Is Ultralight Drywall the Right Choice for You?
With over two decades of hands-on experience in home remodeling and improvement, Lee has been offering valuable home improvement advice for more than 13 years.
Drywall panels, constructed with gypsum sandwiched between face and backer paper, serve as the primary building material for most wall and ceiling surfaces. This material revolutionized the home construction industry in the post-WWII years, but it’s not without its drawbacks. One notable drawback is its weight.
For both DIY enthusiasts and certain professionals, the large dimensions and heavy weight of standard drywall panels are the two most significant downsides. When combined with its cumbersome nature and fragility, handling drywall can be quite challenging, especially when working alone as a DIYer.
Ultralight drywall offers an alternative to standard drywall, aiming to reduce the weight and make the transportation, handling, and installation of drywall easier.
How Heavy is Drywall?
A typical 1/2-inch standard drywall sheet measuring 4 feet by 8 feet weighs slightly over 51 pounds. In comparison, a 1/2-inch ultralight drywall sheet weighs approximately 12 pounds less than a standard one.
The weight difference becomes more significant when comparing 25-sheet stacks of drywall. A stack of 1/2-inch ultralight drywall is nearly 300 pounds lighter than a stack of regular drywall.
Another noticeable weight difference is found in the larger 4-foot by 12-foot drywall sheets. While these larger sheets save time, they are heavy and challenging to transport. Each ultralight panel is 18 pounds lighter than a standard panel, which can be a significant advantage when unloading or carrying them upstairs.
| Size, Thickness | Conventional Drywall | Ultralight Drywall |
| 4×8, 1/2-inch | 151.2 pounds | 39.2 pounds |
| 4×8, 1/4-inch | 128.8 pounds | not available |
| 4×12, 1/2-inch | 176.8 pounds | 58.8 pounds |
| 4×8, 1/2-inch | 1,280 pounds | 980 pounds |
| 4×12, 1/2-inch | 1,920 pounds | 1,470 pounds |
Ultralight drywall is a general term for a building material that is approximately 25 percent lighter than standard drywall. A 1/2-inch ultralight drywall panel is 13 pounds lighter than a standard 1/2-inch panel.
Ultralight drywall typically consists of gypsum or calcium sulfate dihydrate (85 percent or less), cellulose (10 percent or less), and continuous filament glass fiber (5 percent or less), which is similar in composition to regular drywall.
While the specific formulations for ultralight drywall boards are proprietary, a slightly higher level of pregelatinized corn starch and a unique surfactant may contribute to its lightweight and strength.
Moreover, the introduction of a gaseous foaming agent to the gypsum slurry likely creates more air pockets in the wallboard, reducing its weight. This foaming agent may also enhance the structural strength of the drywall. In other words, ultralight drywall contains more air than conventional drywall.
- Advantages of Ultralight Drywall:
- Lighter for easier transportation
- Simpler installation
- Produces less dust when cut
- Cost-effective for shipping
Disadvantages of Ultralight Drywall:
It comes with a slightly higher cost
Offers poorer soundproofing
Can be more brittle than standard drywall
1/4-inch sheets are not available
Ultralight Drywall Cost
Ultralight drywall typically comes at a slightly higher price point than standard drywall, though the difference is usually not significant for most DIYers.
For professionals, ultralight drywall costs around 20 cents per square foot, while standard drywall is approximately 18 cents per square foot. This price difference becomes noticeable mainly for large projects.
At major home improvement stores, you can expect to pay around $16 per sheet of 1/2-inch ultralight drywall. The cost gap between ultralight and standard drywall is often negligible due to ongoing sales specials.
Maintenance and Repair
When installed correctly, ultralight drywall requires similar maintenance and repair procedures as standard drywall. Some users note that ultralight drywall may be somewhat more prone to cracking upon impact, but these damages are generally easily fixable with additional taping and mudding work.
Design
Ultralight drywall does not offer any significant design advantage over standard drywall. It is a versatile material suitable for all wall and ceiling finish applications in residential settings.
Ultralight Drywall Installation
Ultralight drywall is cut, installed, and finished in the same way as standard drywall. Panels are cut to size, positioned against framing members, and secured with drywall screws. Seams are finished with drywall tape and multiple layers of drywall compound, which is sanded smooth before painting. Some professionals mention that ultralight drywall is less susceptible to sagging, allowing them to use fewer screws when installing overhead panels. However, the manufacturer’s instructions for ultralight drywall are nearly identical to those for standard drywall, so DIYers are advised to treat both types equally during installation.
Ultralight Drywall vs. Standard Drywall
The primary distinction between ultralight and standard drywall lies in their weight, as well as the availability of 1/4-inch thickness.
According to USG, a 4 x 8-foot sheet of Sheetrock UltraLight Panel is 12 pounds lighter than a standard sheet, weighing just over 39 pounds. This weight reduction can make a significant difference for DIYers who find standard 1/2-inch drywall too heavy.
The weight advantage of ultralight drywall becomes more apparent with thicker panels. A 4 x 8-foot sheet of standard 5/8-inch thick drywall weighs 70.4 pounds, while ultralight drywall weighs 51.2 pounds, offering a 19-pound reduction in weight. However, thicker Type-X drywall may be necessary for specific installations, such as in garages or near furnace rooms, to inhibit the spread of fire. Nonetheless, ultralight drywall has been developed to meet these requirements.
It’s worth noting that drywall sheets are often bundled in pairs, with a paper binding strip along the edges. If you choose to keep the paper binding strip, you could be carrying 114 pounds for every pair of 1/2-inch 4 x 8-foot standard sheets. In contrast, the 26-pound weight savings per bundled pair of conventional boards can be quite helpful.
The other difference between conventional and ultralight drywall is the absence of 1/4-inch ultralight panels. While less commonly used than 1/2-inch drywall, 1/4-inch drywall can come in handy for skim-coating surfaces or creating curves.
Does Lighter Mean Weaker?
USG claims that their ultralight drywall has “superior sag resistance” and is well-suited for ceilings with 24-inch on-center joists. The company also states that it is “stronger pound-for-pound than standard 1/2-inch drywall.”
However, some installers and contractors suggest that ultralight panels may be more brittle and prone to edge breakage on a per square foot basis. Datasheets for Sheetrock UltraLight indicate that it “meets or exceeds” ASTM C-1396 Specifications for hardness and flexural strength. Therefore, there is no compelling reason for DIYers to avoid ultralight drywall due to strength concerns.
Leading Brands of Ultralight Drywall
U.S. Gypsum (USG) and Georgia-Pacific (GP) are the top manufacturers of ultralight drywall in the United States.
- USG was the first company to introduce ultralight drywall and continues to do so with their Sheetrock UltraLight Panels brand, available in both 1/2-inch and 5/8-inch non-fire-rated thicknesses.
- GP produces ToughRock Gypsum Board, a lightweight drywall product in 1/4-inch, 3/8-inch, and 1/2-inch thicknesses. This product is slightly under 44.5 pounds per 1/2-inch sheet measuring 4 x 8 feet, making it comparable in weight to Sheetrock UltraLight.
Is Ultralight Drywall Right for You?
Initially marketed mainly to professionals who handle drywall daily or contractors concerned with workplace injuries and productivity, ultralight drywall has found its way into residential DIY use.
For homeowners tackling DIY projects, the weight savings are noticeable when transporting drywall from the store to your home and when dealing with loading and unloading tasks. Drywall is inherently heavy and unwieldy, but this slightly lighter board can make a significant difference, especially when handling sheets overhead for ceiling installations.
- Brands of Ultralight Drywall:
- USG Sheetrock Brand Ultralight Panels
- Mold Tough
- USG Interior Panels and Finishing Solutions
- USG Sheetrock Brand Ultralight Panels
- USG Interior Panel and Finishing Solutions
tag: # Ultralight Drywall
