The formwork question usually starts with "which is cheaper", but the two systems were designed for different jobs. The wrong choice comes back to you not as formwork cost but as labour and crane hours.
Short answer
No crane, or a long queue for it: Flexpan. Exposed concrete or wide spans: Flexwood.
Flexpan: hand-carried panel formwork
Flexpan is built from ready panels. No pre-assembly: the panel is erected as it arrives.
- Plywood: 15 mm
- Concrete pressure: 50 kN/m²
- Handling: by hand or crane
- Application: columns · walls · slabs
Its real advantage is how it moves. Because panels can be carried by hand, the formwork crew does not wait for the crane. On sites where the crane has plenty to do besides formwork, that is hours saved every day.
Its limit sits in the same place: panel sizes are fixed. The moment an unusual span or thickness appears, the system no longer fits exactly and a filler solution is needed.
Flexwood: timber-beam industrial formwork
Flexwood is built on H20 timber beams. It is not a panel system but a load-bearing frame.
- Beam: H20 timber
- Application: slabs · beams · walls
- Finish: smooth concrete
It wins clearly on two counts. First, surface quality: the forming face is continuous, so the concrete does not carry the mark of panel joints. Where the concrete will be seen (exposed facades, car park soffits, stair shafts), the difference is visible.
Second, span. Beam spacing is set per project, so Flexwood is not tied to a fixed panel size.
The price: erection needs pre-assembly and the elements are heavy, so a crane is not optional.
Do not forget what carries it
Both systems sit on a supporting structure. For large slabs, table formwork: the whole table is craned in one piece, with H-frame sizes of 110, 150 and 180 cm. For point loads or tight spaces, telescopic props, produced to TS EN 1065 in hot-dip galvanised steel.
Three questions before deciding
- How busy is the crane? If it is busy, Flexpan keeps the crew moving.
- Will the concrete be seen? If yes, Flexwood.
- Are the spans standard? If not, Flexwood, because you are not tied to a panel size.
On most sites the answer is both: Flexpan on walls and columns, Flexwood on slabs. Send us your formwork layout and we will work out which section is covered with less material by which system.