Plasterboard Sheets Calculator

About this calculator

Plasterboard (drywall) sheet estimating divides the total wall area to be covered by the area of a single standard sheet (commonly 2.4m x 1.2m, or 4ft x 8ft), then adds a waste allowance — typically 10-15% — to cover offcuts around doors, windows and corners that can't be reused efficiently. Screw count is estimated from sheet area at a standard fixing density (roughly one screw every 150-300mm along each stud), and jointing compound is estimated from the linear length of joints between sheets, since each seam needs several coats of compound and tape to finish flush.

Builders and DIYers run these numbers before a plastering job because underordering means a delayed trip back to the merchant mid-job — often at a worse price for a small top-up order — while overordering ties up cash in materials that may not be returnable once cut, so getting the sheet count, screw quantity and compound volume right the first time keeps a drywall job running on schedule and on budget.

This calculator takes your wall area and returns the number of plasterboard sheets, screws and amount of jointing compound needed, including the waste allowance.