Easy Paint Calc

How many sheets of drywall for a 12×12 room?

Short answer

A 12 × 12 ft room with 8 ft walls needs 18 sheets of 4 × 8 drywall for the walls and ceiling (508 square feet after one door, plus 10% waste): 13 sheets for the walls and 5 sheets for the ceiling if you count them separately.

How to work it out

  1. Walls: 2 × (12 ft + 12 ft) × 8 ft = 384 sq ft − openings 20 sq ft = 364 sq ft
  2. Ceiling: 12 ft × 12 ft = 144 sq ft
  3. 508 sq ft × 1.1 waste ÷ 32 sq ft per 4×8 sheet = 17.46 → 18 sheets

A 12 × 12 ft room is the classic drywall estimate: four 12 ft walls and a 144 sq ft ceiling. With 4 × 8 sheets it is 18 sheets; with 4 × 12 sheets, which run the full length of each wall and the ceiling, it is 12.

Adjust for your project

ft
ft
ft
Only big ones such as picture windows; ordinary windows are usually cut out of full sheets
4 × 12 sheets mean fewer joints on long walls and ceilings, but they are heavy: about 60–77 lb for 1/2 in
More options: Door · Window · Other …
sq ft
sq ft
sq ft
A 16 × 7 ft garage door is 112 sq ft; a 6 ft patio door about 40
%
For cut-offs and mistakes. 10–15% is a common planning range
Sheets to buy18 sheets4×8
Drywall area
508 sq ft
Walls alone (if bought separately)
13 sheets
Ceiling alone (if bought separately)
5 sheets
You’ll also need (USG estimate)
about 5.1 gal of joint compound, 188 ft of paper tape and 1.4 lb of 1-1/4 in drywall screws
  • Sheets are counted by area plus the waste allowance. Plan the layout too: hang ceilings first, run sheets across the joists or studs, and stagger the end joints.
Check your codeBuilding codes set the type and thickness of drywall in some places. Under the International Residential Code (R302.6), the garage side of a wall between an attached garage and the house needs gypsum board at least 1/2 in thick, and 5/8 in Type X is required on the garage ceiling when there are habitable rooms above it. Local codes amend this; check with your building department before you buy.

For this job · affiliate link
Drywall panel liftHolding sheets overhead while you drive screws is the hardest part of the job. A rented or bought panel lift does it for you.
View on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

Sheets by sheet size (same room)

Sheets by sheet size (same room)
SheetSheets to buy
4×818 sheets
4×1014 sheets
4×1212 sheets
54 in × 1211 sheets

What to know about drywalling a 12×12 room

  • 508 sq ft. 384 sq ft of wall less a 20 sq ft door, plus the 144 sq ft ceiling.
  • 18 sheets of 4 × 8 with 10% waste (17.5 rounded up). Walls alone are 13 sheets; the ceiling alone is 5.
  • 12 sheets of 4 × 12. Each 12 ft wall takes exactly two sheets laid horizontally, and the ceiling exactly three, so a 4 × 12 layout has very little waste in this room and fewer joints to tape.
  • Windows. USG’s guide says to subtract big openings only. A couple of ordinary windows are cut out of full sheets and don’t change the count.

At 1/2 in, 18 sheets of regular 4 × 8 weigh about 920 lb and 12 sheets of 4 × 12 about the same; at 5/8 in, about 1,270 lb. That is more than many pickups should carry in one trip: see how much does a 4x8 sheet of drywall weigh. Lightweight 1/2 in board cuts it by about a fifth.

The finishing materials for the same 508 sq ft are about 5 gallons of joint compound (two pails) and 190 ft of tape: how much mud for a 12x12 room. The screws are on how many drywall screws per 4x8 sheet. After that comes primer: how much primer for a 12x12 room.

Different size? Use the full Drywall Calculator (Sheets for a Room).

What you’ll need

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links to products are affiliate links — they cost you nothing extra and help keep these calculators free.

Frequently asked questions

How many 4x12 sheets of drywall for a 12x12 room?

12 sheets of 4 × 12 for the walls and ceiling, with 10% waste.

How many sheets of drywall for the walls of a 12x12 room?

13 sheets of 4 × 8 for the walls alone, with a door taken off and 10% waste.

How many sheets of drywall for a 12x12 room with 9 ft walls?

With 54 in × 12 ft sheets, 12 sheets for the walls and ceiling.

Other common sizes

Sources