Gypsum board is one of 32 materials in this atlas, grouped under fire: history, structure, measured properties, process routes, uses, safety and market — not a product catalogue.
Scores compare Gypsum board with the rest of the atlas on strength, heat, fire behaviour, insulation, workability and circularity. They are editorial, not certificates.
Seven chapters follow. Fire and insulation claims name test families (Euroclass, ASTM E84, ISO 5660, KS F) rather than inventing a single safety number.
Deep introduction
Deep dive: Gypsum board
Gypsum board (CaSO4·2H2O + paper faces) is a family of grades whose density ~700–1000 kg/m³, heat band calcines ~80–180 °C (dehydration), and fire letter A2-s1,d0 typical; core A1.
What “the material” actually is
Gypsum board is sold as grades, not as a single substance. Chemistry CaSO4·2H2O + paper faces, density ~700–1000 kg/m³, heat band calcines ~80–180 °C (dehydration).
This atlas treats Gypsum board as a system: mill route, coatings, tests and the cavity it sits in.
Heat, fire and insulation
Conductivity note: ~0.17 W/m·K. Insulation score 34/100 is relative to 32 entries — metals lose, VIPs and aerogels win.
Fire letter in editorial use: A2-s1,d0 typical; core A1. Do not equate A1 with “safe in a blaze” or E with “illegal”. Assemblies decide.
How it is made and used
Origin: Sackett 1894; US Gypsum 1916, United States. The process chapter follows feedstock → conversion → forming → finish → install.
Uses span buildings to defence / safety. Pairings matter: mineral-wool.
Market and circularity
Producers below are landmarks, not an endorsement ranking. Prices are bands, not live quotes.
Circularity mark 62/100. Ask which scrap, which certificate, which year.
Related atlas
Around Gypsum board
Related atlas entries, a short glossary, and three threads that keep Gypsum board honest.
Decision walkthrough on Gypsum board: fire 92, insulation 34, and one fact already on file — not a code stamp.
Read the fire-performance mark — Fire on this hub is 92/100 — teaching comparison among atlas materials.
Read the insulation mark — Insulation is 34/100 — heat-flow story, not the same question as flame.
Sit one published fact beside them — Quick fact on file: Mineral: Gypsum dihydrate.
Sustainability is not a fire skip — A high sustainability mark does not replace fire protection in a real assembly.
Not a building-code rating — Named tests, thickness and build-up still decide compliance — this page is literacy only.
On Gypsum board, fire 92 and insulation 34 answer different jobs; Mineral: Gypsum dihydrate grounds one real detail.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Thermal mark or safety fact first?
Second lab decision on Gypsum board: heat-resistance 54 beside published thermal fact Conductivity — literacy, not a code stamp.
Read the heat-resistance mark — Heat resistance on this hub is 54/100 — a thermal story, different from the fire/insulation pair.
Sit one thermal fact beside it — Properties chapter lists Conductivity among published thermal rows.
Heat resistance is not a fire skip — A high thermal mark does not replace named fire tests in a real assembly.
Still not a building-code rating — Thickness, build-up and named tests decide compliance — this page teaches axes only.
On Gypsum board, heat 54 and Conductivity are a second thermal/safety reading after fire vs insulation.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Heat line to keep
A decision from printed marks. Not a building permit.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gypsum board non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: A2-s1,d0 typical; core A1. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Gypsum board insulate?
Thermal mark 34/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: ~0.17 W/m·K.
What is the density band?
~700–1000 kg/m³
How is it made?
Origin story: Sackett 1894; US Gypsum 1916 (United States).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 62/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
calcines ~80–180 °C (dehydration)
What should it be paired with?
mineral-wool: The cavity fill behind the board.
Where is it specified?
Buildings, transport, energy and consumer goods — see the uses chapter.
Is the fire-performance score a building-code rating?
No. It is an editorial 0–100 teaching mark among materials in this atlas. A real wall or garment needs a named product test, thickness and assembly. This page is not a lab stamp.
When should I read insulation instead of fire?
Use the insulation pick when the question is heat flow — lining, loft, or a cold-bridge — and the fire pick when the question is how the same material behaves in flame. Both numbers already sit on this hub; they answer different jobs.
Does a high sustainability score mean I can skip fire protection?
No. Sustainability here is a relative atlas mark (growth, reuse, embodied story). Bamboo and timber can still char like wood. Fire protection stays a separate specification.
Why is bamboo missing in some languages?
A language URL is published only when the seven chapters are real prose in that language. Bamboo exists in English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. French, German, Portuguese and Russian stay withheld — earlier machine drafts leaked English, so those URLs are not opened.
Icons
Sheetrock
United States · 1916–
Sheetrock is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
Type X
United States · 1950s–
Type X is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
EN 520 Type F
Europe · 1990s–
EN 520 Type F is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
Lath and plaster contrast
Global · 19th c.
Lath and plaster contrast is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
Shaftwall C-H stud
United States · 1970s–
Shaftwall C-H stud is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
Paper face
United States · 1894–
Paper face is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
Calcination kettle
Global · industrial
Calcination kettle is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
8
Job-site recycling
Europe · 2010s–
Job-site recycling is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
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