Everything for the hang-and-finish in one shot: sheet count with waste, screws, buckets of mud, and rolls of tape.
Room details
ft
ft
ft
Sheets to buy (incl. 10% waste)
—
Surface area to cover—
Screws (~32 per sheet)—
Joint compound (4.5-gal buckets)—
Tape (500-ft rolls)—
Based on ~1 bucket of all-purpose mud per 450 sq ft (three coats) and ~380 ft of tape per 1,000 sq ft. Use 12-ft sheets where you can carry them — fewer butt joints means a faster, flatter finish.
How the takeoff works
Wall area is the room perimeter times the ceiling height, minus about 21 sq ft per door and 15 per window; add the ceiling if you're doing it. Divide by the sheet size (32 sq ft for 4×8, 48 for 4×12) and pad 10% for cuts and breakage.
area = 2(L+W) × H − openings + ceiling · sheets = ceil(area × 1.10 ÷ sheet sq ft)
Worked example
A 16 × 12 room, 8-ft ceilings, ceiling included, 1 door and 2 windows: 448 wall − 51 openings + 192 ceiling = 589 sq ft → 21 4×8 sheets, about 660 screws, 2 buckets of mud, and 1 roll of tape. Swap to 4×12 sheets and it's 14 sheets with noticeably fewer butt joints to finish.
Finishing numbers people underestimate
Mud is the one everyone shorts: tape coat, fill coat, skim coat — a 4.5-gallon bucket honestly covers only about 450 sq ft through all three. Screws go 12 in on center on walls, closer on ceilings, and the field rule is "when in doubt, another screw" — pops come from too few, not too many.
Frequently asked questions
How many sheets of drywall do I need per square foot?
Divide total surface area by 32 for 4×8 sheets or 48 for 4×12, then add 10% waste. A typical 12×12 bedroom with the ceiling runs 16–17 4×8 sheets.
How much joint compound per sheet of drywall?
Plan on one 4.5-gallon bucket of all-purpose compound per 13–14 sheets (roughly 450 sq ft) for a full three-coat finish. Textured finishes and skim coats add more.
Should I hang drywall vertically or horizontally?
Horizontally on walls in most residential work — it bridges more studs, adds shear strength, and puts the seam at a comfortable finishing height. Vertical makes sense when it eliminates butt joints on tall or narrow walls.