Garage Drywall Calculator
Garages are big, square rooms — the easiest drywall job there is — but code usually demands ⅝″ Type X on any wall or ceiling shared with the house. Enter the garage footprint and wall height; include the ceiling if it is being finished.
Order 50 sheets — use 4 × 12 sheets on long walls to cut the number of butt joints.
- Wall + ceiling area
- 1,440 ft²
- Waste / cuts 10%
- + 144 ft²
- Coverage to buy
- 1,584 ft²
- Metric
- 133.8 m²
- 4 × 8 ft sheets (32 ft²)
- 50
- 4 × 12 ft sheets (48 ft²)
- 33
- Approx. weight
- 2,700 lb
- Joint compound, 4.5 gal bucket
- 4 buckets
- Paper tape, 250 ft roll
- 3 rolls
- Drywall screws 1¼″, lb
- 5 lb
- Corner bead, 8 ft
- 3 pcs
- Materials + delivery$12–$22 / sheet · Sep 2026
- $675 – $1,175
- Installed (with labor)typ. $4,115
- $2,835 – $6,215
- Drywall, ½″ × 4×850 sheets
- Joint compound, 4.5 gal4 buckets
- Paper tape, 250 ft3 rolls
- Drywall screws, 1¼″5 lb
Quantities follow the ticket. Links may earn us a commission at no cost to you; they never change a number.
What will this drywall job cost?
See the installed price range for these quantities and get up to 3 quotes from local contractors. Free, no obligation.
How to calculate drywall by hand
Area = 2 × (L + W) × H + L × W (ceiling) · Sheets = area × (1 + waste) ÷ 32
Worked example
- Walls: 2 × (12 + 12) × 8 = 384 ft² · Ceiling: 12 × 12 = 144 ft² → 528 ft².
- Waste 10%: 528 × 1.10 = 581 ft².
- Sheets: 581 ÷ 32 = 18.2 → 19 sheets of 4 × 8 (or 13 of 4 × 12).
- Finishing: 2 buckets of compound, 1 roll of tape, 2 lb of screws, 2 corner beads.
- 4 × 8 sheet
- 32 ft² · ½″ = 54 lb
- 4 × 12 sheet
- 48 ft² · ½″ = 82 lb
- Joint compound
- ≈ 1 gal per 100 ft²
- Screws
- ≈ 1 lb per 300 ft² (16″ o.c.)
Questions crews ask
How many sheets of drywall for a 24x24 garage?
Walls 2 × 48 × 9 = 864 ft² plus a 576 ft² ceiling is 1,440 ft²; with 10% waste 1,584 ft² → 50 sheets of 4 × 8 or 33 of 4 × 12. Subtract the garage door opening (about 112 ft² for a 16 × 7) if you want to be exact.
Does a garage need 5/8 drywall?
The IRC requires ½″ minimum on the garage side of walls shared with the house and ⅝″ Type X on the ceiling if living space is above. Many jurisdictions require ⅝″ Type X on all shared walls. Detached garages can use ½″ throughout.
Do I need to tape and finish garage drywall?
For the fire separation, joints must be taped (fire-taped) but not finished smooth. If you want a painted garage, finish to level 3 or 4 like a room. Many people fire-tape, prime and leave it.