Drywall Type Identification

Stamps, markings, numbers help ID drywall including Type C, Type X, Fire rated

Table of Drywall Manufacturer Country Codes

If necessary, you can also identify the country where the drywall was probably manufactured (if you don't already know), using the table just below.

Notes to the table above

• Source: American Gypsum Assoication, IDENTIFICATION CODES on DRYWALL, USGA STANDARDS [PDF] (2017) Gypsum Association, 6525 Belcrest Road, #480 Hyattsville, MD 20782 USA, Tel: 301‐277‐8686 Website: www.gypsum.org - retrieved 2021/07/07 original source: American Gypsum Co americangypsum.com/sites/default/files/documents/GA-1000%20Identification%20of%20Gypsum%20Board.pdf
• U.S. ASTM, ASTM C1396/C1396M-17 Standard Specification for Gypsum Board, ASTM, https://www.astm.org/c1396_c1396m-17.html
• U.S. CPSC, NOTICE of INQUIRY, Identifying Labels for Drywall Under Section 14(c) of the Consumer Product Safety Act; Notice of Inquiry; Request for Comments and Information [PDF] (2009)
  
• U.S. CPSC, NOTICE of INQUIRY: IDENITFYING LABELS for DRYWALL [PDF] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 24 November 2009, retrieved 2021/07/07 original source: https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/pdfs/foia_drywalllabels.pdf
• USG US GYPSUM MANUFACTURING LOCATIONS [PDF] US Gypsum, retrieved 2021/07/07 original source: https://www.usg.com/content/usgcom/en/about-usg/worldwide-locations/manufacturing-locations.html
• Details about these drywall identification standards & codes & stamps are
  
  at DRYWALL / GYPSUM BOARD IDENTIFYING STAMP / DATA CODES & STANDARDS

Other Methods for Identifying Drywall Manufacturer, Product, & Production Date

Review the formats and decodings of drywall stamps by various drywall manufacturers given below at this page starting at

• DRYWALL MANUFACTURERS SPECIFIC IDENTIFICATION STAMPS

Look for patent numbers in the drywall stamp

as often we can research the patent number to identify both the manufacturer and to set a ceiling on guesses at the age of the product.

1. Find the drywall production date stamp code on the back surface of the product:
   
   this production code can be seen on installed drywall IF the back surface of the drywall remains exposed, for example when only one side of a wall or ceiling has been finished.
   
   Even in a completed structure where all walls are fully enclosed, you might find the production data stamp on drywall in the attic space by lifting insulation there.
2. Find the drywall end-tape:
   
   Find the manufacturer's name and product name and other information such as drywall dimensions and type on the paper end-tape found on the ends of drywall segments.
   
   You will have trouble finding the end tape after drywall has been installed, because usually those ends are fastened to wall studs or wall sill and top plates where the 2x lumber obscures the tape.
   
   The end tape is also color-coded on modern drywall products, allowing quick identification of drywall thickness and type, such as fire-rated, mold-resistant, moisture-resistant.
3. Find other printing on the back of the drywall:
   
   some drywall products such as CertainTeed's GlasRoc sheathing and Diamondback don't use end-tapes but have text printed across the whole board surface, indicating the manufacturer, product, and other data such as fire-rating.

Here is an end-tape from USG's Sheetrock drywall brand that we think was produced in the 1930s - cited and discussed below on this page

Below is an example of a drywall stamp that identifies water-resistant wallboard, from Murphy Wall Products, courtesy of InspectApedia reader Kris E.

3. Find a stamp along the tapered drywall edge:
   
   modern drywall is often stamped with the manufacturer's name along the paper-enclosed tapered long-edge. These edges, too, will be impossible to see once drywall has been installed. Unless you remove it.
4. Find patent numbers on the drywall end tape or on inked stamps
   
   on the drywall back: even when end tapes are only partially available or when only partial drywall data stamps are visible, patent numbers can often point to the manufacturer.

Context Information Adds Confidence to Guesses at Drywall Date Code Decoding

The ABC's of Decoding or Guessing Older Drywall Age From the Numbers on its Back Surface

On 2022-05-05 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator (mod) - suggestions for decoding unknown drywall numeric stamp: 07226505112

@Sly Bryjak,

Have you tried entering that number into one of the online UPC decoders?

I gave that a shot - doesn't look like a UPC. So we treat the number sequence as a production date-code.

At the start of this article we note that since 2017 there has been a standard drywall date code format used in the U.S. But for older drywall in older buildings or older remodeling efforts, there is not one single standard format for drywall production time/date stamps.

We could guess at decoding the numeric string you gave from the back of your drywall, but we could make a far more-credible guess if we had some contextual information including

1. Identity of the manufacturer of the drywall:
   
   found in other stamps on the drywall back surface and/or on the remains of paper tape found on the ends of the drywall. (Usually these are hidden from view against the 2x4 that forms the wall top or bottom plate until or unless the drywall is removed. ) Different manufacturers use different drywall date code formats.
2. Age of the building
3. Age of remodeling
   
   or renovations that may mark the time when the drywall was installed - making it newer than the original building's construction
4. Area of use:
   
   specific room(s) where we think that drywall was installed (a boiler room may use fire rated drywall where a bedroom may not and where a bath may use a moisture-resistant product).
5. Building type
   
   (residential, commercial)
6. Country and city
   
   of the building where the drywall was installed

Armed with that information that permits a reasonableness or "sanity check" on your (or our) guess at the drywall age date code-decoding, then take a look at the drywall date code decoding suggestions found in the article above.

The content of your numeric drywall stamp suggests that your building and this drywall were put up before 2017.

I guess that because since that year the date is encoded as YYMM in the first four digits of the stamp. But 0722 does not yield a year - month (since we just have 12 months in a year).

You might then try several guesses at the drywall's date code translation, checking them for reasonableness against what else we know about the building.

So 07226505112

might be

YYDDDNNNNNN or year -07 day 226 followed by a production plant and sequence number

or

NNNNNNYYDD or plant and sequence number followed by year -05 day 112

On 2022-05-05 by Sly Bryjak

Hello i got this Number on back of my drywall anyone knows when it was manufactured
07226505112
Thank you

Drywall Manufacturers' Identification Stamps & Codes

Now moved

to DRYWALL MANUFACTURER IDENTIFICATION STAMPS & DATE CODES - alphabetical list - separate web page

Gypsum Board Lath Sheets Used for Plaster Walls & Ceilings = Rock Lath, Plaster Lath, Rock Lathe & Button Board

Now moved.

Details are found

at GYPSUM BOARD PLASTER LATH SYSTEMS.

Differences Among Type C & Type X Drywall & Type X Shaftliner Drywall

Both original Type X drywall and newer Type C drywall are fire-resistant products.

Type C has improved fire resistance over Type X.

Type X-Shaftliner drywall is a still-thicker fire-resistant drywall used in areas where extra fire-resistance is needed such as in elevator shaft walls and area separation firewalls, typically in commercial buildings.

Notes to the table above

1. Source: CertainTeed Corp. "Types of Fire Rated Gypsum", CertainTeed Corporation, retrieved 2021/07/17 original source: https://www.certainteed.com/drywall/what-fire-rated-gypsum/
   (2016)
   CertainTeed TYPE C GYPSUM BOARD PRODUCT DATA [PDF] (2016) CertainTeed Corporation P.O. Box 860 Valley Forge, PA 19482 USA Tel: Professional: 800-233-8990 Consumer: 800-782-8777 Website: www.certainteed.com , retrieved 2021/07/17 original source: https://www.certainteed.com/resources/CTG_TypeC_Eng.pdf
   
   Excerpt: CertainTeed Type C Gypsum Board is an interior gypsum board consisting of a solid set, fire-resistive, Type C gypsum core enclosed in ivory-colored face paper and a strong liner back paper. CertainTeed Type C board features a specially formulated Type X core providing superior fire performance when used in specific fire-rated Type C assemblies. Long edges are slightly tapered, allowing joints to be reinforced and concealed with joint tape and joint compound.
   
   CertainTeed TYPE X GYPSUM BOARD PRODUCT DATA [PDF] (2017) CertainTeed, Op. Cit., retrieved 2021/07/17 original source: https://www.certainteed.com/resources/CTG_2337_TypeX_%20DSS_EN.pdf
   
   Excerpt: CertainTeed Type X Gypsum Board is an interior gypsum board consisting of a solid set, fire-resistive, Type X gypsum core enclosed in ivory-colored face paper and a strong liner back paper. CertainTeed Type X board features a specially formulated core providing fire resistance ratings when used in tested assemblies. Long edges are slightly tapered, allowing joints to be reinforced../interiors/Drywall-Manufacturer-Identification-Stamps.php#CertainTeedand concealed with joint tape and joint compound.
   
   CertainTeed M2Tech SHAFTLINER TYPE X GYPSUM BOARD PRODUCT DATA [PDF] (2009) CertainTeed Corporation P.O. Box 860 Valley Forge, PA 19482 USA Tel: Professional: 800-233-8990 Consumer: 800-782-8777 Website: www.certainteed.com , retrieved 2021/07/17 original source: https://www.certainteed.com/resources/CTG_CT012_M2TechShaft_E.pdf
   
   CertainTeed FIREWALLS INFORMATION for Canada [PDF] CertainTeed, Op. Cit., retrieved 2021/07/17 original source: https://www.certainteed.com/resources/CTG-2950 Firewalls Info Sheet E R2-14-FINAL.pdf
   Excerpt:
   M2Tech® technology combines a specially formulated, fire resistive noncombustible core, enclosed in a moisture and mould resistant paper which is 100% recycled with double beveled edges for ease of installation. M2Tech achieves a score of 10 for mould resistance as per ASTM D3273, the best possible scores for these tests.
   
   Note that CertainTeed and probably other drywall manufacturers provide additional product data sheets and environmental products declarations offering varying details describing their products produced by different manufacturing facilities in different locations and serving different countries, states or in Canada, provinces.
   
   Example:
   
   CertainTeed TYPE X GYPSUM BOARD ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION [PDF] (2015) for CertainTeed Gypsum manufacturing facilities based at Toronto, Ontario, Canada, retrieved 2021/07/17 original source: https://www.certainteed.com/resources/CTG_TypeX_EPD_Toronto.pdf
2. Typical 1-hour fire-rated wall construction:
   
   Type X or Type C drywall installed on both sides of 2x4 (nom.) wood stud walls 16" o.c. or 3 5/8" steel stud walls 24" o.c. as per various building codes
3. Typical residential locations requiring fire-rated walls/ceilings
   
   include around boiler or furnace rooms, rooms locating a wood stove or coal stove, and on the common wall and adjacent ceiling of garages attached to living space
4. Typical commercial locations requiring fire-rated walls/ceilings
   
   include most building walls where fire partitions or assemblies are specified, particularly stairwells, fire separation walls, etc.
5. Shaftwall drywall system Codes / Standards:
   
   ASTM C1396, C475, C645, C754, C840, C1002, C1047, E84, E119; CAN/ULC-S101, CAN/ULC-S102, CAN/CSA-A82.27, GA-600, GA-216, GA-238; UL U417, ULC W446; ICBO ES ER-3579; NER-506; ICBO ES ER-4924
6. Area Separation Firewall System Codes / Standards:
   
   ASTM C1396, C475, C645, C754, C840, C1002, C1047, E84, E119; CAN/ULC-S101, CAN/ULC-S102, CAN/CSA-A82.27, GA-600, GA-216, GA-238; UL U366, ULC W311
7. Additional Fire Resistant Drywall Identification - paper colors:
   
   besides from the identifying stampings or labeling cited above on this page include the color of the paper covering the drywall sides
   • CertainTeed Type C fire resistant drywall paper: solid set, fire-resistive, Type C gypsum core enclosed in ivory-colored face paper and a strong liner back paper.
   • CertainTeed Type X Gypsum Board paper: solid set, fire-resistive, Type X gypsum core enclosed in ivory-colored face paper and a strong liner back paper.
   • CertainTeed Type X Shaftliner paper: Heavy moisture and mold resistant light blue-grey colored face and back paper

Fire Resistant Drywall: Underwriters Laboratory Drywall Stamp

Below: an Underwriters Laboratories wallboard fire-rating stamp

See details at

• SHEETROCK® TYPE X FIRE RESISTANT USG Drywall