# Gypsum Veneer Plaster: Building Code Definition > How the IBC 2009 define gypsum veneer plaster, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term. - Canonical: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/gypsum-veneer-plaster/ - Last updated: 2026-09-07 - Data source: Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Defined in | IBC 2009 (2009 editions transcribed in this corpus) | | Primary source | IBC 2009 Gypsum Board and Plaster (model text, not a jurisdiction's adopted text) | | Chapters using the term | 3 (counted across the codes hosted here) | | Wording identical across codes | Single code (compare before citing one code's wording under another) | ## Direct answer Gypsum veneer plaster is a defined term in the International Building Code (IBC) 2009, in Gypsum Board and Plaster. The code's own words are: “Gypsum plaster applied to an approved base in one or more coats normally not exceeding ¼ inch (6.4 mm) in total thickness.” No other I-Code in this corpus defines it, so the IBC 2009 definition is the one to work from. The term is used in 3 chapters of this corpus, most often in Gypsum Board and Plaster (IBC 2009), Definitions (IBC 2009), Definitions (IFC 2009). These pages transcribe the 2009 model text; verify the definition against the edition and amendments your authority having jurisdiction has adopted. Record the jurisdiction, the adopted edition, the application date and any local amendment that rewrites the definition before you use it on a live project, because a term redefined by amendment changes every requirement that depends on it. *Content and cited inputs reviewed by [Scott Barrington](https://nz.linkedin.com/in/barrington), Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-09-07.* ## What does this term mean? **Gypsum Veneer Plaster** — IBC 2009, Gypsum Board and Plaster: > Gypsum plaster applied to an approved base in one or more coats normally not exceeding ¼ inch (6.4 mm) in total thickness. ![Labeled code-term definition diagram: Gypsum Veneer Plaster: Building Code Definition](https://efwwel0vyt9vy5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/images/glossary/gypsum-veneer-plaster/diagram-1344.webp) *How the IBC 2009 define gypsum veneer plaster, where the wording differs, and which chapters depend on the term.* ## What must be verified before using this guidance? **Gypsum Veneer Plaster** is defined once in this corpus, in the [Gypsum Board and Plaster](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/gypsum-board-and-plaster.md) chapter of the International Building Code (IBC) 2009: > Gypsum plaster applied to an approved base in one or more coats normally not exceeding ¼ inch (6.4 mm) in total thickness. ## Where gypsum veneer plaster is used in the code The term appears in 3 chapters of the 2009 I-Codes hosted here. The chapters that lean on it hardest are the ones to read next. | Chapter | Code | Mentions | | --- | --- | --- | | [Gypsum Board and Plaster](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/gypsum-board-and-plaster.md) | IBC 2009 | 4 | | [Definitions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/maryland/ibc-2009/definitions.md) | IBC 2009 | 1 | | [Definitions](https://harth.build/resources/building-codes/us-states/rhode-island/ifc-2009/definitions.md) | IFC 2009 | 1 | ## The terms gypsum veneer plaster is built out of The definition above leans on 2 other defined terms. Each carries its own code definition, and a local amendment to any of them changes what gypsum veneer plaster covers: - **[Gypsum Plaster](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/gypsum-plaster.md)** — IBC 2009: A mixture of calcined gypsum or calcined gypsum and lime and aggregate and other approved materials as specified in this code. - **[Approved](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/approved.md)** — IBC 2009: Acceptable to the code official or authority having jurisdiction. ## Gypsum Veneer Plaster: what to open, and in what order Every row is a document this term depends on. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) cover the middle rows. | Check | Where | Confirmed | | --- | --- | --- | | Read the definition in the adopted IBC | Gypsum Board and Plaster | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Gypsum Board and Plaster (IBC 2009) | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Definitions (IBC 2009) | | | Re-check the requirement that uses it | Definitions (IFC 2009) | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Gypsum Plaster | | | Confirm the dependent definition | Approved | | | Local amendment to any of the above | Jurisdiction's amendment list | | **A research aid, not a code determination.** The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply. ## Where can you explore related guidance? - [Explore all glossary guidance](https://harth.build/resources/glossary.md) - [Gypsum Plaster: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/gypsum-plaster.md) - [Approved: Building Code Definition](https://harth.build/resources/glossary/approved.md) ## Sources and method Definitions quoted from the 2009 International Codes as transcribed in this site's building-codes collection, with the source chapter linked for each quotation. Usage counts are computed over the chapters hosted here, one copy per code. The [ICC code library](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) publishes the current model text and the [ICC adoption maps](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) show which edition a jurisdiction has adopted; those sources control. ### Source links - [codes.iccsafe.org](https://codes.iccsafe.org/codes) - [iccsafe.org](https://www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/code-adoption-maps/) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the code definition of gypsum veneer plaster? The International Building Code (IBC) 2009 defines it in Gypsum Board and Plaster as: “Gypsum plaster applied to an approved base in one or more coats normally not exceeding ¼ inch (6.4 mm) in total thickness.” The 2009 model text is reproduced here; the definition that binds your project is the one in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted, as amended locally. ### Which parts of the code depend on gypsum veneer plaster? In this corpus the term is used across 3 chapters, led by Gypsum Board and Plaster in the IBC 2009. Those are the sections whose scope moves if the definition is amended locally, so read them together with Chapter 2 rather than on their own. ### What are the differences between gypsum plaster and veneer plaster? Gypsum Plaster is a separate defined term. The IBC 2009 defines it as: “A mixture of calcined gypsum or calcined gypsum and lime and aggregate and other approved materials as specified in this code.” That is not the same as gypsum veneer plaster, which the IBC 2009 defines as “Gypsum plaster applied to an approved base in one or more coats normally not exceeding ¼ inch (6.4 mm) in total thickness.” — read both before applying either, and confirm the wording in the edition your jurisdiction has adopted. --- - Continue in Harth (open this topic in the Harth agent): https://app.harth.build/agent?context=%2Fresources%2Fglossary%2Fgypsum-veneer-plaster%2F - View this page in a browser: https://harth.build/resources/glossary/gypsum-veneer-plaster/ - All resources for agents: https://harth.build/llms.txt