Concrete Formwork Contractors

Concrete formwork is the mould or frame used to hold wet concrete in place until it fully sets or cures. There are two main types of concrete formwork - temporary formwork and permanent formwork.

Temporary formwork is reusable and removable from the concrete that has fully set and cured. This type of concrete formwork is usually made from easy to produce materials such as timber, steel, plywood or plastic.

On the other hand, permanent formwork, as the name suggests, is permanent and never removed from concrete that has fully set and cured. For instance, insulated concrete forms (ICF) is generally made from a foam material such as expanded polystyrene. The middle section is hollow where the concrete is usually poured, and the combination of the foam material and concrete masonry offers the best thermal insulation for a structure.

Different concrete formworks are needed for different types of structures. Concrete formwork is commonly used for concrete foundations, slabs, flooring, beams, walls and other concrete structures. Concrete formwork is usually designed, assembled and placed before the concrete is poured.

Below are the types of concrete formwork used for residential purposes:

• Wall and column formwork. Wall and column formwork is usually made of metal. It is commonly used for the construction of concrete walls, pillars, some foundations, footings and abutments. This formwork is usually shaped like a simple rectangular concrete boxing, but it can also be shaped into circular formworks and other unique shapes for columns and architectural features.
• Slab formwork. Slab formwork is usually constructed of steel or aluminium. This formwork can be formed for concrete slabs of any size or thickness. Other flat forms include beams, column heads and infillings.
• Timber beams and plywood. As mentioned above, these materials are usually used to build temporary formworks. Although these are cheaper options compared to metal formwork, these formworks are also weaker even when the load capacity is reduced. However, wooden formwork is still an ideal option for supporting horizontal concrete form for slabs and foundations.
• Props and shoring systems. These are steel and aluminium formworks that have a high load capacity, making them suitable to support overhead concrete and larger structures at heights. This type of formwork is usually paired with falsework.