CaSO4·2H2O panels that buy fire time by calcining — the everyday A2/A1 lining of interiors.
Also called: drywall · plasterboard · Type X gypsum
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
United States · 1916–
Sheetrock is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
United States · 1950s–
Type X is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
Europe · 1990s–
EN 520 Type F is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
Global · 19th c.
Lath and plaster contrast is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
United States · 1970s–
Shaftwall C-H stud is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
United States · 1894–
Paper face is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
Global · industrial
Calcination kettle is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
Europe · 2010s–
Job-site recycling is a reference point in the public image of Gypsum board.
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Same family or rival physics — pick a duel.
Closest neighbours on the six atlas axes — strength, heat, fire, insulation, workability and circularity.
The first industrial conductor — wiring, heat exchangers, roofs that go green.
Overall 57 🪟Frozen silicate liquid — windows, bottles, fibres and a Euroclass A1 skin that still shatters and melts in fire.
Overall 58 🧯Paints that swell into insulating char — the thin-film way to give steel an R-rating without bulky boards.
Overall 58 🫧Si–O backbone elastomers and resins — bakeware, medical tubing, façade sealants and a kinder high-temp story than carbon chains.
Overall 55DuPont’s meta-aramid — fire-fighter turnout, electrical paper and a char that does not melt-drip like nylon.
Overall 65 🧯Paints that swell into insulating char — the thin-film way to give steel an R-rating without bulky boards.
Overall 58 🌡️Spun refractory fibres for 1000–1400 °C — kiln linings, gaskets, and a respirable-fibre caution that AES grades try to ease.
Overall 62