Drywall Calculator
Drywall sheets for a room's walls and ceiling, plus screws, joint tape and joint compound.
Drywall sheets
17
sheets
492 sq ft of board: 12 sheets on the walls and 5 on the ceiling.
Sheets
- For the walls
- 12 sheets
- For the ceiling
- 5 sheets
- Board area (openings removed)
- 492 sq ft
Finishing
- Drywall screws
- 511 screws
- Joint tape
- 183 ft
- Joint compound
- 4.4 gal
- 4.5 gal pails
- 1 pails
Cost
- Drywall sheets
- –
How many sheets of drywall do I need?
Add up the wall area (room perimeter × wall height), subtract doors and windows, add the ceiling if you're covering it, then divide by the sheet size (32 sq ft for a 4 × 8 sheet) and add 10% for cuts. A 12 × 12 ft room with 8 ft walls and a ceiling needs 17 sheets of 4 × 8: 12 for the walls and 5 for the ceiling.
Worked example: a 12 × 12 ft bedroom
- Walls: perimeter 48 ft × 8 ft = 384 sq ft, minus a door (21) and a window (15) = 348 sq ft. ×1.1 ÷ 32 = 12 sheets.
- Ceiling: 12 × 12 = 144 sq ft. ×1.1 ÷ 32 = 4.95, so 5 sheets.
- Total: 17 sheets of 4 × 8.
- Screws: about 28 per sheet on walls and 35 on ceilings: 511 screws.
- Tape and mud: 183 ft of paper tape and about 4.4 gallons of joint compound (1 pail of 4.5 gal).
Sheets for common rooms (8 ft walls, 4 × 8 sheets)
Walls and ceiling, one door and one window (36 sq ft) subtracted, 10% extra.
| Room | Wall sheets | Ceiling sheets | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft | 10 | 4 | 14 |
| 12 × 12 ft | 12 | 5 | 17 |
| 12 × 16 ft | 15 | 7 | 22 |
| 14 × 16 ft | 16 | 8 | 24 |
Choosing a sheet size
- 4 × 8 ft sheets are the easiest to carry and fit in most cars. Good for DIY and small rooms.
- 4 × 10 and 4 × 12 ft sheets mean fewer joints to tape, which saves finishing time, but they are heavy and need two people.
- Most walls are hung with sheets horizontally (long edge across the studs), which usually gives the fewest joints on an 8 ft wall.
Screws, tape and joint compound
- Screws: USG spaces screws up to 16 in apart on walls and 12 in on ceilings when framing is 16 in on center, about 28 per 4 × 8 sheet on walls and 35 on ceilings.
- Tape: about 370 ft of paper tape per 1,000 sq ft of drywall.
- Joint compound: USG estimates about two 4.5-gallon pails of all-purpose compound per 1,000 sq ft. Higher finish levels use more.
Frequently asked questions
How many sheets of drywall for a 12 × 12 room?
With 8 ft walls, a door and a window, and the ceiling: about 17 sheets of 4 × 8 with 10% extra (12 for the walls, 5 for the ceiling).
How many screws per sheet of drywall?
About 28 for a 4 × 8 sheet on walls and 35 on a ceiling, following USG's spacing of 16 in on walls and 12 in on ceilings over framing 16 in on center.
How much joint compound do I need?
About 9 gallons (two 4.5-gallon pails) per 1,000 sq ft of drywall for all-purpose compound, according to USG. A single 12 × 12 room needs about one pail.
How much drywall tape do I need?
About 370 ft per 1,000 sq ft of drywall, or roughly 180 ft for a 12 × 12 room with a ceiling.
How many square feet is a sheet of drywall?
32 sq ft for 4 × 8, 40 sq ft for 4 × 10, and 48 sq ft for 4 × 12.
Guides
Related calculators
Square Footage CalculatorSquare feet of any room or area, in sq ft, sq yd, m² and acres.Paint CalculatorGallons of paint for a room's walls and ceiling, with doors, windows and coats.Insulation CalculatorHow many inches of attic insulation to add to reach the recommended R-value.Flooring CalculatorBoxes of laminate, vinyl or hardwood flooring, plus underlayment and baseboard.
Sources and method
- USG FAQ — fastener spacing for gypsum board — screws 16 in o.c. walls, 12 in o.c. ceilings
- USG FAQ — joint compound coverage — about two 4.5 gal pails per 1,000 sq ft
Last checked October 12, 2026. How we build and test every calculator: methodology.