How many sheets of drywall common rooms take, from an 8 × 10 bedroom to a 20 × 20 room, for the walls alone and for walls plus ceiling. The numbers come from the drywall calculator: wall area = 2 × (length + width) × wall height, plus length × width for the ceiling, times 1.1 for waste, divided by the sheet area (32 square feet for 4×8, 48 for 4×12) and rounded up.
Nothing is subtracted for doors and windows, so the counts lean safe. The wall area column is the gross area of the four walls, before waste.
4×8 sheets, 8' walls
4×8 sheets, 8' walls| Room (ft) | Wall area (sq ft) | Walls only | Walls + ceiling |
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| 8 × 10 | 288 | 10 | 13 |
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| 10 × 10 | 320 | 11 | 15 |
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| 10 × 12 | 352 | 13 | 17 |
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| 12 × 12 | 384 | 14 | 19 |
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| 12 × 14 | 416 | 15 | 21 |
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| 12 × 16 | 448 | 16 | 22 |
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| 14 × 14 | 448 | 16 | 23 |
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| 14 × 16 | 480 | 17 | 25 |
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| 16 × 16 | 512 | 18 | 27 |
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| 16 × 20 | 576 | 20 | 31 |
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| 20 × 20 | 640 | 22 | 36 |
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4×12 sheets, 8' walls
4×12 sheets, 8' walls| Room (ft) | Wall area (sq ft) | Walls only | Walls + ceiling |
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| 8 × 10 | 288 | 7 | 9 |
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| 10 × 10 | 320 | 8 | 10 |
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| 10 × 12 | 352 | 9 | 11 |
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| 12 × 12 | 384 | 9 | 13 |
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| 12 × 14 | 416 | 10 | 14 |
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| 12 × 16 | 448 | 11 | 15 |
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| 14 × 14 | 448 | 11 | 15 |
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| 14 × 16 | 480 | 11 | 17 |
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| 16 × 16 | 512 | 12 | 18 |
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| 16 × 20 | 576 | 14 | 21 |
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| 20 × 20 | 640 | 15 | 24 |
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4×8 sheets, 9' walls
4×8 sheets, 9' walls| Room (ft) | Wall area (sq ft) | Walls only | Walls + ceiling |
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| 8 × 10 | 324 | 12 | 14 |
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| 10 × 10 | 360 | 13 | 16 |
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| 10 × 12 | 396 | 14 | 18 |
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| 12 × 12 | 432 | 15 | 20 |
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| 12 × 14 | 468 | 17 | 22 |
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| 12 × 16 | 504 | 18 | 24 |
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| 14 × 14 | 504 | 18 | 25 |
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| 14 × 16 | 540 | 19 | 27 |
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| 16 × 16 | 576 | 20 | 29 |
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| 16 × 20 | 648 | 23 | 34 |
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| 20 × 20 | 720 | 25 | 39 |
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Rounding and how to use the chart
Sheets include 10% waste and are rounded up to whole sheets, the same as in the calculator: a 12 × 12 room with 8 ft walls is 384 + 144 = 528 square feet, × 1.1 = 580.8, ÷ 32 = 18.15, so 19 sheets of 4×8.
To take off doors and windows, change the wall height, or get screws, joint compound and tape, use the drywall calculator. The count is by area, not a sheet-by-sheet layout; walls taller than 8 ft need an extra strip or taller sheets.
Frequently asked questions
How many sheets of drywall do I need for a room?
Add up the wall area, 2 × (length + width) × height, and the ceiling if you are covering it, add 10% and divide by 32 for 4×8 sheets or 48 for 4×12. A 10 × 10 room with 8 ft walls takes 11 sheets of 4×8 for the walls and 15 with the ceiling.
How many sheets of drywall for a 12x16 room?
16 sheets of 4×8 for 8 ft walls, or 22 with the ceiling, 10% waste included. In 4×12 sheets it is 11 and 15.
Should I use 4x8 or 4x12 drywall?
4×12 sheets cover 50% more each, so a room needs fewer of them and has fewer butt joints to tape: a 14 × 16 room with 8 ft walls and the ceiling takes 25 sheets of 4×8 or 17 of 4×12. 4×8 sheets are easier to carry, fit in a pickup and get up stairs.
Estimates only. Check measurements, product labels and local building codes before you buy or build.