How the drywall calculator works
We add up your wall area (perimeter × height) plus the ceiling if selected, apply a 10% waste factor, then divide by your sheet size to get the number of sheets. Fasteners and finishing materials scale off total square footage using standard trade rates.
Estimating rules of thumb
Roughly 1 sheet per 32 sq ft of surface, 1 lb of screws per ~300 sq ft, one 4.5-gal bucket of compound per ~475 sq ft, and about 38 ft of tape per 100 sq ft. Always round up — you can't buy a partial sheet.
How many screws per sheet?
About 32 screws per 4x8 sheet — roughly one per square foot, following a 12–16" pattern in the field and every 8" on the edges.