How Much Drywall for 500 Square Feet?
Drywall sheets
18 sheets
500 square feet of board, 4 by 8 sheets, ten percent waste.
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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 cover500 sq ft
- Sheet size4 x 8 ft, 32 sq ft
- Waste allowance10 %
Drywall sheets18 sheets
| Area with 10% waste | 550 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Sheets at 32 sq ft | 18 |
| Joint compound, 4.5 gal buckets | 2 |
| Joint tape | 209 lf |
| Screws | 576 (about 2 lb) |
| Corner bead, rough guess | 33 lf |
The material list this produces
| Drywall sheets | 18 |
|---|---|
| Joint compound, 4.5 gal buckets | 2 |
| Joint tape, linear ft | 209 |
| Drywall screws, lb | 2 |
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 | 18 sheets |
| 4 x 10 ft | 14 sheets |
| 4 x 12 ft | 12 sheets |
What else matters here
A 4 by 8 sheet is 32 square feet, a 4 by 10 is 40 and a 4 by 12 is 48. Every drywall count on this site is that division and nothing more, which is why the sheet size is the first thing to decide rather than the last.
Five hundred square feet is 18 sheets of 4 by 8 or 12 sheets of 4 by 12. The bigger sheet is not just fewer pieces to carry, it is fewer butt joints, and butt joints are the expensive part: a tapered edge joint is a shallow hollow that takes compound naturally, a butt joint is two square edges meeting and has to be feathered out two feet either side to hide the hump.
The reason eight footers still dominate is access. A 12 foot sheet does not turn a corner in a normal hallway or go up a staircase, so it works in a garage or an open basement and fails in a bedroom at the end of a hall. Measure the route before ordering the long ones.
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 500 square feet?
Eighteen sheets of 4 by 8, or twelve sheets of 4 by 12, both with a ten percent waste allowance.
How many square feet is a sheet of drywall?
A 4 by 8 is 32 square feet, a 4 by 10 is 40 and a 4 by 12 is 48.
Are longer drywall sheets better?
They give fewer butt joints, which is less taping and a flatter wall. They also will not turn a corner in a normal hallway, so the route into the room decides it.
The drywall calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.