Drywall Cost and Estimating: Pricing, Takeoffs and Calculators

Every drywall price starts with the same thing: an accurate sheet count. Square footage of wall and ceiling surface, not floor area, drives the material order, the labor, and the final number on a quote. The pages here follow the order a contractor works in. First measure the walls and ceilings and turn that into a sheet count. Then add fasteners, mud and tape, including material delivery costs. Finally, apply rates for each part of the work: hanging, taping and finishing, and texture.

If you are a homeowner, these pages explain where a contractor's number comes from. They help you compare quotes on the same basis. Prices for board and labor change by city and by year, so this section explains the method rather than quoting prices. Check local supply prices and get more than one quote.

If you price drywall for a living, the calculators below speed up sheet count estimates. The sheet count calculator lays out rooms the way a hanging crew would and reuses scrap, so the number matches what you will actually order.