Sheets of drywall, for the whole room.
Walls, minus the openings if you subtract them, plus the ceiling if you're hanging it, plus your waste, divided by the sheet you're buying. Rounded up, because nobody sells half a sheet.
Sheets, mud, tape and your hang-and-finish price go on one quote. Tell Redline the rooms and it drafts it for you to check.
Try Redline freeHow the math works
Walls
2 x (14 + 12) x 8 = 416 sq ft.
Openings, if you take them out
One door at 20 and two windows at 15 come off: 366 sq ft. If you hang right over openings and cut them out, set doors and windows to 0.
Ceiling
14 x 12 = 168 sq ft. Walls and ceiling together: 534 sq ft.
Waste and sheets
534 plus 10% is 587.4 sq ft. Over 32 sq ft for a 4x8 that's 18.4, so 19 sheets. In 4x12 it's 12.2, so 13.
One 14 x 12 room with 8 ft walls
1 door and 2 windows taken out, 10% waste.
| Job | Area | 4x8 sheets | 4x12 sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walls only | 366 sq ft | 13 | 9 |
| Walls and ceiling | 534 sq ft | 19 | 13 |
What to watch for
- Ceiling board can differ. If the ceiling gets a different thickness or type, run it alone: wall height 0, doors and windows 0, ceiling 1.
- Subtract openings or not. Hangers differ. Subtracting gives the true area; leaving them in builds the cutout scrap into the count.
- Sheet length vs the room. Long walls and tall ceilings change which length leaves the fewest butt joints. Try the sheet size both ways.
- Not counted: mud, tape, screws, corner bead and adhesive. Their rates depend on the product and the finish level.
- Wet areas and rated walls may call for a specific board. That's the plans and local code, not this tool.
Questions contractors ask
How many sheets of drywall for a 12 x 12 room?
With 8 ft walls, one door and two windows taken out and 10% waste: 12 sheets of 4x8 for the walls, or 17 with the ceiling.
Should I order 4x8 or 4x12?
Bigger sheets mean fewer seams to tape, but they're heavier, need more hands and have to fit through the door. The calculator does either; the call is yours.
How does Redline handle drywall jobs?
Say "quote the Brady basement: hang and finish 38 sheets, level 4 finish, ceilings included" and Redline drafts an itemized quote at your prices and saves it to the Brady file. If they add a closet halfway through, put it on its own line so it's clear what changed; see the drywall change order template. Invoicing with a card pay link is on Solo and up.
More for drywall and interior crews
Keep reading
- Paint calculatorRoom size, openings, coats and coverage into gallons to buy.
- Flooring calculatorRoom size, waste and box coverage into boxes to order.
- Drywall estimate templatePopcorn removal: asbestos test, scrape, skim, prime, protection, debris.
- Remodeling estimate softwareFixed scopes plus finish allowances, in finish-level options with a deposit.
