A supply lane built around Cochin Port
Our group has manufactured plywood in Perumbavoor, Kerala since 1986. The factories sit about 40 km from Cochin Port, so containers move from press to terminal without a long inland leg. Qatar is one of six GCC markets we ship to, alongside the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain; the full list of destinations is on our export hub.
For a Doha importer, the practical result is a short, repeatable pipeline: specification agreed in writing, production against that specification, and a loaded container handed to your carrier at Kochi. The same panel, the same grade, the same dimensions, container after container.
What Qatar buyers order: construction and packing
Orders from Qatar fall into two groups. Construction buyers take film-faced shuttering plywood for concrete formwork, marine plywood (IS 710 BWP) for wet areas, and commercial or BWR panels for fit-out work. Packing and logistics buyers take packing-grade MR plywood for crates and cases, plus ready-made plywood boxes, pallets and cable drums.
Okoume is available as a face veneer on both the MR-packing and BWR grades where a lighter, cleaner-faced panel is wanted. We also make calibrated E1 Okoume-faced panels on a eucalyptus core, 16 mm at roughly 32 kg per sheet, supplied bare or HPL-laminated.
| Product | Typical use in Qatar | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Packing-grade MR plywood (IS 303) | Crates, cases, pallet decks | 6, 8, 12, 15 and 18 mm typical |
| Film-faced shuttering plywood | Concrete formwork | Made to your thickness and sheet size |
| Marine plywood (IS 710) | Wet areas, marine and joinery work | BWP bonded |
| Okoume-faced plywood | Lightweight cases, furniture, joinery | Face veneer on MR or BWR base; calibrated E1 option |
| Plywood boxes, crates and pallets | Ready-made export packaging | ISPM-15-compliant process |
| Sawn timber runners | Crate skids and pallet runners | Rubberwood and jackwood |
Routing: Kochi to Hamad Port
Hamad Port, south of Doha, is Qatar's main container gateway and the port we route every Qatar shipment to. On FOB Cochin terms your forwarder or carrier books the ocean leg; we produce, pack, load and deliver the container to the terminal at Kochi with the export documentation in order.
Plywood is dense cargo and usually weighs out before it cubes out, so we plan each container to the applicable weight limit and issue a packing list showing sheet count, net and gross weight before dispatch. If you are consolidating panels with plywood boxes and crates or timber runners, we load mixed containers against a single packing list.
ISPM-15: what applies and what does not
A point that saves Qatar importers paperwork: plywood panels themselves are exempt from ISPM-15, because plywood is processed wood and the manufacturing process removes the pest risk the standard targets. Treatment obligations apply to solid wood, meaning pallet runners, crate skids and sawn timber, not to the panels.
Our boxes and crates are produced under an ISPM-15-compliant process, so the solid-wood components arrive treated and marked. The distinction is explained in our note on heat treatment versus methyl bromide.
Commercial terms for Qatar orders
Export quotes are issued in USD on FOB Cochin terms. Standard products ship on 50% advance with the balance paid before dispatch; custom-manufactured items are 100% advance. We accept bank transfer (T/T).
Every quote is written against an agreed specification: grade, thickness, sheet size, quantity and any veneer preference. We do not quote blind, and we reply to enquiries within one business day at sales@cochinwood.in or +91 95674 10175. All material carries our quality commitment, with the specification confirmed in writing before production begins.
Import essentials for Qatar
What your clearing agent needs to land a plywood shipment in Qatar. We quote FCA or FOB Cochin in USD; customs duty and any VAT are added at import on the CIF value.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| HS code | 4412 (plywood; the national item within 4412.31 / 4412.33 / 4412.34 / 4412.39 turns on panel construction and individual ply thickness as well as face species, and finished cases, pallets and drums are generally considered under 4415 — your broker confirms the line) |
| Customs duty | 5% GCC Common External Tariff on CIF value |
| VAT at import | None (0%) |
| Conformity / standards | QGOSM standards / QS-Mark where applicable |
| Clears at | Hamad Port |
| Documents we provide | Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, bill of lading |
| ISPM-15 | Panels exempt; assembled crates stamped through a compliant process |