Is there an industry standard that specifies the moisture content of drywall panels?
In researching your problem I spoke with several technical experts who work for drywall manufacturers, most of whom serve on ASTM Committee C11, which deals with gypsum products. I also had a conversation with the technical director of the Gypsum Association. The question I posed to them was, Is there a technical standard or industry standard defining the acceptable moisture content of drywall? They responded with the same answer: No. In fact, one of them responded by saying, “Why do you think we call it drywall? I know that this response does not answer your question in the manner you expected, so lets see if I can come up with some background to help you and your general contractor. First, I would inquire about the document the inspector used to determine that 2.5 percent moisture content in drywall is acceptable, since there is no such ASTM standard that specifies acceptable moisture content. Second, you say the inspector used a non-destructive type of moisture meter. These types of
