1. home and garden
2. home furnishings
3. rugs and carpets

TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY MODEL
LAMINATED BAMBOO FLOORBOARD
MANUFACTURING UNIT
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTAN
Why bamboo?
• Bamboos grow more rapidly than trees and start to yield within
three or four years of planting.
• Plantation establishment requires minimal capital investment and
builds upon the inherent plant-cultivation skills of local farmers
and foresters.
• Bamboos can be harvested annually and non-destructively.
• Bamboos are excellent for rejuvenating degraded lands and
protecting against soil erosion.
• Bamboos may easily be intercropped with shallow-rooted crops.
• As well as the culms, all other parts of the bamboo plant can be
used in rural livelihoods - shoots for food, leaves for fodder, and
branches for items such as brooms and for firewood.
What is laminated bamboo flooring?
• Laminated bamboo flooring is a unique flooring
material comprised of layers of bamboo wood that
have been coated with glue and pressed firmly
together.
• Laminated bamboo flooring is very attractive as the
natural grain of the bamboo is unique and very
clearly evident. Bamboo flooring is cheaper to
produce than wood flooring and is more marketable
due to its production from renewable bamboo
resources.
• Laminated bamboo flooring is gaining in
popularity. In China it is manufactured in over 100
units that together produce about 10 million square
metres annually (ten square kilometres).
How are bamboo floorboards produced?
1. Bamboos are split
into thick section
(or sheets)
4. Units are pressed
together in a hot
press to form
floorboards
2. Sheets are coated 3. Sheets are assembled
with adhesive resin
into units
5. Floorboards are sanded
and tongues and grooves
cut to facilitate board
jointing
6. Boards are
painted or
varnished
Main development attributes of a bamboo floorboard unit
• Reduces dependence on timber resources through wood
substitution.
• Permits rehabilitation of degraded lands through increased
areas of bamboo plantations.
• Creates employment opportunities for unskilled, semiskilled and technically-trained staff at the factory and for
bamboo growers who will supply the unit.
• Increases community welfare and improves local rural
economies if established as a community enterprise.
Photo: Cutting the grooves
Requirements for success
•
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•
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Sustained availability of bamboos.
Inexpensive labour for the factory itself.
Regular supply of electricity for the factory.
Start up capital.
Suitable marketing mechanisms for sale of boards.
Finally, an innovative approach to marketing the boards,
especially in the lucrative export markets of the more
affluent countries of the world.
Horizontal bamboo floorboards
Vertical bamboo floorboards
Annual consumption of raw materials for a unit
producing 40, 000 sq. m. of flooring per year
•
•
•
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Bamboo
UF adhesive
PVA emulsion adhesive
Ammonium chloride
Paint
Other chemicals
5000 tonnes
12 tonnes
0.5 tonnes
0.12 tonnes
8 tonnes
0.4 tonnes
• Only about 50% of the raw bamboo material can be used to produce
floorboards. The remainder can be used as raw materials for a range
of bamboo products from bamboo particle boards to woven bamboo
items.
Financial aspects of a unit capable of producing 40, 000
sq. m. of bamboo flooring per year
• Machinery costs at establishment
COSTS OF PRODUCTION per m2
• Bamboo
• Adhesives and other chemicals
• Wages
• Other
• TOTAL
$366, 000
$6.50
$2.50
$1.40
$2.00
$12.40
For further information
See
TOTEMs
Bamboo flooring TOTEM
Bamboo roofing sheets TOTEM
Splitting and slivering unit TOTEM
Websites
www. inbar.int
www.bamboocomposites.com
Above: sanding equipment
Contact
• INBAR, Beijing 100101-80, China
• Bamboo Engineering and
Research Centre, Nanjing Forestry
University, Nanjing, Jiangsu
province, 210037, China