Plasterboard (also called drywall or gypsum board) is the most widely used internal lining material in UK construction. Whether you are drylining a masonry wall, partitioning a room, or boarding out a loft conversion, understanding the different board types and sizes will help you specify correctly and avoid costly errors, particularly around fire safety and moisture resistance, where Building Regulations set clear requirements.

Standard Sizes

Plasterboard is manufactured in standard sheet dimensions. The vast majority of UK residential work uses the following:

Sheet Size (mm)Common Use
2,400 × 1,200Walls and ceilings (the UK standard)
2,700 × 1,200Higher ceilings, reducing joint count
3,000 × 1,200Commercial / high-spec residential
1,800 × 900Smaller areas, easier manual handling

The 2,400 × 1,200 mm sheet is by far the most common, its 1,200 mm width spans two stud bays at 600 mm centres or three at 400 mm, minimising waste. Boards are typically sold per sheet or by the pallet.

Thickness Options

Thickness affects both stiffness (important for ceilings) and fire resistance. Common thicknesses in the UK:

ThicknessTypical Application
9.5 mmLightweight ceilings, curved surfaces
12.5 mmStandard walls and ceilings (most common)
15 mmHeavy-duty walls, improved fire and sound performance
19–25 mmCore and plank boards, usually 600 mm wide, for shaft walls and fire compartmentation (in homes two thinner layers are more usual)

For ceilings, 9.5 mm board is only suitable where joists are close together (typically 400 mm centres); use 12.5 mm at wider centres, and at 600 mm centres some manufacturers call for 15 mm board or extra noggings, so check the maker’s maximum support centres.1 Two layers of 12.5 mm board are a common way to reach higher fire and acoustic ratings, and each sheet is easier to handle than one thick board.

Board Types

Standard Plasterboard

The everyday workhorse, grey gypsum core with cream paper facing. Used for walls and ceilings in dry, conditioned spaces. Available in tapered-edge (for jointing and skimming) and square-edge formats.

Cost: approximately £12–£14 per 2,400 × 1,200 × 12.5 mm sheet (2026).

Moisture-Resistant Plasterboard (MR Board / Green Board)

Contains water-repellent additives in the gypsum core and usually has a green paper facing.2 Suitable for bathrooms, kitchens, utility rooms, and other areas with intermittent moisture. It is not waterproof: it still needs tanking, tiles, or waterproof paint over it in wet zones. It is the usual choice behind splash zones, though inside shower enclosures a tile backer board or a tanking system is the better base.

Cost: approximately £24–£27 per 2,400 × 1,200 × 12.5 mm sheet.

Fire-Rated Plasterboard (Type F or DF / Pink Board)

Contains glass-fibre reinforcement and, in some products, vermiculite or other fire-resistant additives. Fire resistance is a property of the whole wall or ceiling system rather than the board alone, and is typically 30 or 60 minutes depending on board thickness, number of layers and framing.3 It is commonly used to meet Approved Document B’s fire resistance in:

  • Floors and ceilings beneath loft conversions (new floors REI 30)4
  • Walls and ceilings separating an attached or integral garage from the house (REI 30)4
  • Staircase enclosures forming a protected stairway (REI 30) where a storey is more than 4.5 m above ground4
  • Party walls and floors requiring fire compartmentation

The exact specification (single 15 mm, double 12.5 mm, etc.) depends on the application, always check with building control or a registered building control approver.

Cost: approximately £19–£21 per 2,400 × 1,200 × 12.5 mm sheet, and about £26 for a 15 mm sheet.5

Acoustic Plasterboard

A denser board, typically 12.5 mm or 15 mm, designed to increase the mass of a wall or ceiling and improve airborne sound insulation. Often used in party walls, between rooms, or on ceilings under noisy spaces. Acoustic performance improves significantly when combined with resilient bars (decoupling the board from the structure) and acoustic mineral wool between studs.

A single layer of acoustic board typically adds a few decibels of airborne sound insulation over standard board. Building Regs (Approved Document E) requires minimum performance standards for new builds and conversions between dwellings; acoustic board is usually part of the specification meeting these targets.6

Cost: approximately £23–£26 per 2,400 × 1,200 × 12.5 mm sheet.

Thermal / Insulated Plasterboard (Dot-and-Dab)

A composite board: standard or fire-rated plasterboard bonded to a layer of rigid insulation foam (PIR, EPS or XPS). Used for internal wall insulation (dot-and-dab method) or on solid masonry walls. The insulation layer ranges from 20 mm to 90 mm+, with the plasterboard facing typically 9.5 mm or 12.5 mm.7

Cost: from about £58–£61 per board for a 27 mm XPS laminate, rising with insulation thickness (higher PIR content costs more).87

Impact-Resistant Plasterboard

A very dense, reinforced board used in high-traffic areas, school corridors, care homes, sports facilities, where the wall is likely to take knocks. Less common in domestic work but occasionally specified for hallways or stairwells in rental properties.

Tapered Edge vs Square Edge

Most modern plasterboard sold in the UK has a recessed (tapered) long edge, designed to be filled with joint compound and scrim tape to create a flush, seamless surface before skimming or direct decoration. Square-edge boards are used where the joints will be covered (e.g., behind tiles or panelling) or where skim coat is applied over the entire surface regardless.

For new build or renovation work with a skim-plaster finish, tapered-edge is the correct choice, it reduces the risk of visible joints telegraphing through the finished surface.

Plasterboard Cost Summary (2026 UK)

Board TypeThicknessApprox. Cost per Sheet
Standard9.5 mm£13–£14
Standard12.5 mm£12–£14
Moisture-resistant12.5 mm£24–£27
Fire-rated12.5 mm£19–£21
Fire-rated15 mmabout £26
Acoustic12.5 mm£23–£26
Insulated (XPS laminate)27 mm£58–£61

Prices vary by merchant and volume. Shelf prices for single 2,400 × 1,200 × 12.5 mm sheets, including VAT, at two national chains:

  • Wickes, Knauf tapered-edge standard plasterboard: £13.409
  • Wickes, Knauf Fire Panel: £2110
  • Wickes, Knauf Moisture Panel: £26.5011
  • Selco, Siniat standard tapered-edge plasterboard: £12.0612
  • Selco, Siniat Fire Board: £18.9013
  • Selco, Siniat Moisture Board: £23.8614
  • Selco, Siniat dB Sound Board: £23.4015

Selco also lists Siniat 9.5 mm standard tapered-edge board at £13.97 a sheet, including VAT.16

Trade accounts at builders’ merchants (Buildbase, Jewson, Travis Perkins) typically offer discounts on list price compared with DIY sheds.

Practical Tips

Specify the right board for the location. Using standard board in a shower room or leaving fire-rated board out of a garage ceiling are both common, and potentially dangerous, errors.

Check joist and stud centres before ordering. The wrong sheet size relative to your stud spacing wastes material and adds unnecessary joints.

Handle carefully. Plasterboard sheets are heavy (a 2,400 × 1,200 × 12.5 mm standard sheet weighs about 23 kg) and corner damage is common.17 Order 5–10% extra to account for breakage and cuts.

Combine board types where needed. A party wall may need both fire-rated and acoustic performance, some manufacturers produce combination boards (fire + acoustic), which simplify the specification.

Choosing the right plasterboard from the outset prevents rework and ensures compliance with Building Regs. When in doubt about fire or acoustic requirements, a brief conversation with your local building control officer costs nothing and avoids expensive surprises later.

The rules in this note are those that apply in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own building standards and permitted development rights.

References (17)

Figures in this note were checked against the sources below on 2 October 2026. Superscript numbers in the text point to them. Every source the site cites, by topic.

  1. 1technicalsupplier figureSiniat (Etex), guidance.RN-AOW4Y7Siniat's floors and ceilings manual for its tested timber-joist ceiling systems. Its 12.5 mm board ceilings on joists at 600 mm centres call for perimeter and intermediate noggings, which supports checking the maker's support centres before boarding a ceiling.
  2. 2technicalsupplier figureSiniat (Etex), guidance.RN-Y94JRPManufacturer page for a moisture-resistant plasterboard. It describes moisture-resistant additives in the core and liner, a green face and use in kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms.
  3. 3technicalsupplier figureSiniat (Etex), guidance.RN-XX67DRManufacturer page for a pink fire-rated plasterboard (Type DF). It ties the 60-minute rating to a specific partition system, showing fire resistance is a system property.
  4. 4technicalvery strongMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.RN-J0UZDBApproved Document B Volume 1, fire safety in dwellings, 2019 edition with the 2020, 2022 and 2025 amendments and the forthcoming 2026 and 2029 changes collated in. Covers means of warning and escape, internal fire spread through linings and structure, external fire spread and access for the fire service. This is the document behind escape window sizes, protected stairways, the 4.5 metre rule and the fire doors a loft conversion needs.
  5. 5costsupplier figureSelco Builders Warehouse.RN-F5JFEWA price, true at 2026-09. Selco product page for a 2,400 × 1,200 × 15 mm Siniat fire-rated plasterboard sheet, priced at £22.00 ex VAT and £26.40 inc VAT.
  6. 6technicalvery strongMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.RN-35VE7WTable 0.1a sets separating element performance for dwellings: purpose built walls a minimum 45 dB DnT,w + Ctr, floors and stairs 45 dB airborne and a maximum 62 dB L'nT,w impact; where a dwelling is formed by material change of use the figures relax to 43 dB airborne and 64 dB impact. Table 0.2 sets the laboratory value for new internal walls and floors within a dwelling at a minimum 40 dB Rw. Requirement E2 covers internal walls between a bedroom or a room containing a WC and other rooms, and internal floors, but expressly does not apply to an internal wall containing a door, a wall separating an en suite toilet from its own bedroom, or existing walls and floors in a material change of use. Section 5 gives internal wall types A to D and internal floor types A to C, including timber or metal stud with plasterboard and mineral wool; paragraph 5.14 requires all gaps around internal walls to be filled.
  7. 7technicalsupplier figureSelco Builders Warehouse.RN-BV9LYDthe retail price Selco Builders Warehouse publishes for Siniat Thermal XP Tapered Edge 2400 x 1200 x 27mm, which is the supply figure the cost book records for this item
  8. 8costsupplier figureWickes.RN-BLLU7UA price, true at 2026-09. Wickes' product page for a single 27 mm Knauf XPS laminate insulated plasterboard at £58, the bottom of the note's £58–£61 range.
  9. 9costsupplier figureWickes.RN-Z0MQ8SA price, true at 2026-09. National merchant's list price for a standard 12.5 mm 2400 x 1200 mm tapered edge plasterboard sheet.
  10. 10costsupplier figureWickes.RN-4IJB7TA price, true at 2026-09. Wickes' product page for the Knauf 12.5 mm tapered-edge Fire Panel, a fire-rated plasterboard sheet of 1,200 x 2,400 mm, showing its shelf price per sheet and per square metre.
  11. 11costsupplier figureWickes.RN-959I65A price, true at 2026-09. Wickes' product page for the Knauf 12.5 mm tapered-edge Moisture Panel, a moisture-resistant plasterboard sheet of 1,200 x 2,400 mm, showing its shelf price per sheet and per square metre.
  12. 12costsupplier figureSelco Builders Warehouse.RN-710F2NA price, true at 2026-09. Selco's product page for a standard Siniat 12.5 mm tapered-edge plasterboard sheet, 2,400 x 1,200 mm, showing its price excluding and including VAT.
  13. 13costsupplier figureSelco Builders Warehouse.RN-C0091BA price, true at 2026-09. Selco's product page for the Siniat 12.5 mm tapered-edge Fire Board, a fire-rated plasterboard sheet of 2,400 x 1,200 mm, showing its price excluding and including VAT.
  14. 14costsupplier figureSelco Builders Warehouse.RN-V2U6NGA price, true at 2026-09. A builders' merchant product page for a full sheet of 12.5 mm moisture-resistant plasterboard. It gives the current price including and excluding VAT.
  15. 15costsupplier figureSelco Builders Warehouse.RN-XYBE51A price, true at 2026-09. Selco's product page for the Siniat dB Sound Board, a 12.5 mm tapered-edge acoustic plasterboard sheet of 2,400 x 1,200 mm, showing its price excluding and including VAT.
  16. 16costsupplier figureSelco Builders Warehouse.RN-O6KUCNA price, true at 2026-09. Selco's product page for a single 2,400 × 1,200 × 9.5 mm Siniat standard board at £13.97 including VAT. It backs the 9.5 mm row of the cost table (£13–£14).
  17. 17technicalsupplier figureSiniat, a data sheet.RN-860P5GManufacturer datasheet for standard drylining plasterboard. A 2400 x 1200mm sheet weighs 17.3 kg at 9.5mm, 23.0 kg at 12.5mm and 28.8 kg at 15.0mm, equivalent to 6.0, 8.0 and 10.0 kg/m2, which is why a 12.5mm 8 by 4 sheet is a two person carry up a staircase. Thermal conductivity is 0.19 W/mK, giving a thermal resistance of 0.050 m2K/W at 9.5mm, 0.066 at 12.5mm and 0.079 at 15.0mm, so plasterboard contributes almost nothing to a wall U-value on its own. Reaction to fire is Euroclass A2-s1, d0. The core is aerated calcium sulphate di-hydrate between paper liners with a tapered edge for jointing. Transversal breaking load is at least 160N. Fixings are self drilling screws for metal up to 0.7mm and heavier screws for metal up to 2.5mm, or GTEC High Thread Screws into timber.

  1. Drywall Manual: Floors and Ceilings, version 2.0.0, Siniat (Etex), accessed 2 October 2026. media.siniat.co.uk

  2. Siniat Moisture Board 12.5, Siniat (Etex), accessed 30 September 2026. siniat.co.uk

  3. Siniat Fire Board 12.5, Siniat (Etex), accessed 30 September 2026. siniat.co.uk

  4. Approved Document B (fire safety) volume 1: Dwellings, 2019 edition incorporating 2020, 2022, 2025 and 2026 amendments, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, accessed 30 September 2026. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

  5. Siniat Fire Board Tapered Edge 2400 x 1200 x 15mm, Selco Builders Warehouse, accessed 30 September 2026. Priced at 2026-09 and left there. selcobw.com

  6. Approved Document E, Resistance to the passage of sound, 2003 edition incorporating 2004, 2010, 2013 and 2015 amendments, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, accessed 14 September 2026. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

  7. Siniat Thermal XP Tapered Edge 2400 x 1200 x 27mm, Selco Builders Warehouse, accessed 2 October 2026. selcobw.com

  8. Knauf XPS Laminate Plus Tapered Edge Insulated Plasterboard - 27 x 1200 x 2400mm, Wickes, accessed 2 October 2026. Priced at 2026-09 and left there. wickes.co.uk

  9. Knauf Tapered Edge Plasterboard - 12.5 x 1200 x 2400mm, Wickes, accessed 1 October 2026. Priced at 2026-09 and left there. wickes.co.uk

  10. Knauf Tapered Edge Fire Panel - 12.5 x 1200 x 2400mm, Wickes, accessed 1 October 2026. Priced at 2026-09 and left there. wickes.co.uk

  11. Knauf Tapered Edge Moisture Panel - 12.5 x 1200 x 2400mm, Wickes, accessed 1 October 2026. Priced at 2026-09 and left there. wickes.co.uk

  12. Siniat Standard Tapered Edge Plasterboard 2400 x 1200 x 12.5mm, Selco Builders Warehouse, accessed 1 October 2026. Priced at 2026-09 and left there. selcobw.com

  13. Siniat Fire Board Tapered Edge 2400 x 1200 x 12.5mm, Selco Builders Warehouse, accessed 1 October 2026. Priced at 2026-09 and left there. selcobw.com

  14. Siniat Moisture Board Tapered Edge 2400 x 1200 x 12.5mm, Selco Builders Warehouse, accessed 1 October 2026. Priced at 2026-09 and left there. selcobw.com

  15. Siniat dB Sound Board Tapered Edge 2400 x 1200 x 12.5mm, Selco Builders Warehouse, accessed 1 October 2026. Priced at 2026-09 and left there. selcobw.com

  16. Siniat Standard Tapered Edge Plasterboard 2400 x 1200 x 9.5mm, Selco Builders Warehouse, accessed 2 October 2026. Priced at 2026-09 and left there. selcobw.com

  17. Technical datasheet: GTEC Standard Board, Siniat (Etex), accessed 30 September 2026. media.siniat.co.uk