Calculator · Drywall
Drywall Calculator: How Many Sheets of Drywall Do I Need?
Add your rooms and the wall height, pick the sheet size, and get how many sheets of drywall to buy for the walls and the ceilings, plus the screws, joint compound and tape that go with them, using USG's own numbers. With the cost of doing it yourself or hiring a pro.
Materials ticket · Drywall
Enter your rooms or the area and your shopping list prints here.
How to calculate how much drywall you need
- Measure the walls. Add the lengths of all the walls of the room (the perimeter) and multiply by the wall height. Do not subtract doors and windows: USG and HomeGuide count them as wall, and the offcuts cover the waste.
- Add the ceiling. Length × width of the room.
- Divide by the area of a sheet and round up. 32 ft² for a 4 × 8 sheet, 40 for a 4 × 10 and 48 for a 4 × 12.
Check it with a published example: a 12 × 12 ft room with 8 ft walls has 384 ft² of walls and 144 ft² of ceiling. That is 12 sheets of 4 × 8 for the walls and 5 for the ceiling, 17 in all. HomeGuide gives 10–12 and 12–18 sheets for the same room.
Sheets of drywall for common rooms
With 8 ft walls and no openings subtracted. Walls and ceiling are counted apart, because many people use a different panel on the ceiling.
| Room | Walls | 4 × 8, walls | 4 × 8, with ceiling | 4 × 12, walls | 4 × 12, with ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bathroom, 5 × 8 ft | 208 ft² | 7 | 9 | 5 | 6 |
| Bedroom, 10 × 10 ft | 320 ft² | 10 | 14 | 7 | 10 |
| Bedroom, 10 × 12 ft | 352 ft² | 11 | 15 | 8 | 11 |
| Bedroom, 12 × 12 ft | 384 ft² | 12 | 17 | 8 | 11 |
| Bedroom, 12 × 14 ft | 416 ft² | 13 | 19 | 9 | 13 |
| Primary bedroom, 14 × 16 ft | 480 ft² | 15 | 22 | 10 | 15 |
| Living room, 16 × 20 ft | 576 ft² | 18 | 28 | 12 | 19 |
| Two-car garage, 20 × 20 ft | 640 ft² | 20 | 33 | 14 | 23 |
Screws, joint compound and tape
USG publishes how much of each goes into 1,000 ft² of drywall. Per sheet, that works out to:
| Material | Per 1,000 ft² (USG) | Per 4 × 8 sheet | Per 4 × 12 sheet | Sold as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screws, walls (every 16 in.) | 875 | 28 | 40 | 5 lb box, about 1,190 screws |
| Screws, ceilings (every 12 in.) | 1,094 | 35 | 50 | Same box |
| All purpose joint compound | 10 gal | 0.32 gal | 0.48 gal | 4.5 gal pail or 3.5 gal carton |
| Paper joint tape | 370 ft | 11.8 ft | 17.8 ft | 75, 250, 500 ft rolls |
The screw counts are for sheets hung across framing every 16 in. With framing every 24 in. you need fewer: USG's table gives these screws per 1,000 ft².
| Sheet | Walls, framing at 16 in. | Ceilings, framing at 16 in. | Walls, framing at 24 in. | Ceilings, framing at 24 in. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 8 ft | 875 | 1,094 | 625 | 781 |
| 4 × 10 ft | 850 | 1,063 | 600 | 750 |
| 4 × 12 ft | 840 | 1,050 | 590 | 730 |
As a rule of thumb, USG's handbook rounds it to about 1,000 screws per 1,000 ft² with framing at 16 in. and 850 at 24 in., and adds that you should allow for some loss.
What drywall costs
HomeGuide (September 2025) puts drywall panels at $0.30–$0.50 per ft², or $10–$20 per sheet, and all the materials for a 500 ft² room at $200–$400 if you hang it yourself. With our default prices, the 12 × 12 room with its ceiling (528 ft²) comes to $285: 17 sheets, 2 pails of compound, 1 roll of tape and 1 box of screws.
| Hiring a pro (HomeGuide) | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hang and finish walls, per ft² | $1.50–$3.50 |
| Hang and finish ceilings, per ft² | $1.50–$3.80 |
| Hanging only, per ft² | $0.85–$1.90 |
| Taping and mudding only, per ft² | $0.35–$1.10 |
| Texture, extra per ft² | $0.80–$2.00 |
| Hang and finish, per sheet | $30–$70 |
| Installer's hourly rate | $40–$100 |
Finish levels and what they cost
Drywall finishing is graded from level 0 to level 5. HomeGuide's installed prices per ft² by level:
| Level | Used for | Installed per ft² |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Hung only: no tape, compound or finish | $0.85–$1.90 |
| 1 | Concealed areas and attics | $1.15–$2.15 |
| 2 | One coat of compound: storage areas, or walls that will get tile | $1.30–$2.60 |
| 3 | Walls that will get a medium or heavy texture | $1.50–$2.75 |
| 4 | Walls that will get flat paint or a light texture | $1.70–$3.20 |
| 5 | A smooth finish for satin or gloss paint | $1.75–$3.50 |
How USG says to hang it
- Ceilings first, then the walls.
- Across the framing, with the longest sheets that are practical, so there are fewer end joints. On walls up to 8 ft 1 in. high, that means two rows of 4 ft sheets hung horizontally.
- Tapered edges together, and end joints staggered and kept away from the middle of the wall.
- Screws every 16 in. on walls and every 12 in. on ceilings in walls without a fire rating. Fire-rated assemblies follow their own tested spacing.
- 3 coats of compound on joints, screw heads and corners: the first one beds the tape, and each of the next two is feathered about 2 in. wider than the one before.
Frequently asked questions
How many sheets of drywall do I need for a 12 × 12 room?
12 sheets of 4 × 8 for the walls (384 ft² ÷ 32 ft² per sheet, with 8 ft walls) and 5 more for the ceiling: 17 in all. HomeGuide gives 10–12 sheets for the walls and 12–18 with the ceiling. With 4 × 12 sheets it is 8 for the walls and 3 for the ceiling.
How many screws do I need per sheet of drywall?
About 28 per 4 × 8 sheet on walls and 35 on ceilings, with studs every 16 in. That comes from USG's table: 875 screws per 1,000 ft² at 16 in. spacing (walls) and 1,094 at 12 in. (ceilings). A 5 lb box of 1-1/4 in. screws holds about 1,190, enough for 42 wall sheets.
How much joint compound (mud) do I need?
About 10 gallons of ready-mixed all purpose compound per 1,000 ft² of drywall, according to USG, for the 3 coats on joints, screws and corners. That is 0.32 gallons per 4 × 8 sheet, so a 4.5 gal pail finishes about 450 ft², or 14 sheets.
How much drywall tape do I need?
About 370 ft of paper tape per 1,000 ft² of drywall (USG), which is 12 ft per 4 × 8 sheet. A 250 ft roll covers about 676 ft². The 12 × 12 room with its ceiling takes 195 ft: one roll.
Should I buy 4 × 8 or 4 × 12 sheets?
USG recommends the longest sheets that are practical, hung across the studs, because every end joint you avoid is one less joint to tape and hide. A 12 ft wall takes one 4 × 12 sheet per row with no end joints. The trade-off is handling: HomeGuide puts a sheet at 50–60 lb and calls it a two-person job.
How much does it cost to hang and finish drywall?
HomeGuide puts it at $1.50–$3.50 per ft² of wall and $1.50–$3.80 per ft² of ceiling, materials and labor, or $30–$70 per sheet. Hanging alone runs $0.85–$1.90 per ft² and taping and mudding $0.35–$1.10. If you do it yourself, HomeGuide budgets $200–$400 in materials for 500 ft².
Sources
- USG / CGC Gypsum Construction Handbook, chapter 3 "Cladding": estimating boards, screws and joint treatment per 1,000 sq. ft.usg.com
- USG Gypsum Construction Handbook, appendix: "Gypsum Board Screw Usage", screws per 1,000 sq. ft. by framing and screw spacingusg.com
- USG FAQ: recommended screw spacing for gypsum panels, 12 in. on ceilings and 16 in. on walls (non-fire-rated assemblies)assemblies-tools.usg.com
- USG Sheetrock Brand All Purpose Joint Compound, submittal sheet J1969: approx. 10 gal. per 1,000 sq. ft.; 4.5 gal. pail; three coatsusg.com
- USG Sheetrock Brand Paper Joint Tape, submittal sheet J1736: approx. 370 ft. per 1,000 sq. ft.; 75, 250 and 500 ft. rollsusg.com
- Grip-Rite #6 × 1-1/4 in. coarse thread drywall screws, 5 lb box, 1,190 screws (Lowe's listing)lowes.com
- HomeGuide: How much does drywall installation cost? (Sept 8, 2025)homeguide.com