Drywall Calculator
Hanging drywall takes more than sheets, you need screws, joint compound, and tape, and running out of any of them stops the job cold. Enter your wall and ceiling area, or the room dimensions, below. The calculator gives you sheet count for both 4x8 and 4x12 panels, plus screws, mud, and tape, with waste built in.
How this is calculated
Add up the total square footage of every wall and ceiling you're covering. A 4x8 sheet covers 32 square feet, a 4x12 covers 48. Divide your total area by the sheet size to get the count, then add 10% for cuts and waste around windows, doors, and outlets. Screws run about 1 pound per 300 square feet, and joint compound and tape scale with the number of seams.
A worked example
A 12 by 12 room with 8-foot ceilings: four walls at 12 by 8 is 384 square feet, plus a 144 square-foot ceiling, for 528 total. Using 4x8 sheets at 32 square feet each, that's about 17 sheets before waste, 19 with the 10% allowance. The tool also tells you you'll want around 2 pounds of screws and a few gallons of mud.
Common questions
Add the square footage of all the walls and ceilings you're covering, then divide by 32 for 4x8 sheets or 48 for 4x12. The calculator does this and adds waste; just enter your areas or room size.
Roughly 32 screws per 4x8 sheet on walls following standard spacing, more on ceilings. Overall, plan on about 1 pound of screws per 300 square feet.
4x12 sheets mean fewer seams to tape and a cleaner finish, but they're heavy and awkward in tight spaces. 4x8 is easier to handle solo. The tool counts both so you can pick.
About a gallon and a half of all-purpose mud per 100 square feet of drywall for taping and a few finish coats. It scales with seams, so more, smaller sheets means a bit more mud.
Estimates for planning. Verify against your supplier's units and your local building codes before ordering or building. For anything structural, follow your engineer or local code.