
Gypsum industry news
National Association of Home Builders highlights possible effects of new US tariffs on gypsum supply
06 March 2025US: The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) says that more than 71% of the US’ total annual imports of gypsum originate in Mexico. The association has highlighted the possibility of ‘scarcity and an acute, sustained rise in building materials costs’ as a result of new tariffs. The US government imposed 25% duties on products from Mexico and fellow North American country, Canada, on 4 March 2025.
NAHB said that it will ‘continue to seek a tariff exemption for building materials.’
US Gypsum production rises steadily in 2024
26 February 2025US: Gypsum producers mined 22Mt of natural gypsum in 2024, according to the figures published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Production rose by 2% year-on-year from 21.5Mt in 2023. The USGS listed California, Iowa and Kansas as the top producers among 15 gypsum-mining states in the US in 2024. 45 different mines contributed to the total. Major domestic applications for the gypsum included use as raw materials in the country’s 3.16Bnm2/yr-capacity gypsum wallboard industry. The sector sold an estimated 2.6Bnm2 of wallboard throughout the year, up by 4% year-on-year.
The US exported 45,000t of natural gypsum during 2024, up by 2% from 44,000t in 2024. Its imports declined year-on-year, meanwhile, by 4%, from 7.77Mt to 7.4Mt – 17% of a total domestic consumption of 44Mt.
US calcined gypsum price more than doubles decade-on-decade
26 February 2025US: National calcined gypsum prices were US$63/t in 2024, up by 5% year-on-year, Statista has reported. The figure more than doubled decade-on-decade from US$27/t in 2014.
Galician government urges EU to action in response to US tariffs
18 February 2025Spain: The President of Galicia has called on the EU to protect the interests of its member states in anticipation of new US tariffs. Economía Digital News has reported that Galicia exported €32m-worth of gypsum plaster and stone in 2024. The US ranks 11th among the autonomous community’s export partners.
Georgia-Pacific appoints David Neal as Executive Vice President of Building Products
06 February 2025US: Georgia-Pacific has appointed its current President of Gypsum, David Neal, as Executive Vice President of Building Products, effective from March 2025. In his present role, Neal led a US$300m expansion to the group’s Sweetwater gypsum wallboard plant in Texas. He previously served as Vice President of Operations, as Regional Operations Leader and in other sales and operations management roles since joining the company as a plant manager in 2004. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Neal succeeds Andy Konieczka who will retire. Konieczka has worked for Georgia-Pacific and its parent company, Koch, since 1992.
Eagle Materials raises nine-month sales in 2024
30 January 2025US: Eagle Materials raised its sales in the first nine months of 2024 to US$1.79bn – up by under 1% year-on-year. Its profit also grew by under 1%, to US$569m. In the group’s Light Building Materials business, gypsum wallboard sales were US$271m, up by 8% year-on-year.
President and CEO Michael Haack praised the growth in the face of ‘ongoing adverse weather’ conditions in the Midwest and Great Plains markets. He said “While the path to lower interest rates and improved home-buying affordability is less certain today, we remain optimistic about our businesses and our ability to execute on the opportunities in front of us. Steady employment, housing supply that remains chronically short and our cost-structure advantages continue to provide favourable conditions for our gypsum wallboard business.” He added “Our consistent, disciplined operational and strategic approach should position us to continue to perform well through economic cycles and deliver value over the long term.”
Court sentences Apodaca Wall Systems and Empire Wall Systems for overtime pay violations
23 January 2025US: A court has ordered Apodaca Wall Systems and Empire Wall Systems to pay workers for withheld overtime wages after violating the Fair Labor Standards Act. Due News has reported that the companies must each pay US$3.73m to a combined total of 1400 employees, along with a US$125,000 penalty to the US Department of Labor.
Xeriant appoints Mark Sternberg to advisory board
15 January 2025US: Alternative wallboard developer Xeriant says that it has appointed Mark Sternberg to its advisory board. Sternberg is currently Chief Financial Officer at bio-engineering firm Debina Diagnostics. He previously worked as US Sales Manager of Saint-Gobain Abrasives and President of Moyco Precision Abrasives, which developed nano-diamonds, among other technologies.
Sternberg holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and an MBA from Fox School of Business at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
GMS raises sales in second quarter of 2025 financial year
06 December 2024US: GMS raised its sales by 3.5% year-on-year to US$1.5bn in the second quarter of the 2025 financial year. The producer noted volumes growth and ‘resilient or improved’ pricing across its product categories, with gypsum wallboard accounting for 39% of total sales. It recorded an impact of US$20m in reduced sales due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, primarily impacting the single-family residential market. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 11% to US$152m.
GMS said that an ‘attractive capital structure’ helped it to achieve its strategic priorities in the quarter, including expanding its market share for its core products.
National Gypsum Donates US$1m for education in North America
04 December 2024US: National Gypsum has donated US$1m to 42 schools and non-profit organisations in the US and Canada. Employees from subsidiaries including Gold Bond Building Products, Gold Bond Canada, PermaBASE Building Products, ProForm Finishing Products and Unifix nominated the beneficiaries.
Chair Thomas Nelson said that initiatives of this kind are “crucial in equipping the next generation with the skills and knowledge to become innovative leaders.”