How Many Screws per Sheet of Drywall?
Short answer: about 28 screws for a 4 × 8 sheet on walls and 35 on ceilings. That follows USG’s spacing for screws into framing 16 inches on center: no more than 16 inches apart on walls and 12 inches on ceilings.
For a whole room, the drywall calculator works out the sheets, screws, tape and joint compound together.
Screws per sheet
| Sheet | Walls (16 in spacing) | Ceilings (12 in spacing) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 8 ft | 28 | 35 |
| 4 × 10 ft | 35 | 44 |
| 4 × 12 ft | 42 | 53 |
Scaled from the 4 × 8 counts by sheet area. Actual counts depend on how the framing lines up with the sheet.
Where the numbers come from
A 4 × 8 sheet hung across studs 16 inches apart crosses 7 framing members (at 0, 16, 32, 48, 64, 80 and 96 inches). Along each one, screws go every 16 inches on a 4 ft wall sheet (4 screws) or every 12 inches on a ceiling (5 screws). That’s 7 × 4 = 28 for walls and 7 × 5 = 35 for ceilings.
USG’s guidance for non-fire-rated walls and ceilings: screws 16 inches apart on walls and 12 inches on ceilings; nails 8 inches on walls and 7 inches on ceilings. Fire-rated assemblies follow their own tested spacing.
Screws for a room
A 12 × 12 ft room with 8 ft walls, a door and a window takes about 12 sheets for the walls and 5 for the ceiling: 12 × 28 + 5 × 35 = about 511 screws. Drywall screws are often sold by the pound, so check the count per pound on the box.
Common questions
How many drywall screws per square foot?
About 0.9 on walls and 1.1 on ceilings.
How far apart should drywall screws be?
Up to 16 inches on walls and 12 inches on ceilings, into framing 16 inches on center (USG).
Can I use nails instead?
Yes, but closer together: about 8 inches on walls and 7 inches on ceilings (USG). Screws hold better and pop less.