Drywall Calculator
Sheets, screws, tape and joint compound for a room, plus a comparison of board lengths and the joints each one leaves you.
Drywall Calculator
Sheets, screws, tape and compound for a room — and which sheet length actually leaves you fewer joints, because every joint you avoid is finishing work you never have to do.
| Net area to cover | — |
|---|---|
| With waste | — |
| Sheets | — |
| Screws (approx) | — |
| Joint tape | — |
| Joint compound | — |
| Sheet length comparison | — |
Estimates use ordinary rules of thumb rather than a manufacturer figure, so treat them
as a shopping list, not a specification: about 32 screws per sheet at 16" o.c., roughly 1 linear foot
of tape per square foot of board, and about 0.05 lb of all-purpose compound per square foot for a
three-coat finish. Deductions are 21 ft² per door and 15 ft² per window.
The sheet-length comparison matters more than the sheet count. Longer boards span further, so a 12 ft
sheet on a 12 ft wall gives you a joint-free run where 8 ft sheets give you a butt joint to tape, float
and sand — the slowest, most visible joint there is. Buy the longest sheet you can physically carry
into the room.