The Gypsum Association is the center of technical expertise for the gypsum industry. The public relies on the GA to provide authoritative and impartial advice to consumers as well as design and construction professionals. After all, gypsum panel products are all around us, used in nearly every built structure.
While it is true that gypsum wallboard is considered relatively easy to install and provides a smooth, durable, readily finished surface for walls and ceilings, wallboard isn’t specified in more than 97 percent of buildings because of that fact alone. Rather, drywall plays an extremely important role in offering passive fire-resistance. For this reason, the use of gypsum wallboard is mandated by the building codes, which reference the Gypsum Association’s GA-600 Fire-Resistance and Sound Control Design Manual as a source of tested assemblies for the fire-rated construction of walls, ceilings and etc.