UPM Grada

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Heat, press and cool: UPM Grada thermo-formable wood panel combines imaginative design opportunities with efficient production technology and wood raw material from certified and controlled sources. The innovative wood product is ideal for trailblazing furniture designs and unique feats of interior architecture.

Birch, known for its structural strength and stability, has unique aesthetic quality and offers endless surface treatment opportunities. So start dreaming – and see the product of your dreams take form with UPM Grada.

Trailblazing design

Pre-machining, multi-stage forming and ability to form only a selected part of the component allow designs previously considered unfeasible.

Efficient production

UPM Grada allows for fast and efficient production of your original design. Form a unit in less than one minute with the option for full automation and tailoring.

Safe and cosy

UPM Grada contains no added formaldehyde making it safe for use in interiors, furniture and toys.

The birch veneer for UPM Grada products is produced at UPM’s plywood mills in Finland using local wood material. UPM Grada products are available with FSC™(FSC® C009856) or PEFC (PEFC/02-31-112) certification.

The new age of interior and furniture design

Pre-machining, multi-stage forming and ability to form only a selected part of the component allow for creative design. Grada technology reinvents the forming of wood with heat and pressure and opens up new opportunities for designs not achievable with traditional methods. Form pressed components can also be equipped with inserts for fixing or electricity. They can also be coated in textile or leather.

Read article: Design fresh out of the oven

Guide to UPM Grada veneer surface appearance

Efficient and tailored-to-need production

UPM Grada is made of cross-laminated rotary cut birch veneers. With UPM Grada you can form a unit in less than one minute with the option for full automation.

The product is available in two different options,
from which you can choose the most suitable for your application.

UPM Grada 2000 UnderCover is a go-to option for upholstered furniture and other solutions that do not require a perfect surface.

UPM Grada 2000 EasyTop has hot melt gluelines on top of panel surfaces. The glue lines enable coating without additional adhesive. Multiple surface materials such as laminate, veneer or textiles can be bonded onto the EasyTop panel.

Thicknesses and weights

How does it work?

Find the detailed technical performance, on the DoP Declaration of Performance (DoP) reference list and, for the UK, in the Declaration of Conformity (DoC) documents.

UPM Grada DoP

UPM Grada DoC UK

Safe for demanding interior applications

When designing interiors and furniture it is important to pay attention to chemical safety. The adhesive of UPM Grada does not contain any formaldehyde. UPM Grada fulfils the EN 13986 E1 and the CARB No Added Formaldehyde emission classes.

The veneer sheets used in UPM Grada are bonded with moisture resistant bonding (EN 314-2). The standard face veneer quality complies with EN 635, S (II)/BB (III) classification. UPM Grada products meet the Finnish M1 emission classification.

At the end of its life cycle, the product can be sent for wood material recycling or used in an energy plant for heat production.

M1 classification

LCA - Life cycle assessment of UPM Grada

Efficiency Made Easy

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Case stories

Story | 11/21/2024 12:45:49 | 3 min

Life cycle analyses now available for all WISA^® birch plywood products

Story | 09/16/2024 05:51:21 | 3 min

Thermo-formable UPM Grada^® innovates the design of the Iris Chair by ISKU and speeds up the production process

Story | 01/31/2024 13:20:07 | 4 min

Design fresh out of the oven

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