I believe everyone involved would like to use screws at some spacing for the attachment of the 5/8” gyp to the shear walls. But as you know we are running into a snag.
1)2006 IBC table (attached) provided shear values for 5/8” gyp and footnote C allowed for a substitution to drywall screws.
2)2012 IBC omitted this table (replaced with table 2306.3(C) values for stables – no substitution to screws)
3)American Wood Council (table 4.3C) has the shear wall tables. We believe it replaced the 2006 IBC table. The table only has the higher capacities (what we need for this project) noted for nailed shear walls and they do not note the substitution to drywall screws. They do not even have a capacity of a 5/8” GYP panel wall with screws at a 4” spacing, just 8/12 and the capacity is about half of that with nails at 4” spacing.
4)The Gypsum Association literature, GA-229-08, notes shear values for screw application but only at the 8” spacing. These value are less than the values of a ½” panel thickness at a 4” spacing.
5)The ESR-1338 also has values for screws but again, the only screw values in 5/8” gyp is at a 8/12 spacing.
6)The only place we can find a screw for nail substitution is in the GA 600-215 but this from the Fire Resistance Design Manual.
Usually after a little research we find that the substitution is still allowed but we can’t find that in this case.
It’s almost as if the American Wood Council does not want us using GYP shear walls!
If we can’t find a substitution and using nails is not an option we would need to design shear walls to incorporate more OSB/plywood. This will cost the owner more money in materials and engineering.
Does the Gypsum Association plan on any further testing to replicate the 2006 IBC values? This would be worth the effort because as building officials get more familiar with this issue contractors, engineers, and owners will become less happy with the Gypsum Association.