c. 3700 BCE
Gypsum plaster
Jericho and Egypt used burnt gypsum.
Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.
- Gypsum plaster
- Sackett Board
- Sheetrock
- War housing
- Type X
- Metric plasterboard EU
- Moisture boards
- EN 520
- Densely lined shafts
- Recycled gypsum
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Strength24
Heat resistance54
Fire performance92
Insulation34
Workability90
Circularity62
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Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
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)
heat 54 · fire 92
Gypsum board did not arrive as a finished commodity. Sackett 1894; US Gypsum 1916 around United States still explains who makes it and which tests it sits in.
Ten dated points, five eras and three milestones below are the spine — not a complete industrial history.
Where it began
Sackett 1894; US Gypsum 1916United States
Timeline
c. 3700 BCEGypsum plaster
Jericho and Egypt used burnt gypsum.
1894Sackett Board
Paper-faced gypsum panels in the US.
1916Sheetrock
US Gypsum brands the wall.
1940sWar housing
Speed over lath-and-plaster.
1950sType X
Glass fibres in core for fire assemblies.
1970sMetric plasterboard EU
12.5 mm as the module.
1980sMoisture boards
Green / blue boards, still not exterior grade.
1990sEN 520
European board types (A, F, H, D…).
2000sDensely lined shafts
Multiple layers for EI 60–120.
2020sRecycled gypsum
Closed-loop from jobsite offcuts in some markets.
The eras
1916
Sheetrock
US Gypsum brands the wall.
1950s
Type X
Glass fibres in core for fire assemblies.
1980s
Moisture boards
Green / blue boards, still not exterior grade.
2000s
Densely lined shafts
Multiple layers for EI 60–120.
Milestones
War housing
1940sSpeed over lath-and-plaster.
Moisture boards
1980sGreen / blue boards, still not exterior grade.
Recycled gypsum
2020sClosed-loop from jobsite offcuts in some markets.
Knowing this timeline is how to read a mill certificate without treating Gypsum board as timeless.
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