How Many Sheets of Drywall for a 12×12 Room?

A 12 × 12 ft room with 8 ft ceilings needs about 17 sheets of 4 × 8 ft drywall to cover the walls and the ceiling, allowing for one door, a window and 10% waste. If you are only hanging the walls, it is about 12 sheets. With larger 4 × 12 ft sheets, the whole room takes about 12.

Below is exactly how that is worked out, a table for other common room sizes, and the screws, tape and joint compound you will need to go with it. For your own measurements, the drywall calculator does it in seconds.

Quick answer: drywall sheets by room size

All figures assume 8 ft walls, about 36 sq ft of doors and windows taken off, and 10% extra for cuts and mistakes.

Room size	Area (walls + ceiling)	4 × 8 sheets, walls + ceiling	4 × 8 sheets, walls only	4 × 12 sheets, walls + ceiling
10 × 10 ft	384 sq ft	14	10	9
10 × 12 ft	436 sq ft	15	11	10
12 × 12 ft	492 sq ft	17	12	12
12 × 14 ft	548 sq ft	19	14	13
14 × 16 ft	668 sq ft	23	16	16

With 9 ft walls, add one or two sheets: a 12 × 12 room with 9 ft walls and a ceiling needs about 19 sheets of 4 × 8.

How to work it out

1. Wall area. Add the lengths of all four walls and multiply by the height: (12 + 12 + 12 + 12) × 8 = 384 sq ft.
2. Take off openings. A standard interior door is about 21 sq ft and an average window about 15 sq ft. One of each is 36 sq ft, leaving 348 sq ft of wall.
3. Add the ceiling. 12 × 12 = 144 sq ft, for a total of 492 sq ft.
4. Add waste. 492 × 1.10 = 541 sq ft.
5. Divide by the sheet size and round up. A 4 × 8 sheet covers 32 sq ft, so 541 ÷ 32 = 16.9. Buy 17 sheets.

Many experienced hangers do not subtract openings at all, because the offcuts from around doors and windows rarely get reused. If you work that way, the same 12 × 12 room comes to 19 sheets. Either approach works; the second just leaves you more spare.

4 × 8 or 4 × 12 sheets?

Longer sheets mean fewer joints, and joints are where most of the finishing time goes. On an 8 ft wall, 4 × 12 sheets hung horizontally leave fewer butt joints and a flatter wall. The catch is weight and handling: a 1/2 inch 4 × 12 sheet weighs around 70–80 lb, which is a two-person lift, and it will not fit in most cars or through tight stairwells.

• Choose 4 × 8 if you are working alone, carrying sheets up stairs or hanging small, broken-up walls.
• Choose 4 × 12 for long, open walls and ceilings when you have help and delivery.

Which thickness?

• 1/2 inch is standard for interior walls in most homes.
• 1/2 inch sag-resistant or 5/8 inch is often used on ceilings, especially with joists at 24 inch centres, because standard board can sag over time.
• Moisture-resistant board is a common choice for bathrooms and laundry rooms. Behind tiles in a shower, a cement board or a dedicated tile-backer is normally required.
• Fire-rated (Type X) board is usually required by code in some locations, such as walls between an attached garage and the house. Check your local code.

Screws, tape and joint compound

For the 17-sheet room:

• Screws: about 32 per 4 × 8 sheet, so around 550. Use 1-1/4 inch coarse-thread screws for wood studs. They are sold by weight, so check the count on the box and buy enough for about 550, plus a few spare.
• Joint tape: a single 500 ft roll of paper tape is plenty for a room this size. Add inside-corner tape or metal corner bead for the outside corners.
• Joint compound: as a rough guide, one 4.5 gallon bucket of all-purpose ready-mixed compound finishes around 400–500 sq ft of board with three coats. Buy one bucket plus a smaller one, or two if the room has lots of corners.

At typical US prices in September 2026, a 1/2 inch 4 × 8 sheet costs around $16, so 17 sheets are about $272 before screws, tape and compound.

If you measure in metres: plasterboard

In the UK and Australia, the same material is called plasterboard and is usually sold in 1.2 × 2.4 m sheets (2.88 m² each). A 3.6 × 3.6 m room with 2.4 m walls, 3.3 m² of openings and a ceiling has about 44 m² to cover. With 10% waste that is 48.6 m², or 17 sheets. Switch the drywall calculator to UK or Australia to work in metres.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the ceiling. It is a full extra room’s worth of floor area, and ceiling sheets are the hardest to hang, so it is worth planning them first.
• No spare for damage. Corners crush easily in transit. Ten per cent waste covers normal cuts and the odd damaged sheet.
• Joints in line with door corners. A joint that runs straight off the corner of a door or window is likely to crack. Plan sheets so the board wraps around the corner and the joint falls in the middle of the opening.
• Not checking stud spacing. Sheet edges must land on a stud or joist. Measure your framing before you order longer sheets.

Frequently asked questions

How many sheets of drywall for a 12×12 room without the ceiling?

About 12 sheets of 4 × 8, or 8 sheets of 4 × 12, allowing for one door, one window and 10% waste.

How many sheets of drywall for a 10×10 room?

About 14 sheets of 4 × 8 for the walls and ceiling, or 10 sheets for the walls only.

Should I hang drywall vertically or horizontally?

On walls up to about 8 ft, many pros hang sheets horizontally because it creates fewer seams and a stronger wall. Vertical hanging can be easier for one person and is common on taller walls. Ceilings always go first.

How much does it cost to drywall a 12×12 room?

For materials only, expect around $270 for 17 standard sheets, plus roughly $50–$80 for screws, tape and compound at typical 2026 prices. Professional hanging and finishing labour is extra and varies widely by area.

Work out your own room: the free drywall calculator gives sheets, screws and tape for any room in feet or metres. Painting afterwards? The paint calculator covers that, and remember new drywall needs a coat of primer first.

Figures are estimates for planning. Sheet sizes, prices and local building codes vary, so check with your supplier and local building department before you buy.

Related: the DIY Project Budget & Materials Planner turns your measurements into quantities, costs and a shopping list.