History of gypsum as building material

The history of the usage of "gypsum" as building material dates back to ancient Egypt in 7000 BC. It is said that Alabaster (crystallized gypsum) is used in the Pharaoh's sarcophagus from the famous Pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu in Giza, Egypt, and the cup used by Cleopatra to drink wine was cut from natural gypsum. Since ancient times, gypsum was seen as beautiful and durable, and it has been used not only as a stone material but also as a road paving and sculpture material. Its processing technology was passed down from the Persian era to Greece and Roman times, in the course of which the construction technique for buildings was established and spread widely in Europe.

Invention of gypsum board

In the 17th century United States, the mainstream wooden house architecture was log house style, and they coated the interior with fire resistant gypsum plasters. From this idea of "covering combustible wood with gypsum that does not burn", gypsum board was invented in 1902 by Augustine Sackett in the United States.

History of gypsum as building material

Sun-dried gypsum board

The use of gypsum in Japan mainly began as medicine in the Edo period. Japan's first full-scale manufacturing of calcined gypsum in a factory was in 1912 by Yoshino Gypsum's predecessor, Yoshino Sekko Seizojo, and we continue to manufacture it ever since.

Manufacture and sale of gypsum board in our country began when Yoshino Gypsum began producing it in 1922. Initially, the manufacturing process was all by hand: slurry of gypsum (mud-like) was poured on a horizontal aluminum plate, stuck to a paper liner, then further covered with more paper liner, flattened by a roller to make it into a plate shape, then sun-dried. Currently, it is manufactured in almost automated factory and offers high quality products. Even now "gypsum board" is usually called "plaster board”, but the word “plaster” is originally meant “to coat something”. It is possible that the name plasterboard comes from its production method.