Warnings of Inferior Brazilian Plywood Imported to U.S. Sent to Florida Building Officials and Inspectors

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On June 15^th, the Miami Dade Board and Code Administration Division sent an advisory to all building officials in Miami Dade County to not accept Brazilian plywood bearing the PS-1 stamp as a means of indicating code compliance. This is a result of a federal court’s permanent injunction barring longtime Brazilian plywood certifier PFS-TECO from any further operations due to their certification of substandard plywood imported from Brazil.

The Advisory Memo speaks for itself:

“A case between US Structural Plywood Integrity Coalition and PFS Corporation was recently adjudged. On May 23^rd, 2022, the United States District Court Southern District of Florida ordered the New York based company doing business as PFS TECO barred from licensing any PS-1 grade stamps to Brazilian plywood manufactures permanently or until the injunction is lifted. Reference attached Case No 19-62225-CIV- ALTMAN.

The APA Product Advisory Group conducted a series of test on imported plywood products from Brazil bearing the PS-1 stamp and concluded the plywood did not comply with the standards for structural grade in the US. See attached APA Product Advisory.

Building officials and inspectors should be made aware of these inferior Brazilian Plywood products bearing the PS-1 stamps and not accept these stamps as a means of indicating code compliance.”

A copy of the Advisory Memo is attached. A copy is also available on Miami-Dade County’s website.

Forestwood Industries has replaced PFS-TECO in an attempt to circumvent the permanent injunction and allow the importation and sale of substandard, unsafe plywood from Brazil. This week, the U.S. Structural Plywood Integrity Coalition filed a motion for preliminary injunction against Forestwood Industries to stop it from continuing PFS-TECO’s illegal practices. For further information, contact either Mike Haglund of Haglund Kelley LLP at 503-358-1281 or Gray Skipper of Scotch Plywood Company, Inc. at 334-636-4424.