Partner Profiles

Contractor Feedback: MaX 16 with GridMarX

Mar 19, 2024

Contractors share why they love the MaX 16 fastener pattern

Since its launch in March 2023, National Gypsum Company’s MaX 16® optimized fastener pattern is becoming a go-to solution for builders across the country.

As the industry’s only 16" on-center optimized fastener pattern for single-layer, 1-hour UL fire-rated assemblies on metal framing spaced 16" on-center, MaX 16 with GridMarX® installation guide marks makes installation simple, saves time and money, while also contributing to smoother inspections.

It starts with the GridMarX installation guide marks which are printed on the surface of all 4-foot-wide gypsum board products manufactured by Gold Bond Building Products. Guide marks run along the board lengthwise every 4 inches along both edges, at 16” from each edge, and down the center 24” from each edge, to help quickly identify fastener lines for studs and joist framing.

MaX 16 improves on the industry standard pattern of 8” on the perimeter and 12” in the field of the board. As a result, using the MaX 16 pattern can save up to 46% in installation time and 24 screws per 4’ x 12’ board when applied in a vertical orientation, according to a time/motion study by RSMeans data from Gordian®.

That means across a 200,000 square foot building project, MaX 16 could save:

More than 50 hours of labor costs
At least 100,000 fasteners

"National Gypsum’s MaX 16 approved fastener spacing pattern has been working out for us. It has been a unique feature and has helped us with labor and material savings on the jobs that we have used it on. Our guys in the field really enjoyed using MaX 16 and are 100% for us using it. I genuinely believe that you all hit a home run with this!"

Jerry Smith

PresidentBakerTriangle

Increasing productivity and efficiency on the jobsite

MaX 16 improves upon the industry standard fastener pattern for most UL fire-rated systems and replaces it with a simpler, more efficient method. The 16” x 16” fastener pattern is applicable for both horizontal and vertical applications.

In addition to saving money and materials, MaX 16 with GridMarX can also reduce training time for new drywall crew members by clearly marking where to install a fastener at every 16" on gypsum board manufactured by Gold Bond Building Products.

"MaX 16 has been a game changer for us. With the ongoing struggle of finding an experienced workforce in our industry, anything that will make the workflow easier and more straightforward has a major appeal to us. With MaX 16 significantly reducing screw count, and GridMarX providing the required location of the screws, National Gypsum has eliminated a great deal of time and effort that goes into hanging board on-site. Our move to MaX 16 has been a no-brainer and has helped us improve production significantly. Excellent job with this innovation!"

Ty Crane

Ty Crane

PresidentF L Crane & Sons

Innovating to the MaX

The MaX 16 fastener pattern builds on the success of National Gypsum’s MaX 12® — the industry’s first 12" on-center optimized fastener pattern for single layer, 1-hour UL fire-rated assemblies on metal framing spaced 24" on center. Winner of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry’s 2021 Excellence in Construction Innovation Award winner, MaX 12 is proven to save up to $78 per 1,000 square feet of installed gypsum board.*

“No other drywall manufacturer has thought about innovation on existing products like National Gypsum. Using MaX 16 with GridMarX has created extensive labor savings and fastener production in the field for our installers. We really didn’t know this would be possible. Thank you, National Gypsum, for taking MaX 12 to another level with MaX 16!”