Falsework & Formwork

Formwork is the mould: the shutters the wet concrete is poured against. The concrete takes the shape of the formwork mould, so it is crucial you use a clean and well-supported system that won't budge during curing. Falsework therefore is everything that holds that mould up – the props, beams and frames carrying the weight until the concrete cures and can hold its own. For a wall pour you can sometimes get away with just formwork, but for heavier pours or suspended slabs or soffits you'll need falsework too.

Yes. Shuttering is the older site name; formwork is what engineers and the codes tend to call it. You'll still hear shuttering used for traditional timber methods, like shuttering a column with ply and clamps. We can provide both, along with the ties, clamps and accessories to go with them.

Our Frami system handles walls up to about 3m high, plus columns, foundations and slab edges – with no crane needed. Square columns shuttered in timber are usually more cheaply done with column clamps. If you'd like more help choosing the right solution, please get in touch for a chat.

Doka Frami panel formwork is the primary choice for most concrete walls because its modular steel-framed panels clamp together quickly by hand, saving labor and eliminating timber waste on everything from foundations and retaining walls to lift shafts and columns. Doka Frami is also remarkably versatile: for curved or circular walls, Frami circular forming plates adapt standard panels into polygonal curves, while timber infills can be clamped directly into the Frami frame to handle custom offsets or pipe penetrations. Traditional timber shuttering is generally reserved for extremely tight, unique architectural radii where modular panels cannot fit.

Give us a call, and we'd be happy to help you decide. Broadly though, Dokaflex 1-2-4 is the one for everyday slabs – anything up to about 30cm thick at normal storey heights. The markings on the beams tell you where the props go, so it's quick to put up. For thicker slabs, heavier loads or soffits too high to reach with floor props, we supply the Titan system, which can take up to 127kN on each leg.

Wall height, pour rate, and concrete temperature determine the lateral hydrostatic pressure exerted against wall shutters during a pour. Rapid pours on tall walls generate higher concrete pressures, requiring stronger tie-rod spacing and robust panel frames. Doka Frami panels are engineered for high strength with a permissible concrete pressure of 50kN/m², allowing tall wall pours to be placed efficiently and safely. SEL's engineers verify these factors in a project-specific Temporary Works Design so your site team can pour at a safe, optimized rate.

We offer competitive rates on all our falsework and formwork. Hire is charged per week. What you pay depends on the design, so it comes down to which systems your pour needs, how much of each, and how long they stay on site. Our engineers put together a comprehensive, itemised kit list for each project, so you can see everything that's coming before you decide. Ask us for a quote and we'll price everything up for you, often within 24 hours.

Wet concrete can push on the shutters harder than people expect, and if the ties or props weren't specced for that pressure, the shutter can blow out. Pouring faster than the design allowed, striking too early and props sat on soft ground are also common issues. Here at SEL, our in-house engineers have decades of experience designing formwork and falsework solutions that factor in concrete pressure, pour rates, wind loading, ground conditions and more – so problems are found on paper, not on site. If you'd like a free consultation, simply get in touch.

A standard vertical prop (like an Acrow) only works in compression, bearing weight directly downwards. A push-pull prop is fitted with specialized swivel ends and threaded collars that allow it to work in both compression (pushing) and tension (pulling). This dual action is necessary for fine-tuning the alignment of vertical formwork panels and bracing against wind.