Drywall calculator
Room length, width and ceiling height in. Sheets, buckets of mud, tape and screws out. Ceiling included or not, your call.
Your numbers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
How it is figured
Wall area is the perimeter times the ceiling height. Take about 20 square feet off per door or window. Add the ceiling if you are hanging it. Divide by the sheet size, 32 square feet for a 4x8 or 48 for a 4x12, and add ten percent for cuts and the sheet that breaks.
Finishing: a 4.5 gallon bucket of all-purpose compound does about 300 square feet through three coats. Tape runs about one foot per square foot of board, a 500 foot roll per 450 or so. Screws: about 32 per 4x8 sheet at 12 inches on the field and 8 on the edges, which is roughly a pound per 30 sheets of the 1-1/4 inch.
The number the customer argues about is not the sheets. It is whether the wall leaves finished, primed or painted. Say which on the bid.
From the quantity to the bid
The calculator gives you the material count. The bid gives the customer one price and the scope in plain words, and keeps the count as your cost math. The how to bid drywall jobs guide works the whole price with example numbers, and the drywall proposal template is the layout. Materials at cost plus markup, labor at your rate, then the job price calculator adds them up and sets the deposit.
Questions contractors ask
How many sheets of drywall for a 12x12 room?
With 8 foot ceilings and two openings, the walls are about 344 square feet and the ceiling 144, so 488 total: 17 sheets of 4x8 with waste, or 12 sheets of 4x12.
4x8 or 4x12?
4x12 means fewer joints to finish and a cleaner wall, if you can get it in the door and up the stairs. 4x8 for tight access and ceilings you are hanging alone.
How much mud for a whole house?
About one 4.5 gallon bucket per 300 square feet of board for a full three-coat finish. A 2,000 square foot house has roughly 6,500 square feet of board, so about 22 buckets.
What goes on the drywall bid?
Sheets hung, the finish level in plain words, texture named, the number of visits, and whether paint is included. The <a href="/guides/how-to-bid-drywall-jobs">drywall bidding guide</a> prices a garage hang-and-finish.
The other tools
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When the number is right, put it on an estimate the customer signs on their phone. Type the job and see it, no account needed. 30 days free, then $29 a month.