You're standing in the middle of a home improvement aisle, staring at a stack of heavy, chalky white boards. You call it drywall. Your contractor calls it Sheetrock. Your grandfather might have called it "gyp board" or even "plasterboard." It’s all the same thing, right? Well, mostly. But if you’re trying to sound like you know what you’re talking about during a renovation—or if you're trying to avoid overpaying for a name brand—understanding another name for drywall actually matters more than you’d think.
It’s just rock. Flat rock.
Specifically, it’s a sandwich of gypsum—a soft sulfate mineral—pressed between two thick sheets of paper. Before this stuff existed, building walls was a nightmare. You had to nail hundreds of thin wooden strips called lath to the studs and then smear layers of wet plaster over them. It took weeks to dry. It cracked. It was a mess. Then came the "dry" wall. No water, no waiting. Just nail it up and mud the seams.
The Sheetrock Confusion: Brand vs. Generic
The most common another name for drywall is Sheetrock. But here is the thing: Sheetrock is a brand name owned by the USG Corporation (United States Gypsum). It is the "Kleenex" of the construction world. When someone says they need a few sheets of Sheetrock, they are usually just asking for gypsum panels, but the branding is so deep in our collective psyche that the terms have become interchangeable.
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I've seen homeowners get into heated debates with builders because the quote said "Sheetrock" but the delivery truck dropped off "Gold Bond" or "American Gypsum" panels. Honestly, unless you are specifying a very specific fire-rated or mold-resistant product, the performance between the major brands is remarkably similar. National Gypsum, Georgia-Pacific, and Continental are all massive players. They all make the same basic stuff.
Wallboard, Gyp Board, and the Old School Lingo
If you hang around old-school tradesmen or architects, you’ll hear it called gyp board. This is shorthand for gypsum board, which is technically the "official" industry term. If you look at an architectural blueprint, you won't see "drywall." You will see "GWB," which stands for Gypsum Wall Board.
Why the names vary by region
It’s kinda funny how geography dictates what you call the stuff. In the UK and Australia, you almost never hear the word drywall. They call it plasterboard or Gyprock. If you walk onto a job site in London and ask for drywall, they’ll know what you mean, but you’ll definitely sound like a tourist.
Then there is wallboard. This is a broader catch-all. Technically, wallboard can refer to anything that covers a wall in a panel—plywood, MDF, or even those hideous wood-paneled sheets from the 1970s. But in the context of modern residential builds, wallboard usually implies the gypsum variety.
Boral and the Global Market
In certain parts of the world, particularly Asia and Oceania, the name Boral is synonymous with these panels. Similar to the Sheetrock phenomenon in the U.S., Boral is a massive construction materials company. They’ve been around since the 1940s. When a builder in Sydney mentions "Boral," they aren't talking about a generic rock; they are referring to a legacy brand that essentially built the modern suburbs there.
More Than Just Paper and Dust: Specialty Names
Not all drywall is created equal. Depending on where you are putting it, you might need a specific type that goes by a completely different nickname.
- Greenboard: This is the moisture-resistant stuff. It has a green paper face. You use it in bathrooms or kitchens. It isn't waterproof—don't let anyone tell you it is—but it handles humidity better than the standard grey stuff.
- Blueboard: This isn't just a different color for fun. Blueboard is specially formulated for "veneer plastering." The blue paper reacts with a thin layer of plaster finish to create a rock-hard, high-end surface.
- Purple board: This is basically Greenboard on steroids. Brands like National Gypsum use purple to signify superior moisture, mold, and even mildew resistance.
- Type X: This is the "firecode" board. It’s thicker (usually 5/8 of an inch) and reinforced with glass fibers. It’s designed to crumble slowly in a fire, giving people more time to get out of the building.
The Science of Gypsum
Why do we use this stuff? Because gypsum ($CaSO_4 \cdot 2H_2O$) is a miracle mineral for safety. About 21% of its weight is chemically combined water. When a fire starts, the heat actually turns that water into steam. It’s a built-in sprinkler system at the molecular level. This process is called calcination. Until that water is driven out, the board won't exceed the temperature of boiling water, which keeps the wooden studs behind it from catching fire.
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That is why, regardless of whether you call it another name for drywall or stick to the generic, the material remains the backbone of fire safety in modern homes.
The Environmental Reality
People often ask me if drywall is "green." Well, it’s complicated. On one hand, gypsum is a natural mineral. On the other hand, a huge chunk of modern drywall is made from "synthetic gypsum," which is a byproduct of coal-fired power plants. They scrub the sulfur out of the smoke stacks, and the resulting sludge is turned into wallboard. It's actually a great way to recycle industrial waste, but it does mean your walls are technically a product of the energy industry.
Recycling the scraps is the real problem. When drywall ends up in a landfill and gets wet, it can leach sulfates into the groundwater and produce hydrogen sulfide gas—that "rotten egg" smell. This is why many municipalities now require you to separate drywall from other construction debris.
How to Buy the Right Stuff Without Overpaying
If you are headed to a big box store like Home Depot or Lowe's, don't get hung up on the brand.
- Check the edges. If the boards have been banged around and the corners are crumbling, don't buy them. You'll spend twice as much time on finishing.
- Verify the thickness. Most walls use 1/2 inch. Ceilings sometimes use 5/8 inch to prevent sagging. If you buy 3/8 inch by mistake, it’s going to look "wavy" once it's on the studs.
- Weight matters. "Ultra-light" boards are now the industry standard. They are about 25% lighter than the old stuff. If you're hanging this by yourself, your back will thank you for checking the label for words like "Lite" or "Weightless."
Actionable Next Steps
If you are planning a DIY project or talking to a contractor, stop using generic terms and start being specific.
First, measure your square footage and add 10% for waste. Second, identify "wet zones" where you specifically need Greenboard or Purple board—don't let a contractor talk you into using standard grey board in a shower area just to save a few bucks. Third, check your local building codes; many require Type X (fire-rated) board in garages or utility rooms.
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Finally, if you're hiring a pro, ask them which another name for drywall they prefer using and why. A pro who insists on a specific brand usually does so because that brand's "mud" (joint compound) adheres better or the boards are more consistent in thickness, which means a smoother finish for your home.