About this tool
Drywall / Sheetrock Calculator is a free, in-browser tool that estimates the materials to hang and finish drywall. Enter the total wall-plus-ceiling area in square feet, choose a sheet size, and it returns the number of sheets along with screws, joint tape and joint-compound buckets. Nothing is uploaded — everything is computed on your device.
Sheets = ceil(area × (1 + waste ÷ 100) ÷ sheet area), where a 4×8 sheet covers 32 ft², 4×9 covers 36, 4×10 covers 40 and 4×12 covers 48. Screws are estimated at 32 per sheet, joint tape at 0.65 linear feet per square foot of area, and ready-mix joint compound at one 4.5-gallon bucket per 475 ft². All counts round up to whole units.
Use the 10% default waste for cutouts around doors, windows and outlets. To find the area, add up each wall (length × height) and the ceiling; larger sheets mean fewer joints to tape and finish, though they are heavier to handle.
Frequently asked questions
Which sheet size should I pick?
4×8 sheets (32 ft²) are the easiest to carry and fit through doorways; 4×12 sheets (48 ft²) cover more with fewer seams to tape but are heavy and awkward. Choose based on wall length and how many hands you have.
How are screws, tape and mud estimated?
Screws assume 32 per sheet, a common spacing on walls and ceilings. Joint tape is about 0.65 linear feet per square foot of board, and joint compound is roughly one 4.5-gallon bucket per 475 ft² for taping and finishing.
How do I find the total area to enter?
Multiply each wall's length by its height, do the same for the ceiling, and add them all together. The waste percentage then covers the material lost to cutouts around doors, windows and electrical boxes.
Is my project data private?
Yes. The area you enter and all resulting quantities are computed in your browser and never uploaded, so the tool works completely offline.
More tools