Drywall Calculator: How Many Sheets, plus Screws, Compound and Tape
Enter a room's walls and ceiling, or an area you already have, and pick 4x8, 4x10 or 4x12 ft (or 1200 mm) sheets. Get the sheet count with waste, plus screws, joint compound and tape. Feet or metres.
Material quantity estimate only. It is not a structural, fire or building-code check. Screw, joint compound and tape amounts are UNSOURCED rules of thumb: check them with your supplier or the product label.
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Nothing is sent until you press Send. Your measurements are included only if you tick the box, and you can see the full report below first.
When to use this
- You are boarding a room and want the number of drywall sheets to order.
- You also want a starting amount of screws, joint compound and tape.
- You have a total area from another tool and want it turned into sheets.
How to use
- Choose feet or metres. Enter the room length, width and wall height, and tick the ceiling if you will board it.
- Add the area of any large openings to leave out, or type a total area instead of the room.
- Pick the sheet size and the waste percentage.
- Press Calculate drywall and read the buy list.
- To paint afterwards, carry the wall area into the paint calculator on this site.
Examples
- 12 x 10 x 8 ft room with ceiling, 4 x 8 ft sheets, 10 percent waste: Walls 352 ft² plus ceiling 120 ft² is 472 ft², or 14.75 sheets. With 10 percent waste that is 16.2, so buy 17 sheets.
- Walls only, 40 ft² of openings, 4 x 12 ft sheets: 352 ft² minus 40 ft² is 312 ft². One 4 x 12 sheet covers 48 ft², so 7.15 sheets with waste, which is 8 sheets.
Understanding the result
The area to board is the wall area plus the ceiling, minus any openings you chose to leave out. Dividing by the area of one sheet gives the sheets of area, and adding the waste percentage and rounding up gives the sheets to buy. Screws, joint compound and tape are scaled from the area, using the UNSOURCED rules of thumb listed under the result.
Limitations
- This is a material quantity estimate. It does not check fire, moisture or structural requirements or local codes.
- Sheet thickness, type (moisture or fire resistant) and framing spacing are not part of the estimate.
- Stairwells, sloped ceilings and curved walls are not modelled. Type your own area for them.
- Finishing use varies a lot with the finisher and the number of coats. Treat compound and tape as a starting amount.
FAQ
How many sheets of drywall do I need for a room?
Divide the wall and ceiling area by the area of one sheet and add waste. A 12 x 10 x 8 ft room with ceiling is 472 ft², which is 17 sheets of 4 x 8 ft with 10 percent waste.
Should I take windows and doors off the area?
Large openings can be left out, but many installers do not deduct small ones because the cut-out piece is rarely used. Use the optional box for the openings you do want to leave out.
Which sheet size is best?
Longer sheets mean fewer joints but are heavy and hard to carry. 4 x 8 ft is easiest to handle; 4 x 12 ft suits big ceilings and long walls.
How much joint compound do I need?
The tool uses about 1 gallon per 100 ft² of board, which is an UNSOURCED rule of thumb. Your finisher and the number of coats change it.
How many screws are in a box?
It varies by pack. The tool counts screws and shows a rough box count based on 1,000 per box, which is UNSOURCED.
Does this tool store my measurements?
No. It runs in your browser. The share link keeps your numbers after the # sign, which is never sent to a server.
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