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Drywall Tape Calculator

Rolls of drywall tape from the seams in an actual sheet layout of your room, plus the inside corners, in paper or mesh.

  • From the sheet layout
  • Inside corners included
  • Paper or mesh
  • Embeddable

By · Updated

Room dimensions

Length
ft
in
Width
ft
in
Wall height
ft
in

Surfaces & board

Sheet size

Openings & tape

21 sq ft each
15 sq ft each
16 x 7 ft, 112 sq ft
Tape

Your estimate

Paper tape, from the sheet layout
1250 ft rolls
or 1 of 500 ft

Joints to tape

Seams between sheets101 ft6 butt joints
Inside corners84 ft
Total with 10% extra204 ft

Rule of thumb check

USG: 370 ft per 1,000 sq ft213 ftfor the board in this plan

Seams are measured from a sheet-by-sheet layout of your room, so longer sheets show fewer feet of joint. Outside corners take corner bead, not tape.

Door45614 ft
Wall 114 ft x 8 ft, horizontal, 4 pieces, 1 butt joint
Window7812 ft
Wall 212 ft x 8 ft, horizontal, 2 pieces
Window9610514 ft
Wall 314 ft x 8 ft, horizontal, 4 pieces, 2 butt joints
111212 ft
Wall 412 ft x 8 ft, horizontal, 2 pieces
12233414 ft
Ceiling14 ft x 12 ft, horizontal, 6 pieces, 3 butt joints
Embed this calculator on your site

Free for contractors, suppliers and bloggers. Paste this into any page that accepts HTML. The calculator resizes itself, and the credit link must stay with it.

USG's rule of thumb is about 370 ft of joint tape per 1,000 sq ft of board, and for a quick estimate it works. But tape goes on joints, not on area: a room hung in 4x12 sheets has far fewer feet of seam than the same room in 4x8, and every inside corner takes tape whatever the board. This calculator lays the board out sheet by sheet, measures every seam where two pieces meet, adds the inside corners and the wall-to-ceiling joint, and turns the total into rolls.

What gets taped

  • Flat seams: the long tapered edges where two sheets meet, and the butt joints where two sheet ends meet.
  • Inside corners: every vertical corner where two walls meet, and the line where the walls meet the ceiling.
  • Not outside corners: those get corner bead, then compound over it.

The calculator adds 10% to the measured length for overlaps at intersections and the bits that tear or get trimmed.

Paper or mesh tape?

Paper tape is the standard for drywall joints and the only practical choice for inside corners, because it folds along its center crease; USG recommends paper tape for corners and wall-ceiling joints. Fiberglass mesh tape is self-adhesive, so it goes on before the first coat and is quick on flat seams. USG says that if you choose fiberglass tape, a setting-type compound must be used over it. The mesh maker, ADFORS, allows heavy all purpose compound too, but not lightweight compound for embedding.

USG sells paper tape in 75, 250 and 500 ft rolls; the 500 ft roll is meant for taping machines. FibaTape mesh comes in rolls from 50 to 500 ft, with 300 and 500 ft the job-size rolls.

Frequently asked questions

For a 14 x 12 ft room with 8 ft walls and a ceiling in 4x12 board, the calculator above measures the seams and corners from the layout and rounds up to 250 or 500 ft rolls. As a quick check, USG gives about 370 ft of tape per 1,000 sq ft of board.

Primary references

Manufacturer and industry guidance used to check this article.

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

Keep going

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