Global Drywall & Building Plaster

7th Edition

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This comprehensive study analyzes the world market for the two main calcined gypsum-based products: drywall and building plaster. “Plasterboard”, “gypsum board”, and “wallboard” are among the other generic terms used for drywall products and are used synonymously in this study.

Demand for and production of drywall and building plasters are broken out separately for selected countries and regions, along with demand by end use (residential versus nonresidential buildings). Drywall supply and demand are presented in square meters, while building plaster supply and demand are shown in metric tons.

Building plasters based on lime, cement, or other non-gypsum materials, as well as industrial gypsum-based plasters used in nonconstruction applications, are excluded from the scope of the study. Drywall used in nonconstruction applications is also excluded.

The most common dimension for standard drywall worldwide is 120 centimeters (cm) wide by 240 cm high by 1 cm to 1.25 cm thick – meaning that the weight per square meter for drywall in each country is similar. Even so, numerous other factors also affect the average weight of a square meter of drywall, including:

• types of drywall used (e.g., water-resistant, fire-resistant, sheathing, veneer, mobile home, and ceiling tile)
• weight of front and back faces
• proportion of use in residential versus nonresidential applications
• proportion of synthetic versus naturally mined gypsum material inside the drywall

Historical data for 2008, 2013, and 2018 are reported in square meters for drywall and in metric tons for building plaster, with forecasts provided for 2023 and 2028. Throughout this study, demand is related to various indicators for comparative purposes and to facilitate further analysis.