Patent ID: 8257489

Claim:
A slurry comprising water, stucco, pregelatinized starch, and a naphthalenesulfonate dispersant; the pregelatinized starch is present in an amount from about 0.5% to about 10% by weight based on the weight of the stucco, and the naphthalenesulfonate dispersant is present in an amount from about 0.2% to about 3.0% by weight based on the weight of the stucco; when the slurry is cast and dried as board, the board has a density of about 34 pcf or less; and when the slurry is cast and dried as said board that is about 1 / 2 inch thick, the board has a nail pull resistance of at least about 65 lb, an average core hardness of at least about 11 lb, and an average flexural strength of at least about 36 lb in a machine direction and/or about 107 lb in a cross-machine direction, the nail pull resistance, the core hardness and the flexural strength as determined in accordance with ASTM C473.