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Drywall Sheets
—sheets
Ingresa las dimensiones arriba
Joint Compound (buckets)
—buckets
Basado en densidad de Drywall (0 t/yd³)
Calculadora Gratuita de Drywall
Drywall Calculator: Sheets, Mud, Screws and Tape
Enter your wall dimensions into the drywall calculator above and get a complete shopping list: sheets, joint compound, screws, and tape, plus 2026 cost estimates.
Common Projects: Quick Material List
| 10x10 bedroom (320 sq ft walls) | 11 sheets + 1 mud bucket |
| 12x12 bedroom (384 sq ft walls) | 14 sheets + 1 mud bucket |
| 20x15 living room (560 sq ft) | 20 sheets + 2 mud buckets |
| Basement (1,000 sq ft walls) | 35 sheets + 3 mud buckets |
Drywall Guía de Referencia
Drywall Costs in 2026
| 4x8 sheet, 1/2 inch (each) | $14 - $20 |
| 4x12 sheet, 1/2 inch (each) | $22 - $32 |
| 5-gallon joint compound bucket | $20 - $30 |
| 5 lb box drywall screws | $25 - $35 |
| 12x12 room (materials only) | $350 - $550 |
Prices are 2026 US averages. Actual costs vary by region and supplier.
Profundidades Recomendadas para Drywall
| Proyecto / Uso | Profundidad Recomendada |
|---|---|
| 4x8 sheet (standard) | 32 sq ft per sheet |
| 4x12 sheet (fewer seams) | 48 sq ft per sheet |
| 1/2 inch thickness | Standard walls and ceilings |
| 5/8 inch thickness | Fire-rated, ceilings, soundproofing |
Cómo Calcular el Volumen de Drywall
La mayoría de los proveedores venden drywall por yarda cúbica. Para convertir el área a yardas cúbicas, usa esta fórmula:
Nuestra calculadora también multiplica el resultado por 0 toneladas/yd³ (la densidad estándar de drywall) para mostrar el peso estimado.
Drywall Calculator: How the Full Material Estimate Works
A drywall calculator starts with wall area: length times height for each wall, summed across the room. It then divides by sheet coverage (32 sq ft for 4x8, 48 sq ft for 4x12) and adds 10% for cutting waste and damaged sheets. But sheets are only one line item. A complete estimate also needs joint compound, screws, and tape, which is where most DIY estimators fall short.
Joint compound math is straightforward once you know the ratio. One 5-gallon bucket covers 400 to 500 square feet of installed drywall through all three coats (tape, fill, finish). Divide your wall area by 450 and round up. Do not buy the small 3.5-quart boxes for anything larger than a patch repair: the per-gallon cost of buckets is roughly 40% lower.
Screw counts follow a fixed pattern. Building code and manufacturer specs call for screws every 12 inches on walls and every 12 inches on ceilings, which works out to 28 to 32 screws per 4x8 sheet. Multiply your sheet count by 30 and add a 5 lb box to your list. Joint tape is the simplest line item: one 250-foot roll covers about 800 square feet of wall, so most single rooms need exactly one roll.
Sheet size selection changes the math meaningfully. A 4x12 sheet covers 48 sq ft versus 32 for a 4x8, so the same 384 sq ft room needs 9 sheets of 4x12 instead of 14 sheets of 4x8 (before waste). Fewer sheets means fewer seams, less mud, and less taping labor. Our drywall calculator lets you toggle between sheet sizes so you can compare the true material count for each option.
Thickness matters for specific applications. Half-inch drywall is the standard for walls in residential construction. Five-eighths inch is required by code for garage ceilings, furnace rooms, and any fire-rated assembly, and it is preferred for all ceilings because it resists sagging between joists. Moisture-resistant board (green or purple) belongs in bathrooms and laundry rooms. The calculator defaults to half-inch pricing; adjust the cost table mentally upward by about 30% for 5/8-inch board.
Consejos de Expertos
1
Use 4x12 sheets whenever your walls allow it. Fewer seams means less taping, less mudding, and a flatter finished wall. The sheets are heavier to handle but the time savings are significant.
2
Hang drywall vertically on walls 8 feet or shorter. Vertical hanging puts the tapered edges at the studs where they belong and reduces butt joints, which are the hardest seams to finish invisibly.
3
Buy 10% more screws than calculated. Screws strip, get dropped, and occasionally miss the stud. A 5 lb box of coarse-thread screws (about 1,500 screws) covers roughly 45 sheets.
4
Do not use all-purpose joint compound for the final coat. All-purpose is fine for taping and bedding, but switch to lightweight topping compound for finish coats: it sands easier and shrinks less.
Preguntas Frecuentes
How many drywall sheets do I need?▼
Divide your total wall area by the sheet size, then add 10% for waste. A 12x12 room with 8-foot ceilings has 384 sq ft of wall: that is 12 sheets of 4x8 drywall (384/32 = 12) plus waste, so buy 14. Our drywall calculator above does this automatically and adds the mud, screws, and tape.
How much joint compound do I need per sheet?▼
Plan on one 5-gallon bucket of joint compound per 400 to 500 square feet of drywall, which works out to roughly one bucket per 12 to 15 sheets. A 12x12 room (14 sheets) needs one bucket. Larger projects should buy the 5-gallon buckets rather than small boxes: the per-gallon cost drops by about 40%.
How many drywall screws per sheet?▼
Use 28 to 32 screws per 4x8 sheet: screws every 12 inches along studs for walls, every 12 inches for ceilings. For a 14-sheet project, that is roughly 450 screws. Buy a 5 lb box (about 1,500 screws) and you will have plenty left over for the next project.
Should I use 4x8 or 4x12 drywall sheets?▼
Use 4x12 sheets on any wall longer than 8 feet. The longer sheets eliminate one vertical seam per wall section, which means less taping and a flatter finish. The tradeoff is handling: 4x12 sheets weigh about 75 lbs each and need two people. For ceilings, 4x12 sheets are strongly preferred to minimize butt joints overhead.
How much does drywall cost per sheet in 2026?▼
A standard 4x8 sheet of 1/2-inch drywall costs $14 to $20 in 2026. Fire-rated 5/8-inch sheets run $18 to $28. Moisture-resistant (green board) costs $20 to $30. A full 12x12 room in materials (sheets, mud, tape, screws) typically runs $350 to $550 DIY.