the test report on the invoice.

A gurjan-faced sheet on a Styrax core sits close to the first column. A much heavier sheet points to a dense hardwood core, and a much lighter one to a thinner sheet than quoted. Our plywood weight calculator does the same arithmetic for other sizes.

Is gurjan better than eucalyptus, okoume or bintangor?

Gurjan is the best of these four for a red-brown face with natural resin and marine-type use; Eucalyptus is the best-value dense core; okoume is the lightest decorative face; bintangor is a cost-effective reddish face for furniture.

For a side-by-side guide on faces, see bintangor vs okoume vs gurjan.

Where does gurjan plywood come from?

Gurjan timber grows in the tropical forests of South and South-East Asia, from India and Myanmar to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Gurjan plywood is made mainly in India, which is the largest market for the name, and in South-East Asia, where the same timber is sold as keruing or apitong.

Vietnam supplies gurjan-faced plywood: gurjan face veneers pressed onto Vietnamese plantation cores. That build keeps the gurjan look on the outside while the core comes from locally grown plantation timber, which lowers the weight and the price per m³.

Prices in each origin move with log supply, freight and the exchange rate. The sibling plywood price guide covers how those factors move plywood prices in general.

What is the cost of gurjan plywood from Minh Thanh, and what is in it?

Minh Thanh Plywood quotes furniture and interior plywood, gurjan-faced panels included, from US$350/m³ (October 2026), FOB Hai Phong; the final price depends on face, core, glue, thickness, size, quantity and delivery term.

Our six ASTM D6007 chamber tests between April 2025 and June 2026 on 9, 15 and 18 mm panels averaged 0.014–0.032 ppm, against the 0.05 ppm CARB Phase 2 limit, which TSCA Title VI matches in the US. The full product specification is on our gurjan plywood page.

How do you get an accurate gurjan plywood quote?

Send one specification line per panel type, and every quote you collect becomes comparable:

1. Use: furniture, kitchen, wall panelling or marine.
2. Face and back: gurjan, with a photo or sample of the look.
3. Core: Styrax for a lighter panel, Eucalyptus for a denser one, or full gurjan.
4. Bond and emission: UF at E0 emission, melamine-fortified MR, or phenolic WBP.
5. Thickness, tolerance and size: for example 18 mm ±0.2 mm, 1220 × 2440 mm.
6. Quantity, packing and port: one 40HC is the minimum, with mixed specifications by agreement.

Production takes 15–45 days after the 30% deposit, with the 70% balance against the scanned B/L or an irrevocable L/C at sight. Free samples are available; write to [email protected], and we reply within hours.