Drywall area calculator

Sheets = wall and ceiling area plus extra ÷ 32 sq ft a 4 × 8 sheet, rounded up: the walls of a 12 × 10 ft room 8 ft high are 352 sq ft, or 13 sheets with 10% extra.

Your measurements

Example

Use the unit shown for each box, or type another one: 12 ft 6 in, 150 in, 3.8 m and 600 mm all work, as do the marks on a tape measure.

Room 1

Length (ft) Width (ft) Wall height (ft) Doors Count them. The door size is in the details below. Windows Other openings you measured (sq ft) An archway, a patio door or any opening not counted above.

Measure from Surfaces Extra for cuts (%)

Details Sheet size and finishing materials

Door width A common door width from a door maker. Change it to your door. Door height 80 inches is the standard door height in rooms with 8-foot ceilings. Window width Window height 32 × 48 inches is one standard window size. Measure yours for a closer answer. Sheet length Sheet width Tape per 1,000 sq ft of board, in feet USG’s figure for its paper joint tape. Tape roll length USG sells 75, 250 and 500 ft rolls. Or your measured joint length Replaces the per-1,000 sq ft figure when you have measured the joints. Joint compound per 1,000 sq ft of board (gal) USG’s figure for its All Purpose ready-mixed compound. Check the figure for the compound you buy. Compound container size (gal) USG All Purpose comes in 4.5 gal pails and 3.5 or 4.5 gal cartons. Or the coverage on your container (sq ft) Finish level Level 4 finishes the joints and screws in three coats, ready for flat paint or a light texture. Level 5 adds a thin coat over the whole surface: USG recommends it under strong light, such as a cathedral ceiling or south-facing windows, and under semigloss or untextured paint. Stud and joist spacing Center to center, from your framing. Screw spacing on walls USG’s spacing for Type W screws on walls. Screw spacing on ceilings USG’s spacing for Type W screws on ceilings. Or screws per sheet from your layout Your price per sheet ($) Layers from accepted assembly Sheet direction Corners needing bead Usable corner bead per piece

Example: replace these measurements

Your material list

13 drywall sheets by area+ 2 more items on the list

352 sq ft measured

Your measured layout

Room dimensions and a schematic door opening. Subtract measured openings. Include the ceiling only when you select it.

Your shopping list

13 drywall sheets by area
1 tape roll
1 compound container

At posted store prices

$246.87 13 × $18.99 a sheet, USG Sheetrock UltraLight, 1/2 in × 4 ft × 8 ft at Ward Lumber in Jay, NY on Oct 12, 2026
$4.15 1 × $4.15 a roll, USG Sheetrock paper joint tape, 2-1/16 in × 250 ft at Stine Home + Yard in Sulphur, LA on Oct 19, 2026
$23.72 1 × $23.72 a pail, USG Sheetrock All Purpose joint compound, ready-mixed, 4.5 gal pail at Stine Home + Yard in Sulphur, LA on Oct 19, 2026

$274.74 for these 3 items, before tax and delivery.

Each price is one store’s posted price on the day shown, for the product named. Prices vary between stores: check yours. Your own price goes under Details.

Already have some? See what it covers

How many drywall sheets you have

Quantities and package details

Surface area: 352 sq ft
Openings deducted: 0 doors, 0 windows: 0 sq ft
Sheet size: 4 × 8 ft
Joint tape: 130.24 ft at USG’s rate
Tape rolls: 1
Joint compound: 3.52 gal at USG’s rate
Compound containers: 1
Screws: 364 (13 wall sheets × 28)
Corner-bead pieces: Enter both measurements
Hang the sheets: horizontally

Area estimate only. Check sheet orientation and joint locations against the framing before ordering.

The calculation

Surface area: 352 sq ft
ceil(352 × (1 + 10/100) ÷ 32) = 13

Not measured yet? Common sizes

A rough starting point, worked out with this calculator. 8 ft walls, no doors or windows deducted, 4 × 8 ft sheets, 10% extra. Use a row to load its size into the calculator, then change it to your measurements.

Drywall sheets for common room sizes
Room	Walls only	Walls and ceiling
10 × 10 ft	11 sheets	15 sheets
12 × 12 ft	14 sheets	19 sheets
12 × 14 ft	15 sheets	21 sheets
14 × 16 ft	17 sheets	25 sheets
16 × 20 ft	20 sheets	31 sheets

Common questions

How many sheets of drywall do I need?

Divide the wall and ceiling area by the area of one sheet, add your extra and round up. A 4 × 8 ft sheet covers 32 square feet. Plan the joints against the framing before ordering: a narrow offcut rarely finishes another wall.

How much drywall mud do I need?

USG gives about 10 gallons of its All Purpose joint compound per 1,000 square feet of board. The calculator starts from that figure and a 4.5-gallon pail; change them for your compound.

Source: USG Sheetrock Brand All Purpose Joint Compound, ready-mixed: submittal sheet J1969. Listed on the Sources page.

How much material does a Level 5 drywall finish take?

Level 5 is the usual three coats over the joints plus a thin coat over the whole surface. USG’s Tuff-Hide primer-surfacer, sprayed for that coat, covers about 100 to 125 square feet a gallon, so 1,000 square feet of walls take about 10 gallons, two 5 gallon pails, on top of the joint compound. USG sets no thickness for a skim coat of joint compound by hand, so measure what a test patch takes and use your own figure.

Source: USG Sheetrock Brand Tuff-Hide Primer-Surfacer: submittal sheet J1613, with USG’s Finishing and Decorating Gypsum Panels (J2010). Listed on the Sources page.

How much drywall tape do I need?

USG gives about 370 feet of paper joint tape per 1,000 square feet of board. Enter your measured joint length to replace that figure.

Source: USG Sheetrock Brand Paper Joint Tape: submittal sheet J1736. Listed on the Sources page.

How many screws per sheet of drywall?

USG spaces Type W screws 16 inches apart on walls and 12 inches on ceilings. With studs 16 inches apart, a 4 × 8 ft sheet crosses 7 of them, which gives 28 screws on a wall and 35 on a ceiling.

Source: USG Sheetrock Installation and Finishing Guide J371: fastener spacing. Listed on the Sources page.

How to plan the quantity

Walls use perimeter times room height. Select the ceiling to add its length times width. Openings subtract area, but small cutouts may not reduce the actual number of sheets.

The sheet count is an area estimate with your allowance. Plan board orientation and joint locations against the framing before using it as an order. A narrow offcut cannot necessarily finish another wall.

Tape and joint compound start from USG’s published coverage for its paper tape and All Purpose compound. Screws follow USG’s spacing for walls and ceilings, counted along each stud or joist a sheet crosses. The figures are in the details and under Common questions; change any of them to match your products and framing, or enter your measured joint length.

For a Level 5 finish, choose it in the details: the list adds the skim coat over the whole surface, from the coverage of USG’s Tuff-Hide primer-surfacer, which skim-coats and primes in one coat. A skim coat of joint compound by hand still needs a coat of primer after it.

Before you order

This does not set fire rating, board thickness, wet-area suitability or fastener spacing. You choose the finish level; the list counts its materials.
Count corner bead, access panels and backing separately. Texture matching and repainting belong in a repair quote.

Have prices moved?

Gypsum products, which include drywall, cost 1.4% more in September 2026 than a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price index, preliminary).

Every building material we track, month by month, with the change in a year.

Plan the work as well as the order: How to hang and finish drywall, and how to repair it.

Before ordering, read the guide: How many sheets of drywall do I need? Sheets, tape, mud and screws. Or choose another calculator.