Plycem Construsistemas: products and their EPD coverage

Who is Plycem Construsistemas Costa Rica S.A.

Plycem is a Central America based manufacturer of fiber‑cement solutions with headquarters and production in Costa Rica and additional footprint across the region. The company’s public presence centers on fiber‑cement boards and systems for residential, commercial and light industrial uses, with activity visible on its LinkedIn page (Plycem, 2025).

What they sell

The core offer is fiber‑cement building boards and systems. That spans exterior cladding and siding boards, trims and accessories, ceiling boards, interior boards for wet and dry rooms, and decking style boards. In some markets Plycem also promotes corrugated roofing sheets and water storage products, although reliable SKU counts are not centrally published.

How broad is the catalog

Across those families, Plycem likely serves five to seven distinct product categories. Individual SKUs appear to be in the dozens, possibly low hundreds when thicknesses, formats and surface finishes are counted. Exact totals are not disclosed, so treat these as directional estimates.

EPD coverage today

As of November 20, 2025, Building Transparency’s EC3 database lists 15 Plycem EPDs, all registered with EPD International AB and all expiring on December 15, 2025. Several records show PCR 2012:01 under EN 15804 A1 and appear as “valid” yet flagged not EN 15804 A2 compliant, for example PLYCEM Trims and PLYCEM Deck (EPD International, 2025, EPD International, 2025). In short, coverage exists for key boards and trims, but the portfolio needs an imminent renewal cycle.

Where coverage is strong

Most cladding and board variants are represented. EPDs cover siding sheets in multiple thicknesses, trims, monolithic finish boards, and deck style boards. These are the products most likely to surface in façade packages and light enclosure scopes, so the existing declarations do useful work in everyday bids.

Notable gaps to watch

We do not find current Plycem EPDs for corrugated fiber‑cement roofing sheets or for water tanks in EC3. Roofing substitutions are common on schools, clinics and light industrial work. When a project team filters by EPD availability, a missing declaration can quietly knock a product out before price is even reviewed.

Why the gaps matter commercially

LEED v4.1 and v5 both continue to reward third‑party verified, ISO‑compliant EPDs within Materials and Resources credits. Teams often need 20 distinct products with qualifying EPDs across five manufacturers, and product‑specific Type III EPDs can count as 1.5 products under v4.1 rules (USGBC credit library, 2024) (USGBC, 2024). LEED v5 was ratified by USGBC members on March 28, 2025, keeping disclosure in scope while turning the dial toward embodied‑carbon outcomes (USGBC, 2025). When a Plycem SKU lacks an EPD, specifiers often prioritze a competitor to keep their credit math on track.

Competitors Plycem meets on the spec

In façades and siding, James Hardie, Swisspearl and Etex brands such as Equitone and Cedral are frequent comparables. James Hardie has A2‑era EPDs on external cladding valid into late 2027 in the EPD International register (EPD International, 2022). Swisspearl lists active EPDs for fiber‑cement slates used as roofing through IBU with validity into 2028 (IBU, 2028). Those records give design teams immediately usable documentation for LEED submittals and owner sustainability requirements.

A likely best‑seller without an EPD and a ready benchmark

If corrugated fiber‑cement roofing is among Plycem’s regional staples, its absence in EC3 suggests a near‑term win. Swisspearl’s roofing slates EPD at IBU provides a clear category benchmark for program structure and declared unit that a Plycem roofing sheet EPD could align to for easy comparability in bids (IBU, 2028). That alignment keeps selection about performance, aesthetics and total cost of ownership rather than paperwork.

Renew smart, not slow

With all 15 Plycem EPDs expiring on December 15, 2025, a bundle renewal into EN 15804 A2 is the efficient play. A2 alignment is increasingly expected across European operators and many owner databases, and it helps avoid “not A2 compliant” flags that cause review friction in multinational specs. Pair that with one or two net‑new EPDs covering roofing sheets and any high‑volume interior board without current coverage, and the portfolio becomes much harder to swap out in late‑stage VE.

What to expect from an EPD partner

Pick a team that streamlines plant data collection, identifies the dominant PCRs for your category, and manages publication with your preferred operator. The right partner will look at competitor declarations, steer you to the most comparable PCR, and stage the work so expiring EPDs are renewed while new gaps are closed with minimal factory distraction. EC3 is then updated so sales can point specifiers to a single, trusted source of truth.

Bottom line for Plycem’s product teams

The building blocks are in place. You have broad board coverage and brand recognition. Convert the December 2025 expiries into A2‑compliant renewals, add roofing sheets and any other high‑runner missing from EC3, and your catalog moves from “present” to “preferred” on projects that score materials. That shift usually pays back fast once even one mid‑size project tips your way.

References used in this article: EPD International register entries for Plycem boards and trims, valid until 15 Dec 2025 (EPD International, 2025). James Hardie external cladding EPD valid through Dec 2027 (EPD International, 2022). Swisspearl roofing slates listed at IBU with validity into 2028 (IBU, 2028). LEED v4.1 MR credit language and counting rules for EPDs, and LEED v5 ratification on March 28, 2025 (USGBC, 2024, 2025). EC3 is cited once as the worldwide database reference for EPDs.