Gypsum industry news

Spain: 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.

US: 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.

US: 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.”

US: 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.

US: 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.

US: 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.

US: 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.”

US: Eagle Materials grew its sales in the first half of the 2025 financial year, which began on 1 April 2024, by 0.7% year-on-year. This resulted in revenues of US$1.23bn for the six-month period. The company’s earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) also rose, by 1.5% year-on-year to US$378m. Its gypsum wallboard segment generated revenues of US$433m, up by 1%, with 1% growth in volumes, to 140Mm².

President and CEO Michael Haack said “Eagle’s portfolio of businesses continued to perform well, despite ongoing adverse weather during the second quarter of the present financial year. We used our strong cashflow to continue advancing our long-term growth and value-creation strategies. We remain optimistic about our near-term and future opportunities and confident in our ability to execute on them. The current economic environment is constructive for our businesses. Employment is strong, recent inflation data should support a more accommodative monetary environment, spending from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is still in the beginning phases and housing supply remains chronically short because of decade-long production deficits.”

US: A study by Resource Recycling Systems found that 33% of construction and demolition materials (CDM) entering landfill in Summit County, Colorado, could be effectively diverted into CDM recycling. Gypsum wallboard was among the 11 materials included in the study. Local press has reported that county authorities aim to reuse or recycle 25% of CDM generated locally by 2028, and 50% by 2035. Landfill capacity will run out in 2078.

CDM constituted 30% of Summit County’s landfill intake during the study period.

US: Xeriant will begin to produce its Nexboard alternative wallboard for sale at some time in the near-term future after making further recipe adjustments focused on ensuring fire safety. The company has contracted large-scale production to a ‘well-established’ producer, with which it is currently in the setup stage. It is also in talks with a bank about finance.

CEO Keith Duffy said "After initial fire testing at a national certification laboratory in June 2024, we engaged a polymer chemist to refine Nexboard's composition with a focus on passing the rigorous NFPA 286 fire safety test. This step followed several modifications in the base material and fire-retardant compositions and the finalisation of a production method that ensures the highest-volume, best quality and lowest-cost output. This extensive research and testing over many months has led us to believe that the additional changes will enable Nexboard to meet or even surpass the existing code requirements for building materials used in our targeted applications."