Thermal conductivity against densityHigher and further left: spreads more heat for its weightThermal expansion against thermal conductivityLower and further right: warps less when heated
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Sources7 documents: National Institute of Standards and Technology, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Brick Industry Association, Gypsum Association, USG
Brick
Solid extruded clay/shale brick units (BIA 1993 manufacturer survey, TN 3A 2024); face brick of 130 lb/ft3 for thermal properties (BIA TN 4, from ASHRAE 2013); CTE is the TMS Code value for clay/shale masonry
Drywall
1/2 in. (12.7 mm) regular gypsum board (ASTM C1396), Gypsum Association GA-235-2019 typical/minimum properties; tensile and E from USDA FPL-co-authored review; service limit from USG Sheetrock 1/2 in. submittal
1
Strength of Masonry Walls Under Compressive and Transverse Loads (Building Science Series 34)National Institute of Standards and Technologyarchived copyBrick · Ultimate tensile strength: modulus of rupture (no direct tensile value)
2
Mechanical Properties of Gypsum Board at Elevated TemperaturesUSDA Forest Products LaboratoryDrywall · Ultimate tensile strength: ambient range reported in review (Australian studies)Drywall · Young's modulus (stiffness): ambient range reported in review (Australian studies)
3
Technical Notes 3A: Brick Masonry Material PropertiesBrick Industry AssociationBrick · Compressive strength: mean unit compressive strength, solid extruded brick (survey mean; SD 30.8 MPa)Brick · Thermal expansion: TMS Code average coefficient, clay/shale unit masonry
4
GA-235-2023 Gypsum Board Typical Mechanical and Physical PropertiesGypsum AssociationDrywall · Compressive strength: typical, 70 F / 50% RHDrywall · Thermal expansion: typical, unrestrained, 3.3-32 CDrywall · Specific heat: typical (from ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals, per GA)
5
Technical Notes 4: Introduction to Energy Performance of Brick Masonry (2016)Brick Industry Associationarchived copyBrick · Density: face brick density row used for k (BIA notes most fired clay brick 120-130 lb/ft3)Brick · Thermal conductivity: range for 130 lb/ft3 face brick (ASHRAE 2013 via BIA)
6
Technical Notes 4B: Energy Code Compliance of Brick Masonry WallsBrick Industry Associationarchived copyBrick · Specific heat: value used in BIA heat-capacity sample calculation
7
Sheetrock Brand UltraLight Panels Submittal Sheet (WB2501)USGarchived copyDrywall · Max service temperature: manufacturer sustained-exposure limit
Each number points to the document that states it, with the exact basis. Values without a number are computed from the sourced ones. "Not sourced" means no citable source states it (or only a specification minimum); figures computed from it are left out too.
Questions
Mechanical
Is Brick stronger than Drywall?
Brick is stronger: its tensile strength is 5.1 MPa against 1.5 MPa for Drywall (3.4x).
Thermal
Which expands less with temperature?
Brick expands less: 7.2 µm/m·K against 16.7 µm/m·K for Drywall.