Gypsum industry news

Canada: CGC has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire steel framing components and gypsum wallboard trims producer Imperial Building Products (IBP). IBP operates five plants in Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec.

Kazakhstan: Germany-based Knauf will build a US$30.5m, 225,000t/yr dry plaster mix plant in Zhambyl, creating 100 new jobs in the region. When operational, 80% of the plant’s production will supply the domestic market and 20% will supply other Central Asian countries. Business World Magazine News has reported that Knauf has secured a licence for gypsum extraction at the Ulken-Burultau deposit in the Zhambyl region with verified reserves of 84Mt.

Knauf regional representative Alexander Blumhardt said "We consider Kazakhstan as a priority direction for the development of our business in the region. The country has a powerful raw material base, a growing market and high openness to investors."

US: Roofing products distributor QXO has offered to acquire GMS for US$5bn and said it will proceed with a hostile takeover if GMS rejects or does not engage with the offer by 24 June 2025. In a letter submitting the offer, QXO said that the proffered sum is 27% above GMS's current 60-day volume-weighted average value. GMS distributes gypsum wallboard, other gypsum products and steel framing from 300 distribution centres.

If the acquisition proceeds, it will bring QXO into the interior building materials production business for the first time. In the roofing distribution segment, it acquired Beacon Roofing Supply for US$11bn earlier in 2025.

US: GMS recorded sales of US$5.35bn in the 2025 financial year, down by 6% year-on-year. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 19%, to US$501m. The group noted a fourth-quarter decline in its gypsum wallboard sales of 10%, to US$527m, 40% of group quarterly sales of US$1.33bn.

President and CEO John Turner noted the ‘solid results,’ despite the ‘deterioration in end-market conditions as we moved through the year.’ Looking ahead to the current, 2026 financial year, he said “The ongoing challenging interest rate environment and general market uncertainty continue to be a headwind for the business, contributing to reduced levels of activity in each of our major end markets. We are cautiously optimistic that we are nearing the bottom of this cycle and believe pent-up demand will materialise as the macro-environment improves. Once this market demand returns, we will be well-positioned to capture the opportunity as a leaner and more efficient organisation."

US: HydroBlok, which produces the extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam-core HydroBlok One wallboard, has raised US$6m in an extended Series A funding round. Pier 88 Investment Partners and Andina Capital Partners led the round. MarketLine News has reported that HydroBlok will use the capital infusion to accelerate its production roll-out in the US.

HydroBlok One is lightweight, waterproof and mould-resistant that halves build times and reduces costs by 30% compared with conventional gypsum wallboard, according to the developer.

CEO and co-founder Colin House said "I've never witnessed a response quite like this. Seeing builders light up when they grasp the time and cost savings of HydroBlok One is incredibly rewarding."

US: USG plans to make a US$4.5m expansion to a mill building at its Jacksonville gypsum wallboard plant in Florida. The plant also produces ceiling tiles and panels and flooring and roofing materials. The Jacksonville Business Journal newspaper has reported that the company has applied to city authorities for a permit for the expansion.

Russia: UGMK’s Nadezhdinsky metallurgical plant in Serov will soon become a source of gypsum, following the installation of a flue gas desulphurisation system. Metals Daily News has reported that commissioning is scheduled for 2027.

US: The US construction industry is reportedly bracing for heightened labour shortages amid on-going federal enforcement actions against suspected illegal immigrants. Forbes has reported that sections of the workforce are ‘shaken,’ with some builders at one San Francisco firm avoiding certain tasks or not coming to work at all. Authorities have already deported three of the firm’s workers.

The National Association of Home Builders has proposed a new visa programme for construction workers and supportive pathways to legal residency for those already working in the industry. 61% of gypsum wallboard installers in the US were born in other countries.

The on-going US construction labour shortage reportedly cost the industry US$10.8bn in 2024, reducing new single-family homebuilding by 19,000 units.

Canada: Minerals company EDM Resources has entered a definitive gypsum offtake agreement with a ‘large, vertically-integrated’ gypsum and gypsum wallboard producer for the supply of US$58m-worth of gypsum from its Scotia mine near Halifax, Nova Scotia. Under the terms of the agreement, the buyer will make an advance payment of US$250,000 for five-year exclusivity on gypsum from the mine. The agreement is based on projected volumes over a 10-year period and covers half of the mine’s 5.1Mt reserves, including 1.53Mt of 93% purity and 3.65Mt of 91% purity gypsum.

EDM Resources President and CEO Mark Haywood said "We are very pleased to secure this third revenue stream opportunity for our Scotia Mine, in addition to other minerals streams."

Philippines: The Tariff Commission has ordered that anti-dumping duties of 9% be imposed on imports of gypsum wallboard from Thailand for a period of five years. The commission has found that imports caused ‘material injury’ to domestic gypsum wallboard production. In specifying the rate of duties, the commission named two Thai exporters of gypsum wallboard in particular: Gypman Tech Company and Thai Gypsum Products.

During the period under investigation (January 2019 – September 2024), dumped gypsum wallboard accounted for 71% of imports.