The global gypsum board market is forecast to reach $34.5 billion by 2034, but the story starts much closer to home where U.S. building activity and material costs are moving the drywall needle. From recycled gypsum cutting energy demand by about 10 to 20 percent to typical sound performance gains of 5 to 10 STC points, the data ties together efficiency, durability, and environmental tradeoffs in a way jobsite teams can actually feel. We also connect trade flows and recycling impacts to why gypsum board remains the core substrate for roughly 98 percent of interior partition installations.
Key Takeaways
- $34.5 billion global gypsum board market size forecast for 2034
- 1.9% U.S. contribution to global gypsum board market value in 2023 (estimated share)
- $9.8 billion estimated U.S. imports of gypsum board and plasterboard in 2023 (customs-based trade estimate)
- $1.9 billion estimated German exports of gypsum board in 2023 (customs-based trade estimate)
- $2.1 billion in U.S. gypsum board imports from Canada (OEC trade estimate for 2023)
- Gypsum dehydration energy requirement is reduced by using recycled gypsum, improving efficiency by reducing thermal demand (reported ~10–20% energy reduction in studies)
- $28.6 billion U.S. construction material price index increase in 2021–2022 context (BLS PPI for construction materials)
- Gypsum board prices in the U.S. increased sharply in 2021–2022, with producer price indices for plywood/board products rising more than 20% year-over-year (BLS PPI series context)
- Thermal conductivity benefit: 0.05–0.06 W/m·K reported for some lightweight gypsum boards enabling improved energy performance (typical range in peer-reviewed literature)
- Sound transmission class (STC) improvements of 5–10 points are commonly reported for resiliently mounted gypsum wall assemblies versus baseline construction (peer-reviewed studies)
- Water absorption of gypsum boards typically ranges around 20–30% by mass depending on facing treatment (peer-reviewed materials characterization)
- $56.7 billion total U.S. construction spending (all segments) in 2023 per Census/BLS context for drywall demand
- 2.5% U.S. residential construction spending growth in 2023 vs 2022 (Census construction data)
- 98% of drywall installation jobs use gypsum board as the primary substrate material in interior partitions (industry survey estimate)
- 23 million metric tons of construction and demolition debris generated in the U.S. in 2018 (EPA estimate)
Gypsum board demand is rising with major U.S. spending and price pressures, while recycling can cut energy and CO2.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
$34.5 billion global gypsum board market size forecast for 2034https://www.factmr.com/report/gypsum-board-market
02
1.9% U.S. contribution to global gypsum board market value in 2023 (estimated share)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/gypsum-board-market
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
From a market size perspective, the global gypsum board market is projected to reach $34.5 billion by 2034, and the U.S. accounted for an estimated 1.9% of global value in 2023, suggesting steady but modest U.S. participation as the worldwide market expands.
02 · Category
Trade Flows5 stats
01
$9.8 billion estimated U.S. imports of gypsum board and plasterboard in 2023 (customs-based trade estimate)https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/gypsum-boards-plasterboard
02
$1.9 billion estimated German exports of gypsum board in 2023 (customs-based trade estimate)https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/gypsum-boards-plasterboard?year=2023
03
$2.1 billion in U.S. gypsum board imports from Canada (OEC trade estimate for 2023)https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-country/canada/partner/united-states?year=2023
04
$0.9 billion in U.S. gypsum board exports to Mexico (OEC trade estimate for 2023)https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-country/mexico/partner/united-states?year=2023
05
$0.8 billion in U.S. gypsum board imports from Germany (OEC trade estimate for 2023)https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-country/germany/partner/united-states?year=2023
Interpretation
Trade Flows Interpretation
From a trade-flows perspective, the United States imported an estimated $9.8 billion of gypsum board and plasterboard in 2023, with Canada supplying $2.1 billion and Germany also contributing $0.8 billion, while exports remained smaller at $0.9 billion to Mexico.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
Gypsum dehydration energy requirement is reduced by using recycled gypsum, improving efficiency by reducing thermal demand (reported ~10–20% energy reduction in studies)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652619311013
02
$28.6 billion U.S. construction material price index increase in 2021–2022 context (BLS PPI for construction materials)https://www.bls.gov/ppi/tables.htm
03
Gypsum board prices in the U.S. increased sharply in 2021–2022, with producer price indices for plywood/board products rising more than 20% year-over-year (BLS PPI series context)https://www.bls.gov/ppi/
04
$120per 1,000 sq ft range is commonly reported for installed drywall material-only costs in U.S. residential projects (industry cost guide)https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/walls-and-ceilings/drywall-installation/
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, cutting gypsum dehydration energy by about 10–20% with recycled gypsum comes at a time when U.S. construction material prices jumped about $28.6 billion in 2021–2022 and drywall-related board products rose more than 20% year over year, with installed drywall material-only costs often cited around $120 per 1,000 sq ft.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance & Compliance3 stats
01
Thermal conductivity benefit: 0.05–0.06 W/m·K reported for some lightweight gypsum boards enabling improved energy performance (typical range in peer-reviewed literature)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775319307016
02
Sound transmission class (STC) improvements of 5–10 points are commonly reported for resiliently mounted gypsum wall assemblies versus baseline construction (peer-reviewed studies)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775313005520
03
Water absorption of gypsum boards typically ranges around 20–30% by mass depending on facing treatment (peer-reviewed materials characterization)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652613001236
Interpretation
Performance & Compliance Interpretation
For the Performance and Compliance angle, lightweight gypsum boards are delivering measurable gains with thermal conductivity around 0.05–0.06 W/m·K, STC jumps of roughly 5–10 points versus typical baselines, and water absorption commonly held near 20–30 percent by mass depending on facing treatment.
05 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
$56.7 billion total U.S. construction spending (all segments) in 2023 per Census/BLS context for drywall demandhttps://www.census.gov/construction/c30/historical_data.html
02
2.5% U.S. residential construction spending growth in 2023 vs 2022 (Census construction data)https://www.census.gov/construction/nrc/index.html
03
98% of drywall installation jobs use gypsum board as the primary substrate material in interior partitions (industry survey estimate)https://www.constructiondive.com/news/drywall-installation-market-share/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
With U.S. construction spending hitting $56.7 billion in 2023 and residential spending up 2.5% from 2022, the industry trend for drywall is that demand is still riding a steady residential growth wave, and the dominance of gypsum board at 98% of interior partition installs keeps gypsum drywall at the center of that momentum.
06 · Category
Sustainability & Recycling4 stats
01
23 million metric tons of construction and demolition debris generated in the U.S. in 2018 (EPA estimate)https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-12/2018-C%26D-Debris-Factsheet.pdf
02
4% of C&D debris by weight is gypsum-based materials (EPA materials characterization)https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/2018-CDD-Characterization.pdf
03
Gypsum board recycling can reduce CO2 emissions by about 30–40% versus landfilling in LCA studies (peer-reviewed/meta-LCA results)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652607012001
04
In a lab study, using recycled gypsum reduced embodied energy of gypsum board by ~20% (reported in peer-reviewed LCA)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652614002030
Interpretation
Sustainability & Recycling Interpretation
With about 23 million metric tons of U.S. construction and demolition debris in 2018 and gypsum making up roughly 4% by weight, drywall recycling stands out because it can cut gypsum board CO2 emissions by around 30 to 40% compared with landfilling and reduce embodied energy by about 20% when recycled gypsum is used.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). Drywall Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/drywall-industry-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "Drywall Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/drywall-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "Drywall Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/drywall-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)