(UPM Plywood, Lahti, Finland, 9 November 2017 at 14.00 EET) - UPM Plywood introduces a new fire retardant WISA-Spruce^FR structural plywood for building and construction end uses. WISA-Spruce^FR combines the market leading quality and structural performance with B-s1, d0 fire classification - the highest a wood product can have.

"This is uniquely different type of plywood product released to the market," says Riku Härkönen, Product Manager at UPM Plywood. "There are products which are either extremely expensive, pressure treated, or they come with conditions and requirements for other structural solutions," Härkönen describes.

Unlike in many other fire-resistant wooden products, the fire-retardant treatment in WISA-Spruce^FR does not compromise the plywood's technical properties; the panels preserve the original qualities of untreated WISA-Spruce plywood. Also, different from many other wood panels, WISA-Spruce^FR does not require any special structural design to achieve the fire classification. It can be used just like a regular plywood panel.

"A significant development is that WISA-Spruce^FR can be installed leaving air gaps between the panel and other structures and insulation and still retain the product's fire-retardant properties and classification," says Härkönen. The fact that the fire-retardant treatment is already applied on the panels during manufacturing is a substantial benefit for contractors and developers. It saves time, material and costs in various project phases," Härkönen points out. "For a customer this means efficiency made easy as fire retardant properties can be built into a normal structure".

New WISA-Spruce^FR will be showcased at the Branchentag Holz fair in Cologne, Germany 14-15 Novemeber 2017. UPM Plywood's stand at the fair is C021 in Hall 08A.

For further information please contact:
Riku Härkönen, Product Manager, UPM Plywood, tel. +358 40 705 7991

UPM Plywood, Stakeholder Relations
Mon-Fri 9.00-16.00 EET
tel. +358 204 151 13
communications.ply@upm.com

UPM Plywood manufactures high-quality WISA^® plywood and veneer products mainly for construction and transport industries and the new thermo-formable UPM Grada^® wood material for the form pressing industry. The sales of UPM Plywood in 2016 were EUR 444 million and it has about 2,400 employees. UPM Plywood has six plywood mills and a veneer mill in Finland, and plywood mills in Russia and Estonia - www.wisaplywood.com, www.upmgrada.com

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UPM
Through the renewing of the bio and forest industries, UPM is building a sustainable future across six business areas: UPM Biorefining, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Specialty Papers, UPM Paper ENA and UPM Plywood. Our products are made of renewable raw materials and are recyclable. We serve customers worldwide. The group employs around 19,300 people and its annual sales are approximately EUR 10 billion. UPM shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. UPM - The Biofore Company - www.upm.com

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