Certified Concrete Forming Panels from Collins

Collins Products LLC, a division of The Collins Companies, has developed a new line of concrete forming panels that will be available with FSC-certified wood. (A seasonal scarcity of certified logs has limited current production to non-certified product.) The line includes four products: ValuForm, Apex, Apex II, and Apex III. All of the forming panels have a five-ply softwood core, tropical hardwood face veneers and MDO (medium-density overlay) and/or HDO (high-density overlay) outer surfaces. The various products have different levels of durability. Valuform panels have a single layer of MDO and are rated for moderate reusability, while the top-of-the-line Apex III panels have an MDO layer topped by two HDO layers for a durability rating of 50 or more pours.

“We’re trying to make these products as green as possible,” said Rick Bacon of Collins Products. The sealers and release agents used on the panels are water-based, as are the phenolic resins used in the overlays. The company intends to source certified hardwood for the face veneers, but if logs are not available, the panels will still meet FSC standards under the percentage-based claims rule.