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Drywall for a 12x12 Room

Sheets of drywall for a 12 x 12 ft room at 8, 9 and 10 ft walls, walls only or with the ceiling, laid out sheet by sheet. Change anything in the calculator.

  • 12 x 12 ft
  • 8, 9 and 10 ft walls
  • Walls or walls + ceiling
  • Wall diagrams

By · Updated

Room dimensions

Room shape
Length
ft
in
Width
ft
in
Wall height
ft
in

Wall height changes the board layout. Compare 8 ft, 9 ft and 10 ft walls.

Surfaces & board

Sheet size

Openings & waste

21 sq ft each
15 sq ft each
16 x 7 ft, 112 sq ft
%
10% is standard
Cost estimateoptional
$
per 4' x 12' sheet
$
typical $1.20 to $2.50

Your estimate

4' x 12' sheets · 10% waste allowance
13sheets of
4' x 12' drywall

Area

Gross wall area384.0 sq ft
Less openings- 36.0 sq ft
Net wall area348.0 sq ft
Ceiling area144.0 sq ft
Total drywall area492.0 sq ft
With 10% waste541.2 sq ft

Materials

Joint compound80.6 lb2 × 4.5 gal box
Joint tape214 linear ft1 × 250 ft roll
Drywall screws528about 3 lb

Quantities include a 10% waste allowance and standard deductions of 21 sq ft per door, 15 sq ft per window and 112 sq ft per garage door. The sheet count comes from laying the board out wall by wall, plus 10% as spare sheets. Round up when in doubt, an extra sheet costs less than a second trip.

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Sheets for a 12 x 12 room

48 ft of wall and a 144 sq ft ceiling, less one 3 x 7 ft door and one 3 x 5 ft window, laid out sheet by sheet with offcuts reused. No waste allowance on top.

12 x 12 ft room, sheets by wall height
WallsWalls only, 4x8Walls only, 4x12With ceiling, 4x8With ceiling, 4x12
8 ft1281711
9 ft1491812
10 ft15101913

Wall layouts in 4x12, by height

Door4512 ft
Wall 112 ft x 8 ft, horizontal, 3 pieces
Window6712 ft
Wall 212 ft x 8 ft, horizontal, 2 pieces
8912 ft
Wall 312 ft x 8 ft, horizontal, 2 pieces
101112 ft
Wall 412 ft x 8 ft, horizontal, 2 pieces
12312 ft
Ceiling12 ft x 12 ft, horizontal, 3 pieces

4x8, 4x10 or 4x12 for a 12 x 12 room

8 ft walls, one door, one window and the ceiling, laid out by the layout engine
BoardSheetsButt jointsTaped seamsOffcut wasteLabor, national range
4x8173100 ft9.6%$590 to $1,230
4x101310109 ft5.4%$590 to $1,230
4x12 (fewest joints)11069 ft6.8%$590 to $1,230

A 12 x 12 ft room with 8 ft walls, one door and one window takes 8 sheets of 4x12 drywall for the walls, or 12 sheets of 4x8. Add the 144 sq ft ceiling and it is 11 sheets of 4x12 or 17 of 4x8. With 9 ft walls the walls take 9 sheets of 4x12, and with 10 ft walls 10. Hung in 4x12 the 12x12 layout has no butt joints; in 4x8 it has 3 butt joints.

How many sheets for a 12x12 room

  • 8 ft walls: 8 sheets of 4x12 or 12 of 4x8 for the walls; 11 or 17 with the ceiling.
  • 9 ft walls: 9 of 4x12 or 14 of 4x8; 12 or 18 with the ceiling.
  • 10 ft walls: 10 of 4x12 or 15 of 4x8; 13 or 19 with the ceiling.

A 12 by 12 room is the classic secondary bedroom, and the size most people use to sanity check a drywall estimate. Every wall is exactly one 12 ft sheet long, so 4x12 board hangs with no butt joints at all on 8 ft walls.

Wall by wall: the 12x12 room in 4x12

  • Wall 1, 12 by 8 ft, with the door: hung horizontally, 3 pieces cut from 2 sheets, no butt joints, 9 ft of taped seam.
  • Wall 2, 12 by 8 ft, with the window: hung horizontally, 2 pieces cut from 2 sheets, no butt joints, 12 ft of taped seam.
  • Wall 3, 12 by 8 ft: hung horizontally, 2 pieces cut from 2 sheets, no butt joints, 12 ft of taped seam.
  • Wall 4, 12 by 8 ft: hung horizontally, 2 pieces cut from 2 sheets, no butt joints, 12 ft of taped seam.
  • Ceiling, 12 by 12 ft: hung horizontally, 3 pieces cut from 3 sheets, no butt joints, 24 ft of taped seam.

In 4x8 board the same 12 by 12 room takes 17 sheets with 3 butt joints and 100 ft of taped seam, against 11 sheets, 0 butt joints and 69 ft of seam in 4x12. 4x12 board wins on both counts here: 11 sheets and no butt joints.

Labor to hang and finish a 12x12 room

The walls and ceiling put 492 sq ft of board up once the door and window are cut out. At the site's national planning range of $1.20 to $2.50 per sq ft for hanging and finishing, that is $590 to $1,230 in labor for this 12x12 room. Board, compound and tape come on top: enter your price for the 11 sheets of 4x12 in the cost section of the calculator.

Mud, tape and screws for a 12x12 room

With 8 ft walls and the ceiling in 4x12 board, the room is 528 sq ft of board. That takes about 74 lb of all purpose compound, 2 pails of 4.5 gallons at USG's 10 gallons per 1,000 sq ft, about 195 ft of paper tape, and roughly 3 lb of 1-1/4 in screws.

Before you order for a 12x12 room

  • Hang the 144 sq ft ceiling first, then the 48 ft run of walls, so the wall board holds up the ceiling edges.
  • Add one spare per ten sheets: 2 on top of 11 sheets of 4x12, or 2 on top of 17 sheets of 4x8.
  • Check that 12 ft sheets fit through the door and up the stairs before you buy them. If not, the 17 sheet 4x8 layout is the fallback.

Frequently asked questions

With 8 ft walls, one door and one window: 8 sheets of 4x12 or 12 sheets of 4x8 for the walls, and 11 of 4x12 or 17 of 4x8 with the ceiling. Add a spare per ten sheets.

Primary references

Manufacturer and industry guidance used to check this article.

Product instructions, tested assemblies and local code take priority over general guidance.

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