Loan Drywall Calculator
Drywall is bought by the sheet and hung by the wall — the conversion is where projects under-buy. Enter the room, choose whether the ceiling is in, and get sheets for both panel sizes, a screw estimate, and the material cost.
Openings (doors, windows) are not subtracted — pros order the sheet count whole and cut around them; the offcuts cover mistakes and closets. Screw estimate: about 32 per sheet into studs and joists at standard spacing.
How it works
Wall area = perimeter × ceiling height — (length + width) × 2 × height. The ceiling, if included, adds length × width. Sheets = total area ÷ sheet size (32 sq ft for 4×8, 48 for 4×12), rounded up, because partial sheets still ship as sheets. Screws are estimated at 32 per sheet, the field standard for walls and ceilings at 16-inch spacing.
Formula & worked example
Formula: Wall area = 2 × (length + width) × ceiling height; add length × width when the ceiling is included. Sheets = total area ÷ sheet area (32 sq ft for 4×8, 48 sq ft for 4×12), rounded up. Screws ≈ 32 per sheet at standard spacing.
Worked example: A 12 × 10 ft room with 8 ft ceilings: walls are 352 sq ft and the ceiling 120, totalling 472 sq ft — 15 sheets of 4×8 or 10 sheets of 4×12, about 480 screws, and roughly $225 of panels at $15 a sheet.
Frequently asked questions
How many sheets for a 12 × 10 room with 8 ft ceilings?
Walls are 44 ft of perimeter × 8 = 352 sq ft; the ceiling adds 120, for 472 sq ft total. That is 15 sheets of 4×8 or 10 sheets of 4×12, roughly 480 screws, and about $225 in panels at $15 a sheet.
4×8 or 4×12 sheets — which should I buy?
4×12s mean fewer seams to tape and mud, but they are heavier, harder to move through halls and stairs, and near-impossible to hang solo on a ceiling. Most DIY rooms are 4×8 territory; pros with a lift reach for 12s.
How many screws does a sheet take?
About 32: screws every 12 inches in the field and 8 inches on edges at standard framing spacing. A 15-sheet room lands near 480 screws — buy the 5 lb box, not the 1 lb box.
Should I subtract doors and windows?
For sheet count, no — the sheet covering a doorway gets cut, and the offcut is rarely reusable elsewhere. The subtraction method saves at most a sheet and regularly leaves you one short.
🪵 Floor next?
The Flooring Calculator counts boxes with waste included — the same room, the other big surface.