Drywall for an 8 × 10 ft room
With 8 ft ceilings, the walls are 288 ft² and the ceiling 80 ft². Sheet counts include 10% waste; supplies are rules of thumb.
| What you hang | Area | 4×8 sheets | 4×12 sheets | Joint compound | Joint tape |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walls only | 288 ft² | 10 | 7 | 2.9 gal | 107 ft |
| Walls and ceiling | 368 ft² | 13 | 9 | 3.7 gal | 136 ft |
| Ceiling only | 80 ft² | 3 | 2 | 0.8 gal | 30 ft |
Hanging tips
Hang the ceiling first, then the walls, running sheets horizontally. Stagger the joints, use about one screw per square foot, and tape and mud every seam in three coats. Use moisture-resistant board in bathrooms and fire-rated (5/8 in Type X) in garages and next to furnaces. See the drywall calculator to adjust for your ceilings.
Hauling, studs and screws
A ½ inch 4 × 8 sheet weighs about 55 lb, so the 13 sheets for the walls and ceiling weigh roughly 715 lb (0.36 tons). Most pickups can take a few sheets flat, but a full order is a delivery, or several trips. Carry them on edge, and use a helper.
The walls are 36 ft around, which is about 31 studs at 16 inch centers (the corners add a few). Plan on roughly one screw per square foot, which is 416 screws for this order.
An 8 × 10 room: every wall is one or two sheets long
An 8 × 10 room with an 8 ft ceiling takes 13 sheets of 4 × 8 drywall for the walls and ceiling, or 10 for the walls alone. The 80 sq ft ceiling is about 2.5 sheets of that before waste.
On the 8 ft walls each course is a single sheet laid on its side with no butt joint at all, which is the easiest finishing there is. The whole order weighs about 715 lb, so it fits in a pickup or a rented van in one trip. Small rooms such as a home office or a nursery are a good first drywall project because one person can lift and screw every piece.
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Tools & materials for this project
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Frequently asked questions
How many sheets of drywall for an 8x10 room?
13 sheets of 4 × 8 ft for the walls and ceiling with 8 ft ceilings and 10% waste, or 10 for the walls only. With 4 × 12 ft sheets it is 9 for both.
How much joint compound for an 8x10 room?
About 3.7 gallons for the walls and ceiling as a rule of thumb (1 gallon per 100 ft²), so one 4.5 gallon box is enough.
Do I subtract windows and doors for drywall?
Not usually. The cut-outs are offset by the waste allowance, and you need the cutoffs for filling around openings.
Related sizes and guides
Estimates only. Results assume standard materials and simple shapes. Supplier products vary, and the final call on quantity, structure and safety is yours. Check your local code and your supplier's guidance before ordering.