Bamboo Boards for Modern Shopfitting and Interior Design
ßShopfitters and interior designers are always looking for materials that perform well, look distinctive, and hold up under daily use. Bamboo boards and bamboo plywood do all three, and because we hold stock in the UK, tight project timelines are no obstacle.
Why specifiers are choosing bamboo boards
Conventional sheet materials like MDF and timber plywood have served the industry well. But bamboo offers something different: the workability of timber with a surface finish that stands out in a fitted environment.
Bamboo is a giant grass, not a tree, and it reaches harvestable maturity in just three to five years. Harvesting mature poles stimulates further growth of the parent plant, making it a genuinely renewable material. Our boards carry FSC® certification and are backed by an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) to EN 15804, so the credentials are there if your project requires them.
A material that works hard in commercial interiors
Bamboo boards are not a niche or decorative option. They are engineered sheet materials that cut, drill, rout, and sand using standard woodworking tools. They take oils, varnishes, and stains. They can be CNC machined and laser engraved. For a shopfitter, that means no change to your workflow: just a different, better-looking material coming off the bench.
The range runs from 7mm through to 40mm, giving you options for every application:
Display cabinets and shelving: 12mm and 19/20mm boards are well suited to cabinet carcasses and display shelving. For heavier-duty shelving carrying significant weight, we recommend 19/20mm upwards. For light shelving holding ornaments or smaller items, 7mm or 12mm will do the job.
Counters and service units: 19/20mm and 30mm boards make strong, attractive countertops and counter fronts. The side-pressed construction (also called vertical press) gives a fine, detailed face grain. The plain-pressed (horizontal press) shows the individual slat and node detail for a more natural, characterful look. Both are equally strong: the difference is purely aesthetic.
Kitchen and service worksurfaces: Our 40mm worktop is plain-pressed, nine-ply, and supplied in a standard 2440 x 640mm size, designed to standard worktop width. The 19/20mm, 30mm and 40mm bamboo boards all make good kitchen worktops. Seal with several coats of a quality worktop oil and the surface will handle daily use without complaint.
Feature walls and display backdrops: The 40mm board’s layered cross-section makes a striking feature wall element. For bolder visual impact, the 19/20mm Tiger bamboo (strand-woven, high density) has a distinctive striped grain that works well at retail scale.
CNC and laser-cut fretwork: The boards are suitable for CNC machining and laser engraving, depending on thickness and machine capability. For intricate cut fretwork or branded laser-engraved details, the 19/20mm and thinner veneer products are a good starting point.
Choosing the right bamboo board construction
There are three press formations to know:
- Side-pressed (also called vertical press) arranges the bamboo slats on their thin edge before pressing, producing a finer, more detailed face grain.
- Plain-pressed (also called horizontal press) lays slats face-down, making the individual slat and node detail clearly visible. It has a slightly more natural character compared to side-pressed.
- Strand-woven (our Tiger range) uses crushed bamboo fibres compressed under high pressure to create a high-density board with a distinctive striped appearance. At approximately 1,050 kg/m³ and a Brinell hardness rating of more than 9.5 kg/mm², it is significantly harder than standard bamboo board. Available in 19/20mm only.
All boards and veneers are supplied in a lightly carbonised caramel colour, produced by pressure steaming during manufacture. This breaks down the natural sugars in the bamboo and creates the characteristic warm tone.
Bamboo veneers for surface applications
Where a substrate is already in place, our bamboo veneers (available in 1.35mm, 3mm, and 5mm) allow you to apply a bamboo face to MDF, ply, or other sheet materials. Veneers have a clear A side (display face) and a B side, and are bonded using a standard veneer adhesive.
While veneers can be used independently for smaller items such as keyrings, name cards, and decorative pieces, most commercial applications require them to be bonded to a suitable flat substrate. They are not load-bearing products.
One important note on colour: bamboo is a natural material, and slight shade variations between batches can occur due to differences in sugar content and harvest timing. For large installations where colour consistency matters, we recommend ordering the full quantity required in one go.
UK stocked bamboo boards, ready to order
All our bamboo boards and veneers are held in stock at our East Sussex warehouse. There is no waiting on container shipments or extended lead times. Whether you need a single sheet to complete a job or a full pallet for a commercial fit-out, our team can confirm availability and turn orders around quickly.
We have been supplying bamboo materials across the UK for over 20 years. If you are working to a programme and need to confirm stock before committing, call us and we will give you a straight answer.
Bamboo board specification summary
| Property | Plain and side-pressed | Strand-woven (Tiger) |
| Density (top layer) | +/- 700 kg/m³ | +/- 1,050 kg/m³ |
| Brinell hardness | > 4 kg/mm² | > 9.5 kg/mm² (EN 1534) |
| Formaldehyde | NAF (No added formaldehyde). Emission Class E1 (< 0.124 mg/m³, EN 717-1) / Class E0 (< 0.025 mg/m³) | NAF (No added formaldehyde). Emission Class E1 (< 0.124 mg/m³, EN 717-1) / Class E0 (< 0.025 mg/m³) |
| Modulus of elasticity | 4,318 N/mm² (mean value, EN 789) | 4,318 N/mm² (mean value, EN 789) |
| EPD | EN 15804 | EN 15804 |
| FSC® certification | Available on request | Available on request |
Full specification sheets are available to download.
Ready to specify bamboo for your next project?
Browse the full bamboo boards and veneers range on our website, or contact our team to discuss your requirements. We are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm.
