How Much Drywall for a 24x24 Garage?
Drywall sheets
47 sheets
Four walls at 8 feet tall plus a 24 by 24 ceiling: 1,344 square feet, no openings deducted.
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How that number is worked out
These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.
- Total area to cover1344 sq ft
- Sheet size4 x 8 ft, 32 sq ft
- Waste allowance10 %
Drywall sheets47 sheets
| Area with 10% waste | 1,478 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Sheets at 32 sq ft | 47 |
| Joint compound, 4.5 gal buckets | 4 |
| Joint tape | 562 lf |
| Screws | 1,504 (about 5 lb) |
| Corner bead, rough guess | 89 lf |
The material list this produces
| Drywall sheets | 47 |
|---|---|
| Joint compound, 4.5 gal buckets | 4 |
| Joint tape, linear ft | 562 |
| Drywall screws, lb | 5 |
Sheet size compared
Longer sheets mean fewer butt joints and less taping. Same area, three sheet sizes.
| Sheet size | Drywall sheets |
|---|---|
| 4 x 8 ft | 47 sheets |
| 4 x 10 ft | 37 sheets |
| 4 x 12 ft | 31 sheets |
What else matters here
Forty seven sheets, four buckets of compound, 562 feet of tape. A two car garage is the most common drywall job that gets done by the owner rather than by a crew, and it is the one where the board type is set by code rather than by choice.
The residential code requires gypsum board on the garage side of the wall between the garage and the house, and five eighths type X on the garage ceiling where there is living space above it. The point is to buy the occupants time to get out, which is why it is a tested assembly and why substituting a thinner board or leaving a gap around a pipe defeats it.
Local amendments vary and the inspector is the authority, so ask before ordering rather than after hanging. The other half of the job is that a garage is the easiest room in a house to hang twelve foot sheets in: wide door, no hallway, no stairs, and a 24 foot wall that takes two twelve footers end to end.
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.
Questions people ask
How many sheets of drywall for a 24x24 garage?
Forty seven sheets of 4 by 8 for walls and ceiling, with a ten percent waste allowance. Thirty two sheets if you use 4 by 12.
Does a garage need 5/8 drywall?
On the ceiling where there is living space above, yes, and it has to be type X. The wall between the garage and the house is also a rated assembly. Check the local amendment.
Can I use 12 foot drywall in a garage?
It is the best place for it. A wide door and no hallway means the long sheets get in, and a 24 foot wall takes two of them end to end.
The drywall calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.