Drywall and wall framing: sheets, screws, mud and studs
Drywall is counted in sheets: the area of the walls (and ceiling, if you are doing it) divided by the sheet size, plus extra for cuts. A 12 x 12 ft room with 8 ft walls, ceiling included, is 528 square feet, or 19 sheets of 4 x 8 with 10% extra, about 608 screws and 2 boxes of joint compound.
Here is everything we have on building and finishing interior walls: drywall, framing, the decorative wall finishes that go over it, and the trim that finishes the room.
Drywall sheets by room size
Walls and ceiling, 8 ft walls, 10% extra, no openings subtracted. Worked out by the drywall calculator.
| Room (feet) | Area (sq ft) | 4 x 8 sheets | 4 x 12 sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 x 10 | 420 | 15 | 10 |
| 10 x 12 | 472 | 17 | 11 |
| 12 x 12 | 528 | 19 | 13 |
| 12 x 14 | 584 | 21 | 14 |
| 14 x 16 | 704 | 25 | 17 |
| 16 x 20 | 896 | 31 | 21 |
Drywall sheets, screws, tape and mud
Longer sheets mean fewer joints to tape, which is where the time goes. Hang the ceiling first, then the walls with the sheets horizontal. The room materials calculator adds the screws, tape, compound, primer and sandpaper.
Framing a wall
Studs are counted at 16 inches on center plus extras at corners, doors and windows, with top and bottom plates along the length. A plain 12 ft wall 8 ft high, with no openings, takes 15 studs in the framing list.
Shiplap, wainscoting and board and batten
Feature walls go over drywall (or straight onto studs, for shiplap). Each calculator works from the wall size and board width and counts boards, battens or panels.
Trim
Baseboard and crown molding are bought by the length. Count the pieces from the room perimeter minus doorways, and allow extra for the miter cuts.
Every calculator for this topic
Guides
- Common Mistakes When Hanging Drywall (Sheets, Screws, Mud)Drywall mistakes: too few sheets, wrong length, too much mud. A 12 × 12 ft room with 8 ft walls and a ceiling takes 19 sheets of 4 × 8 ft with 10% extra.
- How Many Sheets of Drywall Do I Need? Screws and Joint CompoundA 12 × 12 ft room with 8 ft walls and a ceiling needs 19 sheets of 4 × 8 drywall, 608 screws and 5.3 gallons of joint compound. Charts by room size.
- How Much Baseboard and Trim Do I Need? Boards by Room SizeA 12 × 14 ft room with two doors needs 46 linear feet of baseboard, which is 7 boards of 8 ft with 10% waste. Charts by room, and crown molding.
- How Much Crown Molding Do I Need? Feet, Pieces and CornersA 14 × 12 ft room has 52 ft of crown molding and needs 5 pieces of 12 ft with 10% extra. Charts by room size, piece length and waste.
- How Much Shiplap Do I Need? Boards and Linear FeetA wall 12 × 8 ft less 20 sq ft of openings takes 26 boards of 8 ft. Charts of shiplap boards by wall length and board width.
- How Much Wainscoting Do I Need? Boards, Planks and Cap Rail34 ft of wall at 36 inches takes 82 board pieces, 41 planks of 8 ft and 34 ft of cap rail. Charts by wall length and height.
- Wall Framing Materials List: Studs, Plates, Drywall, SuppliesHow many studs, plates, nails and drywall sheets to frame and finish a 20×8 ft wall at 16 inch spacing, with the effect of spacing and a size chart.
- Board and Batten Spacing: How to Lay Out an Accent WallHow to space board and batten: the formula for the number of battens and exact gap, charts by wall width and batten size, and how to mark and install them.
- Drywall Materials List: Sheets, Screws, Tape and Joint CompoundWhat to buy to drywall a 12×12 ft room, walls and ceiling: sheets of 4×8 drywall, screws, joint tape, compound and corner bead, with a chart for other rooms.
Other guides that use these calculators: Common Mistakes When Installing Laminate and Plank Flooring · Actual Lumber Sizes: Nominal vs Actual 2x4, 2x6, 1x6 and More · Board Feet Chart: How to Calculate Board Feet of Lumber · How Many Floor Joists Do I Need? Spacing, Rim Joists, Sheets · How Many Rolls of Wallpaper Do I Need? Single and Double Rolls by Room · How Many Tubes of Caulk Do I Need? Feet per Tube by Bead Size · LVP vs Laminate vs Hardwood Flooring: Which to Choose · Siding Materials List: Squares, Corners, Trim and House Wrap · Laminate or Vinyl Plank Floor Materials List: Planks, Underlayment · Painting a Room Materials List: Paint, Primer, Tape and Supplies
Answers for common sizes
Already know the size? These pages give the worked answer for one common size each, with the inputs filled in so you can adjust them.
Project planners
Planning the whole job rather than one material? These step-by-step planners put the calculators above in the order you will need them.
Frequently asked questions
How many sheets of drywall for a 12 x 12 room?
19 sheets of 4 x 8 for the walls and ceiling with 8 ft walls and 10% extra.
Should I hang drywall horizontally or vertically?
Horizontally on most walls: it means fewer and shorter seams, and the seams fall at a comfortable height to tape.
How many screws per sheet of drywall?
About 32 for a 4 x 8 sheet, averaged over the walls and ceiling of the 12 x 12 ft room above. The calculator counts them for your room.
Do I subtract doors and windows?
Many pros do not, because the cutouts become waste anyway. Subtract large openings like patio doors.
Related topics
Estimates only. Quantities depend on your materials, site and supplier, so check coverage and sizes on the label. Follow local building codes for anything structural. How we calculate.