Drywall Calculator: 16 × 16 ft room
Count drywall sheets, screws, joint compound and tape for a room, with waste and a rough cost.
// Bill of materials
Costs are rough, materials only — edit the price to match your quote.
Pre-filled for a 16 × 16 ft room. Change any value to recalculate, or start from scratch.
How it's calculated
Wall area = perimeter × height = 2 × (width + length) × height, plus the ceiling if selected. We add waste, divide by the area of one sheet and round up. Screws are estimated at 32 per sheet, joint compound at one bucket per 12 sheets, and tape at about 0.6 linear feet per square foot.
Worked example — 16 × 16 ft room
- Room width
- 16 ft
- Room length
- 16 ft
- Ceiling height
- 8 ft
- Surfaces
- Walls only
- Sheet size
- 4 × 8 ft sheet (32 sq ft)
- Waste allowance
- 10 %
- Price per sheet
- 14 $
Nearby sizes
| Room size | Sheets to buy | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 × 8 ft room | 9 sheets | Open |
| 8 × 10 ft room | 10 sheets | Open |
| 8 × 12 ft room | 11 sheets | Open |
| 10 × 10 ft room | 11 sheets | Open |
| 10 × 12 ft room | 13 sheets | Open |
| 10 × 14 ft room | 14 sheets | Open |
| 10 × 16 ft room | 15 sheets | Open |
| 12 × 12 ft room | 14 sheets | Open |
| 12 × 14 ft room | 15 sheets | Open |
| 12 × 16 ft room | 16 sheets | Open |
| 12 × 18 ft room | 17 sheets | Open |
| 16 × 16 ft room (this page) | 18 sheets |
Tips for buying drywall
- Hang the ceiling first, then walls, so the wall sheets support the ceiling edges.
- Longer 12 ft sheets mean fewer butt joints to finish — worth it if you can carry and maneuver them.
- Buy a full extra sheet: one bad cut or broken corner shouldn't send you back to the store.
- Use setting-type ('hot mud') compound for the first coat in a hurry; premixed for the smooth final coats.
- Stock more screws than you think — a dropped box on a job site vanishes fast.
- Moisture-resistant board belongs in bathrooms and laundry rooms; standard board everywhere else.
Frequently asked questions
How many drywall sheets do I need for a 12x14 room?
With 8 ft ceilings, walls only and 10% waste, a 12×14 room needs about 15 sheets of 4×8. Adding the ceiling adds a few more.
How many screws per drywall sheet?
About 32 screws per 4×8 sheet — roughly every 12 inches on studs and 16 inches in the field. This calculator uses 32 per sheet.
How much joint compound do I need?
Plan on roughly one 4.5-gallon bucket per 12 sheets across all coats. Textured finishes and beginners use more.
Should I include the ceiling?
Only if you're drywalling it. Switch 'Surfaces' to walls + ceiling and we'll add the ceiling area (width × length).