Question 1

What is formwork?

Accepted Answer

Formwork is the temporary structure that holds wet concrete in the exact shape, position and level required until it cures and can carry itself. Panels form the face, beams and props carry the load, and bracing holds the whole assembly against the pressure of the pour.

On a residential apartment building, formwork produces nearly the entire structural frame — basement and retaining walls, footings, columns, blade walls, lift and stair cores, transfer levels, suspended slabs and in-situ stairs. When the concrete reaches strength the formwork is stripped, backpropping is left in place to the engineer’s design, and the level is handed to the following trades.

Because every structural activity waits on the deck, formwork sets the floor cycle and therefore the pace of the whole build. That is why it is engineered, surveyed and programmed rather than improvised.

What we form See completed structures

Question 2

Why does formwork control the program on an apartment build?

Accepted Answer

Every other structural activity waits on formwork. Reinforcement cannot be fixed until the deck is decked, concrete cannot be placed until the form is signed off, and following trades cannot start until the floor is stripped and handed over. The floor cycle — the number of days between one slab pour and the next — is set by the formwork crew. Shorten the cycle and the whole structure finishes earlier; lose a cycle and it flows through to practical completion.

Question 3

What is the difference between formwork, falsework and shoring?

Accepted Answer

Formwork is the face that shapes the concrete. Falsework is the temporary supporting structure — props, frames and beams — that carries the formwork and the wet concrete load down to a stable surface. Shoring and backpropping refer to the props left in place, or reinstalled, beneath a slab after stripping so the young concrete is not overloaded by the floors being built above it.

Question 4

What is a floor cycle?

Accepted Answer

A floor cycle is the repeating sequence of set-out, decking, propping, reinforcement, services, pour, cure, strip and re-set for the next level. On a typical Sydney apartment building we run a cycle measured in working days per level, planned around crane availability, concrete supply and the reinforcement program, and reported weekly against the master program.

Question 5

What is off-form or architectural concrete?

Accepted Answer

Off-form concrete is concrete that is left exposed as the finished surface, with no render, plaster or cladding over it. The formwork face, the joint layout and the tie pattern become the architectural finish, so the form is built to a far tighter tolerance and sample panels are produced and signed off before the main pour.

Question 6

What is backpropping and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

Backpropping is the reinstatement of props under a freshly stripped slab so that the load from the levels above is distributed through several floors rather than one immature slab. It is designed by the engineer, not decided on site, and it is one of the most common causes of structural cracking when it is done informally.

Question 7

What type of projects do you work on?

Accepted Answer

Residential apartment buildings and multi-residential developments across Sydney — typically multi-level structures with basement car parking, transfer levels, cores and repeating floor plates. We are structured for tier-two and tier-three head contractors and developers delivering apartment product. We do not undertake domestic or small-scale residential work.

Question 8

What scope do you deliver?

Accepted Answer

Formwork, steel fixing and wall systems under a single subcontract, from bulk excavation stage through to roof slab. That covers basement and retaining walls, footings and slab on ground, columns and blade walls, lift and stair cores, suspended slabs, transfer slabs, in-situ stairs and feature or off-form elements.

Question 9

Do you supply concrete or place it?

Accepted Answer

No. We do not offer concreting. We form the structure, stand the pour and strip it. Concrete supply and placement sit with your nominated supplier and placement contractor, and we coordinate directly with them around the pour.

Question 10

Do you do steel fixing as well?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Steel fixing can be packaged with the formwork under one subcontract, which removes the interface risk between two subcontractors on the critical path and gives you a single party accountable for the deck being ready to pour.

Question 11

Where do you work?

Accepted Answer

Sydney metropolitan and greater Sydney, including the CBD, inner east, inner west, north shore, north west, south and the western growth corridors. We have delivered structures from Rose Bay and Coogee through to St Marys, Blacktown and the Central Coast.

Question 12

Can you take on multiple towers or staged projects?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Multi-tower and staged programs run with dedicated plant and repeat crews across the full structure, so the same supervision and the same systems carry from stage one to completion rather than being rebuilt each time.

Question 13

Who will I deal with day to day?

Accepted Answer

A dedicated site supervisor on the deck and a contracts manager off site, for the life of the project. One point of contact for program, variations, RFIs and coordination.

Question 14

What do you need to give me a price?

Accepted Answer

Structural drawings, architectural drawings, the geotechnical report where a basement is involved, the project program and any relevant specification for concrete finishes. From that we produce a detailed take-off, a floor-cycle program and a written method statement.

Question 15

How do you price formwork?

Accepted Answer

From a measured take-off against your structural documentation — element by element, level by level — not a blanket rate per square metre. That means the price reflects the actual geometry, the finish specified and the cycle you need, and it is far easier to interrogate during the tender review.

Question 16

How long does a quote take?

Accepted Answer

For a typical apartment structure, allow around five to ten working days from receipt of a complete documentation set. Larger multi-tower or heavily architectural projects take longer because the take-off and the methodology carry more detail.

Question 17

Do you commit to a floor cycle?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The cycle is quoted as part of the program, planned level by level, and reported weekly against the master program. We treat it as a contracted commitment rather than an estimate, which is the point of engaging a specialist rather than a general subcontractor.

Question 18

How are variations handled?

Accepted Answer

Priced against the same take-off basis as the original tender, submitted with the drawing revision or instruction that triggered them, and issued before the work proceeds wherever the program allows. No retrospective claims dropped at the end of the structure.

Question 19

What contracts do you work under?

Accepted Answer

Standard head contractor subcontract forms including AS 4903 and bespoke tier-two agreements. We are set up for the usual security of payment, insurance and reporting obligations that come with them.

Question 20

What safety documentation do you provide?

Accepted Answer

SWMS for each high-risk activity, a project-specific formwork safety plan, plant and equipment registers, competency and ticket records for every worker, and daily pre-start records. The full pack is issued for review before we mobilise, not after.

Question 21

How do you manage falls and penetrations?

Accepted Answer

Edge protection and void protection are installed progressively as the deck is built, not retrofitted. Penetrations are covered and labelled as they are formed, and perimeter screens or handrails are in place before the deck is opened to other trades.

Question 22

Is your formwork engineered?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Prop layouts, deck design, wall form pressures and backpropping sequences are designed and certified by a structural engineer, with the design documentation available to your engineer and certifier.

Question 23

What tolerances do you work to?

Accepted Answer

AS 3610 for formwork and finished surface classes, with the specific class nominated by the project specification. Levels are survey-checked before and after each pour and the results are recorded as part of the handover documentation.

Question 24

What insurances do you carry?

Accepted Answer

Public liability, workers compensation and the contract works cover required under standard subcontract terms. Certificates of currency are provided with our pre-qualification pack.

Question 25

What happens at handover of a floor?

Accepted Answer

The floor is stripped to the planned sequence, cleaned down, levels certified, backpropping left in place per the engineer's requirements and any defects closed out before the level is released to following trades.

Question 26

Are you hiring?

Accepted Answer

We take on formwork carpenters, leading hands, labourers and supervisors as projects are awarded. Apply through the careers page and we will keep your details on file against upcoming starts.

Question 27

Do you engage subcontract crews?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We work with established formwork and steel fixing crews who can supply their own compliance documentation, insurances and tickets. Register through the careers page with your crew size and typical scope.

Question 28

What tickets do I need?

Accepted Answer

At minimum a current White Card. Depending on the role, working at heights, EWP, rigging or scaffolding tickets and a formwork trade background will be required. List everything you hold when you apply.

Formwork, answered properly.

What is formwork?

Formwork basics

Working with Force Form

Quoting, program and contracts

Safety, quality and compliance

Careers and subcontractors

Ask us directly.