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Drywall for a 10x12 Room

Sheets of drywall for a 10 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.

  • 10 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
11sheets of
4' x 12' drywall

Area

Gross wall area352.0 sq ft
Less openings- 36.0 sq ft
Net wall area316.0 sq ft
Ceiling area120.0 sq ft
Total drywall area436.0 sq ft
With 10% waste479.6 sq ft

Materials

Joint compound67.2 lb2 × 4.5 gal box
Joint tape178 linear ft1 × 250 ft roll
Drywall screws466about 2 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 10 x 12 room

44 ft of wall and a 120 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.

10 x 12 ft room, sheets by wall height
WallsWalls only, 4x8Walls only, 4x12With ceiling, 4x8With ceiling, 4x12
8 ft1181510
9 ft1391612
10 ft14101712

Wall layouts in 4x12, by height

Door4512 ft
Wall 112 ft x 8 ft, horizontal, 3 pieces
Window566710 ft
Wall 210 ft x 8 ft, horizontal, 4 pieces, 2 butt joints
788912 ft
Wall 312 ft x 8 ft, horizontal, 4 pieces, 2 butt joints
921010 ft
Wall 410 ft x 8 ft, horizontal, 3 pieces, 1 butt joint
12312 ft
Ceiling12 ft x 10 ft, vertical, 3 pieces

4x8, 4x10 or 4x12 for a 10 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
4x8 (fewest joints)15398 ft9.2%$523 to $1,090
4x1012893 ft9.2%$523 to $1,090
4x1210581 ft9.2%$523 to $1,090

A 10 x 12 ft room with 8 ft walls, one door and one window takes 8 sheets of 4x12 drywall for the walls, or 11 sheets of 4x8. Add the 120 sq ft ceiling and it is 10 sheets of 4x12 or 15 of 4x8. With 9 ft walls the walls take 9 sheets of 4x12, and with 10 ft walls 10. Hung in 4x12 the 10x12 layout has 5 butt joints; in 4x8 it has 3 butt joints.

How many sheets for a 10x12 room

  • 8 ft walls: 8 sheets of 4x12 or 11 of 4x8 for the walls; 10 or 15 with the ceiling.
  • 9 ft walls: 9 of 4x12 or 13 of 4x8; 12 or 16 with the ceiling.
  • 10 ft walls: 10 of 4x12 or 14 of 4x8; 12 or 17 with the ceiling.

A 10 by 12 room is a typical small bedroom, home office or nursery. The 12 ft walls take exactly one 4x12 sheet per row, which is why 12 ft board is the efficient choice here: the 10 ft walls use the offcuts.

Wall by wall: the 10x12 room in 4x12

  • Wall 1, 12 by 8 ft, with the door: hung horizontally, 3 pieces cut from 3 sheets, no butt joints, 9 ft of taped seam.
  • Wall 2, 10 by 8 ft, with the window: hung horizontally, 4 pieces cut from 3 sheets, 2 butt joints, 18 ft of taped seam.
  • Wall 3, 12 by 8 ft: hung horizontally, 4 pieces cut from 3 sheets, 2 butt joints, 20 ft of taped seam.
  • Wall 4, 10 by 8 ft: hung horizontally, 3 pieces cut from 3 sheets, 1 butt joint, 14 ft of taped seam.
  • Ceiling, 12 by 10 ft: hung vertically, 3 pieces cut from 3 sheets, no butt joints, 20 ft of taped seam.

In 4x8 board the same 10 by 12 room takes 15 sheets with 3 butt joints and 98 ft of taped seam, against 10 sheets, 5 butt joints and 81 ft of seam in 4x12. The fewest butt joints come with 4x8 board (3 butt joints over 15 sheets), and the fewest sheets with 4x12 (10 sheets, 5 butt joints).

Labor to hang and finish a 10x12 room

The walls and ceiling put 436 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 $523 to $1,090 in labor for this 10x12 room. Board, compound and tape come on top: enter your price for the 10 sheets of 4x12 in the cost section of the calculator.

Mud, tape and screws for a 10x12 room

With 8 ft walls and the ceiling in 4x12 board, the room is 480 sq ft of board. That takes about 67 lb of all purpose compound, 2 pails of 4.5 gallons at USG's 10 gallons per 1,000 sq ft, about 178 ft of paper tape, and roughly 3 lb of 1-1/4 in screws.

Before you order for a 10x12 room

  • Hang the 120 sq ft ceiling first, then the 44 ft run of walls, so the wall board holds up the ceiling edges.
  • Add one spare per ten sheets: 1 on top of 10 sheets of 4x12, or 2 on top of 15 sheets of 4x8.
  • Check that 12 ft sheets fit through the door and up the stairs before you buy them. If not, the 15 sheet 4x8 layout is the fallback.

Frequently asked questions

With 8 ft walls, one door and one window: 8 sheets of 4x12 or 11 sheets of 4x8 for the walls, and 10 of 4x12 or 15 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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