THE FORMWORK

NOE board

Technical Information

Dated: 12.2011

Technical Information NOEboard

NOEboard
innovative
construction
NOEboard is a high-tech
formwork facing consisting of a
thermoplastic facing, a fibreglass
loadbearing layer and a PU-foam
core. This material combination
gives NOEboard a number of outstanding properties. One of the
most important is minimal water
absorption, which prevents swelling and means the dreaded rippling effect is now a thing of the
past. In addition, the innovative
NOEboard sandwich construction
combines low weight with good
loadbearing capacity and ease of
processing and handling.

Figure 1: Construction of NOEboard formwork facing

Thermoplastic facing, Fibreglass loadbearing layer, PU foam

NOEboard
no swelling
Water has no effect on NOEboard
formwork facing.
Conventional formwork facings
usually consist of plywood. Plywood absorbs moisture and
swells. This causes dimensional
change. A 10% increase in moisture content brings with it expansions of 0.15% longitudinally (4
mm for l = 2650 mm) and 4% in
thickness (0.8 mm for d = 21 mm)
A further unpleasant accompaniment of swelling is rippling. This
happens when the wood swells
up at unprotected spots, for
example where damage has
occurred to the surface coating
or the board edges have been
left unvarnished. Bulges protrude
parallel to fibres and leave ugly
marks in the concrete.

2 Dated: 12.2011

Figure 2: Rippling in plywood formwork facing

TI NOEboard

Subject to technical modifications.

Technical Information NOEboard

There is no danger of this with

NOEboard because it does not
absorb water.
Plywood facings are usually
coated with phenolic resin. This
coating becomes worn to various
degrees after time. As a result,
the plywood facing has varying
suction properties. The consequence is that new plywood
formwork facing creates a different surface colouration to that of
used facing. In contrast, the concrete colouration does not
change when NOEboard is used,
because the suction of the
formwork facing remains consistently low.
NOEboard does not swell, which
allows the board to be an extra
1 mm thick, thus increasing the
stiffness of the formwork panels.
Further plus points include a less
noticeable impression of the
formwork frame in the concrete
and an improved concrete
surface.

Figure 3: Rippling impressions in concrete

Figure 4: NOEboard formwork

facing absorbs no moisture and
therefore does not swell

Figure 5: With increasing age and

damage, plywood formwork facing absorbs moisture and swells

Subject to technical modifications.

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Dated: 12.2011 3

Technical Information NOEboard

NOEboard
low weight
NOEboard weighs less than plywood formwork facing.
This is an important factor in
how well formwork handles on
site is its weight. With its very
favourable weight characteristics,
NOEboard excels on this point as
well:
A typical 21-mm-thick plywood
formwork facing weighs 14.7 kg
per square metre. In comparison,
the 1-mm-thicker NOEboard (22
mm) is almost two kilos lighter
per square metre (12.8 kg/m)!
The maximum board format is
1500 x 4000 mm for thicknesses
between 10 and 22 mm. As a
rule, board thicknesses are chosen to be 1 mm thicker than plywood panels, because NOEboard
does not swell.
The structural stiffness of traditional plywood panels depends
on their moisture content. In
other words, the higher the moisture content of the plywood panels, the lower their strength. For
example, their bending deflection increases by 20% when their
moisture content rises by 12%.
NOEboard, on the other hand,
absorbs no water and therefore
water cannot affect its strength!
Despite its higher loadbearing capacity, NOEboard is lighter than
many other formwork facings.
The importance of this should not
be underestimated when it comes
to handling manually erected
formwork.

Facing
thickness
mm

Approx.
weight
ca. kg

Bending
modulus
N/mm

Shear
modulus
N/mm

Bending
stress
N/mm

10

07,40

4400

137,90

83

10

07,40

3800

137,90

74

13

08,22

6100

111,50

80

13

08,22

4400

111,50

47

16

09,50

5400

087,50

78

16

09,50

3900

087,50

45

22

12,80

5300

057,20

82

22

12,80

3300

057,20

47

Longitudinal
Transverse
Table 1: Technical data NOEboard

The following example makes

clear the difference in weight:
A formwork element 2.70 m high
and 0.90 m wide has an area of
2
2.43 m . Thus a lower weight per
2
unit area of 1 kg/m of formwork
facing approximates to an element weight reduction of 2.4 kg,
while a higher weight per unit
2
area of 2.1 kg/m leads to a
formwork element weighing 5 kg
more.

The weight advantage gained

from NOEboard varies, depending on the material type and facing thickness.
Compared with traditional birch
plywood formwork facing, the
advantage can be up to 1.9
2
kg/m . And against other fully
synthetic formwork facings,
NOEboard is between 0.8 and 2.3
2
kg/m lighter.

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Technical Information NOEboard

NOEboard
nailed or
screwed
Just like plywood panels,
NOEboard can be nailed or
screwed in place.
As the holding force on fixings is
somewhat below that of wood,
we recommend the use of approximately 30% more nails or
screws with NOEboard.

Figure 6: NOEboard can be nailed or screwed. The advantages:

It does not splinter and absorbs no water

Figure 7: Plywood facing splinters on the back. Water entering

through the nail hole causes the facing to swell.

Subject to technical modifications.

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Dated: 12.2011 5

Technical Information NOEboard

NOEboard
simple to
clean
NOEboard can be cleaned in several ways.
Cleaning the NOEboard surface is
extremely simple and can be
done on site in the same way as
for plywood panels. Cleaning
with water is an excellent option
in the factory or building yard.
There are two methods:
1. High-pressure cleaning
A high-pressure cleaner with
a fan jet nozzle or a
high-pressure surface cleaner
with flat nozzles is suitable.
Max. pressure 500 bar.

Figure 8: Cleaning with a high-pressure cleaner fitted with

a fan nozzle

2. Surface cleaning
A rotation cleaner with
cleaning pad and water is a
suitable method.

Figure 10: Cleaning with a high-pressure surface cleaner fitted with a

fan nozzle

Figure 9: Rotation cleaner with

cleaning pad

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Technical Information NOEboard

NOEboard
easy to use
Repair:
The frequency of repair is reduced and the repair itself is
simple.
NOEboard offers another advantage over conventional plywood
formwork facing: Drilled holes
and screw holes do not have to
be repaired. Smaller holes close
themselves during the next concreting operation, while projecting defects can be repaired simply using a hotmelt process. A
suitable repair kit is available
from NOE.
Note: NOEboard is made from
polyurethane (PU) and can be repaired by gluing.
Release agent:
Any release agent on the market
can be used for NOEboard, so far
all have been found to be compatible. However, we recommend
that you carry out a test first. In
addition, the release agent film
should be applied evenly and
thinly over the formwork facing,
exactly as with plywood.

Figure 11: By using NOEboard, the silicone joint can be smaller

than it would be with plywood formwork facings

Installation:

Large formwork elements:

NOEboard has a host of characteristics that make its handling

considerably simpler. It does not
swell and has a coefficient of
thermal expansion similar to that
of steel. Therefore the silicone
joints can be thinner than is possible with plywood.

Large formwork elements with

widths greater than 1500 mm can
be fabricated using tongue and
groove joints, which allows compliance with very tight flatness
tolerances.

In contrast to other synthetic

formwork facings, NOEboard provides a good bonding substrate
for silicone. This means the joints
between frame and panel can be
filled or sealed with silicone.

Subject to technical modifications.

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Dated: 12.2011 7

Technical Information NOEboard

NOEboard
resistant to
heat and cold

NOEboard has a particularly

scratch-resistant surface

NOEboard formwork facing can

be used in a temperature range
of 20 C to + 80 C.

Resistance:
Resistant to mechanical
effects

Within this range, NOEboard can

be used without limitations. Even
at 20 C, NOEboard can be
nailed or screwed without temperature-related embrittlement.

NOEboard is very resistant to normal mechanical effects encountered on site and has a particularly scratch-resistant surface. The
innovative facing skin has no tendency to splinter.

The coefficient of thermal expansion of the formwork facing is extremely small at 11 Strain/K. The
change in length is comparable
with that of steel, which results in
no gaps forming in the steel
frame as a result of temperature
differences.

face changes due to swelling. No

rippling either.
In contrast, moisture penetrating
plywood formwork facings or
synthetic composite boards with
timber cores can cause them to
swell and can give rise, in some
circumstances, to rippling.

With NOEboard, sites of minor

damage, such as nail holes, close
themselves during the next concrete pour. There is no risk of sur-

NOEboard
sustainable
The best way to recycle
NOEboard formwork facing is to
use its energy content.

Figure 12: Nail or screw holes close themselves during the next
concrete pour

NOEboard can be simply disposed

of by incineration with ordinary
refuse at temperatures of over
800 C. The waste gases generated by this process are harmless
to health.
European Waste Code EWC
170203 applies to the panels.

NOEboard
UV resistant
The resistance of the surface to
ageing caused by UV radiation
has been proved in tests.
Figure 13: Poker vibrator damage to a NOEboard formwork facing
surface

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Technical Information NOEboard

Burns caused by internal poker

vibrators to plywood formwork
facings normally lead to the top
veneer being damaged beyond
repair. The contractor usually opts
to replace the facing or undertake a major repair.
With NOEboard, although the
poker roughens the surface, the
formwork facing can continue to
be used. The facing skin can be
made smooth again using a K 60
or K 80 sanding pad.
Compressive strength:
NOEboard has a high compressive
strength. This has been proved by
NOE in countless tests to determine the impression depth under
practical conditions.
Chemical resistance:
The surface has a very good resistance to aqueous media including
dilute acids/alkalis and washing liquors. It also has good resistance
to oils/grease, alcohols and
aliphatic hydrocarbons. Discolouration of the concrete surface due
to the formwork facing skin does
not occur with NOEboard.
Loadbearing capacity:
Despite its light weight,
NOEboard excels in its

loadbearing capacity (bending

stresses in the direction of span).
Thermal expansion:
The low coefficient of thermal expansion of NOEboard, differing
by less than 10% from that of
steel, minimises temperature-related stresses and the gaps between the facing and steel
frames, providing that a silicone
joint filler is not used.
Durability:
NOEboard is one of the newer
products in the NOE-Schaltechnik
range and has been in use on
sites since 2008. Several years of
experience has shown that the
durability of this fully synthetic
facing is considerably greater
than conventional plywood
formwork facings.
NOE developed and carried out
load tests to investigate the
long-term performance of the
formwork facing. As part of these
tests, NOEboard was placed in a
drum along with other facings
under identical conditions and
subjected to the effects of falling
and abrading concrete and steel
components.

The results of this series of tests

showed that NOEboard is very
suitable for resisting the loads
from concreting and from other
site operations. This leads to us to
expect a correspondingly long
service life and confirms the findings of years of practical experience.

The first objective of these practical tests was to simulate the loads

Figure 14: Damage to the surface of plywood facing caused by a

poker vibrator

Subject to technical modifications.

that act on the formwork facing

when concrete is poured and
compacted. The second objective
was to investigate other mechanical effects that occur on a construction site. This includes contact with reinforcement and
poker vibrators, which can come
into direct contact with formwork
facings, and the effect of stacking
formwork elements on top of
one another. In addition, a further in-house test determined the
effect of a water jet from a
high-pressure cleaner striking the
facing.

TI NOEboard

Figures 15 and 16: Test apparatus

to determine wear

Dated: 12.2011 9

Technical Information NOEboard

NOEboard three important

points

n NOEboard excels in particular

because of its good

loadbearing capacity (bending
in the direction of span) combined with low weight.

n Because the fully synthetic

board does not shrink or swell

and its coefficient of thermal
expansion differs by less than
10% from that of steel, stresses
and gaps between the
formwork facing and frame are
minimised.

n Many years of practical experi-

ence has shown that NOEboard

is very compatible with the
loads encountered on site. Further in-house tests indicate it
has a correspondingly long
service life.

How do
you repair
NOEboard?
NOEboard has the advantage
that considerably fewer repairs
have to be carried out compared
with plywood formwork facings.
The reason for this is that
NOEboard does not absorb water
and therefore does not swell. For
this reason, nail holes do not
have to be repaired. They close
themselves during the next concrete pour Only major damage
needs to be repaired. The
hotmelt method of repair is very
simple and is used in the same
way as for plywood formwork
facings.

NOEboard
simple to
repair
1. Mill out the repair site to a
depth of 3 mm using a router.

2. Fill the repair site with

NOEboard repair filler (Part
No. 844070). To reduce the
cooling time, we recommend
that the repair site is cooled
with a NOEboard cooling
block (Part No. 397010).

3. Allow to cure for one minute.

Then smooth the repair site
using a NOEboard trimming
cutter (Part No. 397000).

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TI NOEboard

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Technical Information NOEboard

Figure 17: Milling out the repair

site

Figures 18 and 19: Filling the

repair site with NOEboard repair
filler and removing the heat with
NOEboard cooling blocks.

Figures 20 and 21: Smoothing the

repair site with a NOEboard trimming cutter

Subject to technical modifications.

TI NOEboard

Dated: 12.2011 11

THE FORMWORK

NOE-Schaltechnik
Georg Meyer-Keller GmbH + Co. KG
Kuntzestr. 72, 73079 Suessen, Germany
Tel. +49 7162 13-1
Fax +49 7162 13-288
info@noe.de
www.noe.de
www.noeplast.com

Austria
NOE-Schaltechnik
ww.noe-schaltechnik.at
noe@noe-schaltechnik.at

Croatia
NOE oplatna tehnika d.o.o.
www.noe.hr
noe@noe.hr

Poland
NOE-PL Sp. Zo.o.
www.noe.com.pl
noe@noe.com.pl

Belgium
NOE-Bekistingtechniek n.v.
www.noe.be
info@noe.be

Czech Republic
ISD-NOE
www.isd-noe.cz
zdaril@isd-noe.cz

Russia
NOE St. Petersburg
noe@sovintel.ru

Brasil
Mills do Brasil
Estruturas e Servios Ltda
www.mills.com.br
millsbr@cepa.com.br

France
NOE-France
www.noefrance.fr
info@noefrance.fr

Bulgaria
NOE-Schaltechnik
www.noebg.com
noe-bg@netbg.com

Netherlands
NOE-Bekistingtechniek b.v.
www.noe.nl
info@noe.nl

Serbia
NOE Sistemske Oplate d.o.o.
www.noe-scg.com
noe-scg@eunet.yu
Switzerland
NOE-Schaltechnik
www.noe.ch
info@noe.ch

NS/e 5337400 12.11 2000 RR

Subject to technical modifications.