Does this account for door and window cutouts?

Not explicitly, if you enter gross wall area (including door/window openings), the waste allowance provides a rough buffer for the material lost to cutouts, but for a tighter estimate, subtract door and window area from your input first.

Should I use 4×8 or 4×12 sheets?

Larger 4×12 sheets mean fewer seams to tape and finish, which many installers prefer for ceilings and long walls, but they're heavier and harder to handle alone. Enter your chosen sheet dimensions either way.

Drywall Calculator

Calculate how many drywall sheets you need, with a waste allowance.

How this is calculated

Sheets needed = ⌈(Wall area × (1 + Waste%)) ÷ Sheet area⌉

Assumptions used in this calculation

Waste covers cutouts: The waste percentage is assumed to cover offcuts from door, window, and electrical box cutouts, if you already subtracted openings from wall area, a lower waste percentage may suffice.
Full sheets only: Counts whole sheets needed, it doesn't try to optimize layout to reuse offcuts across different wall sections.

About this calculator

The drywall calculator finds how many sheets of drywall you need to cover a given wall area, based on sheet size and a waste allowance for cuts.

Worked example

800 sqft, 4x8ft sheets, 10% waste

Result: 28 sheets

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Frequently asked questions

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About this calculator

Frequently asked questions

Does this account for door and window cutouts?

Should I use 4×8 or 4×12 sheets?

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