Drywall Calculator: Sheets, Tape, Mud & Cost

Room length

Room width

Ceiling height

Include the ceiling

Ceilings are commonly hung with 5/8 in board or 1/2 in sag-resistant ceiling board, which costs a little more than standard 1/2 in.

Sheet size

4 × 8 ft (32 sq ft)4 × 10 ft (40 sq ft)4 × 12 ft (48 sq ft)

Longer sheets mean fewer butt joints to tape, but they are heavy and harder to carry into a house.

Who is hanging it?

Hire a pro (hang, tape and finish)DIY (sheets only)

Installed cost

17 sheets of 4x8 for 492 sq ft of board · hung, taped and finished · national average prices

Sheets4x8, 16.91 needed incl. 10% waste

Board area348 sq ft walls + 144 sq ft ceiling

Taped jointsApproximate seam length to tape and finish

Sheets only (DIY)Sheet cost at your price

Ceilings are commonly hung with 5/8 in board or 1/2 in sag-resistant ceiling board, which costs a little more than standard 1/2 in.

Key takeaways

Switching to 4 × 12 sheets would cut taped joints by about 21 ft (11%) and need 12 sheets instead of 17.
A pro typically charges $738 – $1,476 to hang, tape and finish, about 4.7× the $238 sheet cost.

Professional install estimate

Walls (348 sq ft)$522 – $1,044
Ceiling (144 sq ft)$216 – $432
Total$738 – $1,476

Sheets needed by size

Shopping list

17 sheetsDrywall sheets, 4x817 sheets (16.91 needed)
544 screwsDrywall screwsAbout 1 per sq ft of board
1 rollsPaper joint tape, 250 ft1 rolls (182 ft needed)
1 pailsJoint compound, 4.5 gal1 pails (4.43 gal needed)

Detailed numbers

Comparing sheet sizes
Sheet size	Sheets	Sheet cost	Approx. joint length
4 × 8 ft (32 sq ft)	17 sheets	$238	185 ft
4 × 10 ft (40 sq ft)	14 sheets	$224	172 ft
4 × 12 ft (48 sq ft)	12 sheets	$216	164 ft

Joint length ≈ area × (1/4 + 1/sheet length): long edges every 4 ft plus one butt joint per sheet length. Longer sheets mean fewer butt joints, which are the hardest seams to finish flat.

Show the math

Walls = 2 × (12 + 12) × 8 − 1 × 21 − 1 × 15 = 348 sq ft
Ceiling = 144 sq ft → board area 492 sq ft
Sheets = 492 × 1.1 ÷ 32 sq ft = 16.91 → 17 sheets
Screws ≈ 17 sheets × 32 sq ft × 1 per sq ft = 544
Tape = 492 × 370 ÷ 1,000 = 182 ft → 1 × 250 ft rolls
Compound = 492 × 9 ÷ 1,000 = 4.43 gal → 1 × 4.5 gal pails
Pro = 492 sq ft × $1.50–$3.00 × 1 = $738 – $1,476

Drywall Calculator · BuildCalc

More options

Prices & assumptionsNational typical prices