Gypsum industry news

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: 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: Eagle Materials raised its sales in the first quarter of the 2025 financial year to US$609m, up by 1% year-on-year. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 5% to US$225m. The group’s Light Materials segment raised its sales by 2%, to US$248m, 41% of group sales. Its operating earnings grew by 5%, to US$103m. A rise in gypsum wallboard prices offset a 1% decline in sales volumes to 70.3Mm² of wallboard, while paperboard sales volumes rose by 10% to 91,000t. The segment also reported a drop in operating costs, including for energy.

CEO Michael Haack said “Our portfolio of businesses continued to perform well, despite adverse weather conditions during the quarter across many of our core markets. Underlying fundamentals in our markets continue to be favourable, and we expect demand for our products to remain steady for the balance of the year. In addition, despite some interest-rate sensitivity, residential construction activity remains resilient, given chronic housing-supply shortages and continued underlying demand strength. Our well-positioned balance sheet, significant cash flow generation and consistent, disciplined operational and strategic execution through shifting economic cycles position Eagle for another strong fiscal year."

US: Continental Building Products' Palatka wallboard plant in Florida has endured Hurricane Irma without any serious damage to the facility. The site is about 30 miles inland of St Augustine and it employs over 125 workers. It closed for the storm to allow employees to prepare themselves and their families. However, it didn't lose power and 'sustained essentially no known damage'. Continental Building Products has announced it will donate US$25,000 to the American Red Cross to support the relief effort.

Peru: Production at Eternit's gypsum wallboard plant in Lima has been disrupted by extreme weather related to the El Niño cycle. Production of the Gyplac drywall brand was affected when the district the factory is in flooded in late March 2017, according to the El Comercio, newspaper. The flooding also hit the company's logistic network.