JARA International Inc.

No ICC-ES Evaluation Service Report — confirm AHJ acceptance

PLYCEM Siding is certified to ASTM C1186-08 Type A Grade I and ASTM E-84 surface burning, but does NOT carry an ICC-ES Evaluation Service Report equivalent to James Hardie HardiePlank's ESR-2290. For projects requiring an ESR-referenced wall assembly — most insurance-driven specifications and larger commercial work — confirm acceptance with your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) before specifying. Suitable for residential, light commercial, historic restoration, and interior accent applications where AHJ accepts manufacturer ASTM documentation directly.

PLYCEM Product · Distributed by JARA International

Plycem Siding

Plycem Siding is the complete fiber-cement plank siding family — four distinct architectural profiles (Traslapado / Lap, Machihembrado / Tongue-and-Groove, Victoriano / Victorian, Tablilla / Slat) manufactured at Plycem facilities in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Honduras. The substrate is non-combustible fiber-cement; the face accepts smooth Clásico or wood-grain Cedro texture in any exterior-grade paint or stain. Specified across Bay Area residential, Pacific Northwest modern, mountain contemporary, and historic restoration projects. The wood look architects and designers prefer, with the durability and fire resistance of cement.

Applications

  • Exterior facade cladding (residential and light commercial)
  • Interior architectural accent walls
  • Ceiling and soffit applications
  • Eaves and porch ceilings
  • Historic restoration (Victoriano profile)
  • Modern flush-wall design (Machihembrado profile)
  • Vertical strip / accent wall (Tablilla profile)
Call +1 (415) 532-3376Email quote request
Plycem Siding fiber cement panel — distributed by JARA International

Architectural range

One product family, infinite aesthetics

Plycem Siding takes paint or stain in any finish color, so the same fiber-cement plank reads as a crisp white Bay Area farmhouse on one project and a warm cedar-stained mountain residence on another. The product is the substrate — the finish is the project's choice.

Plycem Siding installed in white Clásico finish on a Bay Area Craftsman residence — fiber-cement lap siding, double-hung white-trim windows, drought-tolerant California landscaping
Clásico smooth, painted white — Bay Area Craftsman residential context.
Modern mountain residence corner with Plycem Siding in Cedro wood-grain finish stained in warm cedar tone, dark stone wainscot, dark-framed window
Cedro wood-grain, cedar-stained — Pacific Northwest / mountain modern residential context.

The four profiles

Choose the profile that matches your architectural language

Four distinct edge profiles across the same fiber-cement substrate — from the everyday Lap to the historic-restoration Victorian to the accent-detail Slat. Specify the profile by project need; specify the finish by project palette.

Lap

Traslapado

The workhorse exterior profile.

Each plank overlaps the one below, creating the classic horizontal shadow line found on American residential architecture from coast to coast. The direct equivalent of James Hardie HardiePlank, in 8 mm to 14 mm thicknesses for projects that need a thinner or thicker substrate. Specified across Bay Area Craftsman, New England Coastal, Pacific Northwest modern, and Charleston/Garden District restoration work.

Dimensions: 247–307 mm wide · 2438 mm long · 8 / 10 / 11 / 14 mm thick

Plycem Siding Tongue-and-Groove (Machihembrado) profile close-up — fiber-cement plank with tongue-and-groove edge geometry

Tongue-and-Groove

Machihembrado

Hidden-fastener flush wall plane.

Tongue-and-groove edges enable concealed fastening for a clean uninterrupted wall surface — preferred for modern minimalist architecture and for interior accent walls, ceilings, and soffits where exposed fasteners would compromise the design. The only profile in the family suitable for both exterior cladding AND interior architectural finishes.

Dimensions: 247–307 mm wide · 2438 mm long · 14 mm thick

Victorian

Victoriano

No HardiePlank equivalent

Historic restoration profile — no HardiePlank equivalent.

Decorative channel-cut profile creating a double-shadow line at every plank seam — the visual signature of historic Victorian and Edwardian wood siding. The only profile in the Plycem family with no direct James Hardie equivalent, making it the specification of choice for historic restoration in Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans Garden District, and the San Francisco Painted Ladies. Narrower 185–207 mm width matches the visual rhythm of original Victorian-era lumber.

Dimensions: 185–207 mm wide · 2438 mm long · 11 mm thick

Slat

Tablilla

Narrow-strip accent profile.

Narrow 200 mm slat profile for accent walls, eave soffits, and vertical-strip modern applications. The high-rhythm visual line is distinct from the broader lap profiles — specified when fine detail matters and when the wall composition benefits from a denser, more articulated shadow pattern.

Dimensions: 200 mm wide · 2438 mm long · 10 mm thick

Plycem Siding planks stacked on shipping pallet, ready for direct factory freight from Costa Rica, El Salvador, or Honduras

How it ships

Direct factory shipment — no warehouse markup

Plycem Siding ships palletized direct from the manufacturing facility to your jobsite. JARA does not operate a US warehouse; material moves container-direct from Plycem plants in Costa Rica, El Salvador, or Honduras to a US port of entry, through customs, and onward by truck.

Typical timeline: 3–4 weeks door-to-door from confirmed purchase order. Pricing reflects direct factory economics — no mid-supply-chain stocking markup.

  • Plycem factory

    Costa Rica · El Salvador · Honduras

  • Ocean freight

    Containerized, port-to-port

  • US trucking

    Final-mile delivery to jobsite

Direct factory shipment — typical door-to-door delivery 3–4 weeks. No US warehouse markup.

Available variants

10 SKUs · all share width 247mm where applicable

Plycem Siding — 10 variants by thickness, dimensions, weight, edge profile, and SKU.
ThicknessDimensions (W × L)WeightEdge profileSKUPanels / pallet
8mm5/16"247 × 2438 mm6.6 kg14.6 lbStraightTRA-8-247—
10mm3/8"200 × 2438 mm5.3 kg11.7 lbStraightTAB-10-200—
10mm3/8"247 × 2438 mm8.2 kg18.1 lbStraightTRA-10-247—
11mm7/16"307 × 2438 mm11.2 kg24.7 lbStraightTRA-11-307—
11mm7/16"185 × 2438 mm5.4 kg11.9 lbStraightVIC-11-185—
11mm7/16"207 × 2438 mm6 kg13.2 lbStraightVIC-11-207—
14mm9/16"247 × 2438 mm11.5 kg25.4 lbTongue and groove9601905
14mm9/16"307 × 2438 mm14.3 kg31.5 lbTongue and groove9601994
14mm9/16"247 × 2438 mm11.5 kg25.4 lbStraightTRA-14-247—
14mm9/16"307 × 2438 mm14.3 kg31.5 lbStraightTRA-14-307—

Density 1–1.18 kg/dm³ · Flexural strength ≥ 7 N/mm²

Compliance & certifications

Test reports and assembly references available on request for AHJ submittal.

  • ASTM C1186-08 — Type A, Grade I
  • ISO 8336:2018 — Category A, Class 1, Level 1
  • ASTM E-84 — Tested per surface burning characteristics standard
  • ISO 9001:2015 / 14001:2015 / 45001:2018 — Manufacturing certified

Frequently asked questions

Common technical and specification questions for Plycem Siding.

  • Which profile do I use for what?

    Lap (Traslapado) for traditional exterior cladding — the everyday choice that matches American residential architecture from coast to coast. Tongue-and-Groove (Machihembrado) for hidden-fastener walls and the only profile suitable for interior accent walls and ceilings. Victorian (Victoriano) for historic restoration projects where the channel-cut profile is the architectural signature. Slat (Tablilla) for narrow-strip accent walls and soffits where fine visual rhythm matters.

  • What is the difference between "Clásico" and "Cedro" finish?

    "Clásico" is a smooth or lightly textured face suitable for any paint or solid stain application. "Cedro" has an integral wood-grain texture mimicking stained cedar plank — ideal when a natural-wood aesthetic is desired without the maintenance burden of real cedar. Both share the identical fiber-cement substrate and accept exterior-grade paints, stains, and integral dyes. The two installation references on this page show the same product family in two finishes: white Clásico-painted (Bay Area Craftsman) and warm cedar-stained Cedro (mountain modern).

  • How does this compare to James Hardie HardiePlank?

    Both are ASTM C1186 fiber-cement plank siding. HardiePlank carries a current ICC-ES Evaluation Service Report (ESR-2290) that documents specific assembly testing for US building codes — important for insurance-driven specs and larger commercial work. Plycem Siding is certified to ASTM C1186 + ISO 8336 without an equivalent US ESR; AHJ acceptance of ASTM documentation directly is sufficient for residential and light commercial. Where Plycem outperforms: four architectural profiles in one product family vs HardiePlank's lap-only offering (Victoriano has no Hardie equivalent), interior-suitable T&G profile, and direct factory shipping without distributor markup. For residential, light commercial, and historic-restoration projects, the choice is profile range and supply chain economics; for large commercial with strict ESR requirements, HardiePlank is the safer spec.

  • Can it be used for interior applications?

    Yes — this is one of Plycem Siding's structural advantages over James Hardie, which is positioned strictly as exterior cladding. The Machihembrado (T&G) profile especially is suitable for interior accent walls, ceilings, and decorative paneling. The fiber-cement substrate is moisture- and pest-resistant, doesn't off-gas like wood composites, and accepts interior or exterior paint systems. Use Tablilla for narrow-strip interior accent walls where the visual rhythm should be tighter.

  • Can I paint or stain it?

    Yes — and both Clásico and Cedro finishes accept any exterior-grade paint or stain in any color. The Cedro wood-grain texture is integral to the panel; the color is the project's choice. The two installation references on this page demonstrate the range: the same product family painted crisp white for Bay Area Craftsman residential, and stained warm cedar for mountain-modern contemporary. Specify the paint or stain system based on the project, not the substrate.

  • How does it ship and how long does delivery take?

    Plycem Siding ships palletized direct from manufacturing facilities in Costa Rica, El Salvador, or Honduras. Typical timeline is 3–4 weeks door-to-door: factory → ocean freight → US port of entry → customs clearance → trucking to jobsite. JARA coordinates the full chain. There is no US warehouse — pricing reflects direct factory economics without mid-supply-chain stocking markup. Submit project sheets for delivered pricing within 48 hours.

Related products

Other JARA-distributed PLYCEM panels for adjacent applications.

Ready to spec fiber-cement panels for your project?

Talk to our sales line — available 24/7. We capture your project details and Robertson responds personally within 1 business day. Prefer email? Send us your specs.

Call +1 (415) 532-3376Request Submittal Package

Direct line: +1 (415) 933-5738 · robert@jarainternational.com

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