GYPSUM

Production The United States was the world’s leading producer and consumer of mined crude gypsum. Production of crude gypsum in the United States during 2022 was estimated to be 21 Mt, a slight decrease compared with 2021 production. The average price of mined crude gypsum was $12/t. Synthetic gypsum sales in 2022, most of which were generated as a flue-gas desulphurization product from coal-fired electric power plants, were estimated to be 13 Mt and priced at approximately $5/t. Forty-seven companies mined gypsum in the United States in 16 states. Crude gypsum exports from the United States totaled 38.8 kt. Imports were 6.89 Mt. As a low-value, high-tonnage bulk commodity normally mined in openpit operations from deposits widely distributed throughout the world, gypsum tends to be consumed within the many countries where it is produced rather than exported. Less than 20 percent of the world’s crude gypsum production was estimated to enter international trade. Only a few countries, such as Canada, Mexico, Spain and Thailand, were major crude gypsum exporters; of these, Canada and Mexico were significant exporters because of their large deposits in proximity to gypsum-consuming facilities in the United States. World production of gypsum in 2022 was estimated to be 150 Mt, slightly less than that of 2021. The United States was the largest producer of natural gypsum in 2022 with an estimated 21 Mt, followed by Iran with an estimated 16 Mt, China with 13 Mt, Oman with 12 Mt, Spain with 11 Mt, and Thailand and Turkey, each with 9.3 Mt. Crude gypsum was thought to have been produced in 81 countries in 2022. Consumption An estimated 2.6 billion m2 of gypsum-derived wallboard products were produced in 2022 domestically. Synthetic gypsum accounted for 40 percent of total domestic gypsum consumption. Demand for gypsum depends principally on the performance of the building construction industry, particularly in the United States, where about 60 percent of consumed gypsum is used for building plasters, the manufacture of portland cement, and wallboard products. Gypsum has no practical substitute in the manufacturing of portland cement. Trade World gypsum reserves are large in major producing countries, but data for many countries are not available. Domestic gypsum resources are adequate but unevenly distributed. Synthetic gypsum, most of which is byproduct from coal-fired power plants, coupled with substantial imports from Canada, augment U.S. domestic crude gypsum supplies for wallboard manufacturing in the United States, particularly in the eastern and southern coastal regions. Imports from Mexico supplement domestic supplies for wallboard manufacturing along portions of the U.S. Western Seaboard. Large gypsum deposits occur in the Great Lakes region, the midcontinent region and several Western states. Foreign resources are large and widely distributed; 81 countries are thought to produce gypsum. Outlook Approximately 700 kt of gypsum scrap that was generated by wallboard manufacturing, wallboard installation and building demolition was recycled. That quantity included an estimated 600 kt of preconsumer wallboard waste recycled by wallboard manufacturers coupled with an estimated 100 kt of post-consumer wallboard. Recycled gypsum was used primarily for agricultural purposes and as feedstock for the manufacture of new wallboard. Other markets for recycled gypsum include athletic field marking, cement production, as a stucco additive, grease absorption, sludge drying and water treatment. The use of synthetic gypsum may continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace. As power companies convert coal-fired electric generation plants to natural gas to take advantage of an abundant and inexpensive supply of shale gas, the production of synthetic gypsum could further decline because fewer coalfired power plants would be operating. Nevertheless, the use of synthetic gypsum by U.S. wallboard manufacturers is likely to continue. Similarly, should the economy continue to expand, and if residential and commercial construction continues to increase, gypsum consumption is also expected to increase in the near future.

GYPSUM

Authored by:
R.D. Crangle Jr

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To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

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