Drywall Calculator: Sheets, Mud, Tape and Screws
Area divided by sheet size, plus waste, and then the finishing material that everyone forgets until the truck has gone. Mud and tape are a fixed ratio to board area and are easy to get right in advance.
When the figures look right, the drywall material list downloads as a real PDF with your business details on it, built inside your own browser. Nothing you type is uploaded anywhere.
Worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with and the answer it gives. Change anything above and every number below moves with it.
- Total area to cover1200 sq ft
- Sheet size4 x 8 ft, 32 sq ft
- Waste allowance10 %
Drywall sheets42 sheets
| Area with 10% waste | 1,320 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Sheets at 32 sq ft | 42 |
| Joint compound, 4.5 gal buckets | 3 |
| Joint tape | 502 lf |
| Screws | 1,344 (about 5 lb) |
| Corner bead, rough guess | 80 lf |
The material list this produces
| Drywall sheets | 42 |
|---|---|
| Joint compound, 4.5 gal buckets | 3 |
| Joint tape, linear ft | 502 |
| Drywall screws, lb | 5 |
What this calculator assumes
- Joint compound is figured at one 4.5 gallon bucket per 475 sq ft of board for a full three coat finish. A level 5 finish uses more.
- Tape is figured at 380 linear feet per 1000 sq ft of board, screws at 32 per sheet for 16 inch on center framing.
- Longer sheets mean fewer butt joints, which is less taping and a flatter wall. Use 12 footers where they will fit through the door.
Longer sheets are less work, not more material
A 12 foot sheet across a 12 foot wall is one seam at the ceiling and none in the field. Two 8 footers on the same wall add a butt joint, and a butt joint is the hardest joint to finish flat because there is no tapered edge to bury the tape in.
Buy the longest sheet that will physically get into the room. On a remodel that is often the limiting factor, and it is worth measuring the stair turn before ordering 12 footers for an upstairs bedroom.
The finishing material
A 4.5 gallon bucket of all purpose compound covers roughly 475 square feet of board through a normal three coat finish. A level 5 skim adds a full coat over the whole surface and can double that consumption.
Tape runs about 380 linear feet per 1,000 square feet of board. Screws are 32 per sheet on 16 inch centers, and there are roughly 320 drywall screws in a pound.
Questions people ask
How many sheets of drywall do I need for a 12x12 room?
Walls with 8 foot ceilings are about 384 square feet and the ceiling adds 144, so 528 total. At 32 square feet a sheet with 10 percent waste, that is 19 sheets of 4x8.
How much joint compound per sheet of drywall?
One 4.5 gallon bucket per 475 square feet of board, for a full three coat finish.
Should I use 4x8 or 4x12 sheets?
Twelve footers wherever they fit. Fewer butt joints means less taping and a flatter wall.
Drywall estimate template and Drywall invoice template, free, no signup, PDF Word and Excel.
Common sizes, worked out
The same calculator with the numbers already filled in, one page per size, each ending in its own material list.
More sizes, answered
Each row is this calculator run with those numbers when the page was built. Type the same numbers in above to see every line of the working.
| Example | What it assumes | Drywall sheets |
|---|---|---|
| 300 sq ft | 300 square feet of board, 4 by 8 sheets, ten percent waste. | 11 sheets |
| 400 sq ft | 400 square feet of board, 4 by 8 sheets, ten percent waste. | 14 sheets |
| 10x10 room | Four walls at 10 by 8, plus a 10 by 10 ceiling: 420 square feet, no openings deducted. | 15 sheets |
| 12x14 room | Four walls at 8 feet tall plus a 12 by 14 ceiling: 584 square feet, no openings deducted. | 21 sheets |
| 600 sq ft | 600 square feet of board, 4 by 8 sheets, ten percent waste. | 21 sheets |
| 12x16 room | Four walls at 8 feet high, plus a 12 by 16 ceiling: 640 square feet, no openings deducted. | 22 sheets |
| 700 sq ft | 700 square feet of board, 4 by 8 sheets, ten percent waste. | 25 sheets |
| 15x15 room | Four walls at 8 feet tall plus a 15 by 15 ceiling: 705 square feet, no openings deducted. | 25 sheets |
| 1,000 sq ft | 1,000 square feet of board, 4 by 8 sheets, ten percent waste. | 35 sheets |
| 20x20 garage | Four walls at 8 feet, plus a 20 by 20 ceiling: 1,040 square feet, no openings deducted. | 36 sheets |
| 1,600 sq ft | 1,600 square feet of board, 4 by 8 sheets, ten percent waste. | 55 sheets |
| 2,400 sq ft | 2,400 square feet of board, 4 by 8 sheets, ten percent waste. | 83 sheets |
| 3,000 sq ft | 3,000 square feet of board, 4 by 8 sheets, ten percent waste. | 104 sheets |
| 5,000 sq ft | 5,000 square feet of board, 4 by 8 sheets, ten percent waste. | 172 sheets |
| 1,500 sq ft house | 5,250 square feet of board, figured at 3.5 times a 1,500 square foot floor. | 181 sheets |