How much drywall a ceiling takes
Lay the sheets across the joists in rows along the long side, as many rows as 4 feet goes into the short side. A 12 by 10 foot ceiling is two whole rows of 12 feet and a 2 foot strip along the last one: in 4 by 8s that is 3 sheets hung whole and the strip ripped two to a sheet, 4 sheets in all and 5 with the 10% for breakage. The 4 by 12 hangs the same ceiling in 3 sheets with nothing cut off, for $2 more; the page lists both.
The page asks for the room the ceiling is in, and on this page only its length and width count. The room keeps the rest — the wall height, the door and the window — without asking for it, so the walls can be added later without measuring again: switch "What to board" and the boxes come back with the room's numbers in them.
A ceiling is not a wall
Two things change overhead, and both are on the page.
The screws go closer. IRC Table R702.3.5 asks for fasteners every 12 inches on a ceiling against 16 on a wall, so a 4 by 8 sheet takes 35 screws up there rather than 28, and a 4 by 12 takes 50. For this 120 square foot ceiling that is 145 screws on the 4 by 8 it hangs, one 1 pound box.
The direction is not free at 24 inches. At 16 inches on center the table lists ceiling board either way, along the joists or across them. At 24 inches there is one ceiling row only — across the joists — so board run along them is not in the table at all. Switch the framing to 24 in and the page says so instead of passing a ceiling it has not seen hung.
Ceilings by size
| Ceiling | Area | Sheets to buy | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 10 ft | 80 ft² | 3 × 4 × 10 ft | 192 lb |
| 10 × 12 ft | 120 ft² | 5 × 4 × 8 ft | 256 lb |
| 12 × 14 ft | 168 ft² | 5 × 4 × 12 ft | 384 lb |
| 14 × 20 ft | 280 ft² | 8 × 4 × 10 ft | 512 lb |
Half-inch regular board at the 1.6 pounds a square foot the mills publish, 10% for cuts, and the cheapest layout at this page's prices: a 10 foot ceiling side takes 10 foot sheets with nothing over. A 4 by 8 sheet is 51 pounds and a 4 by 12 77, which is the number that decides whether you want a lift or a second pair of hands. Half-inch lightweight board is 1.25 pounds a square foot — 40 pounds a 4 by 8 — and that is what it exists for.
What this page does not do
It runs the rows along the long side, which is across the joists in most rooms; it cannot see your joists, so check before you hang. It does not stagger the butt joints for you, and on a ceiling that matters more than on a wall, because a joint across the joists is harder to hide. Its cutting list shows which pieces come off which sheet, and the offcut it calls worth keeping.
Prices are our own estimates, not a store's. We are not connected with any brand or store named here.