Drywall Calculator

Written byOleh Soloninupdated 25 September 2026

Area to board, m²

Sheet width, m

Sheet length, m

Layers

Stud spacing, m

Board thickness, mm

GOST 6266-97 lists 6.5, 8, 9.5, 12.5, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 24 mm.

Advanced options

Screw spacing, mm

Spare, %

Filler use, kg per m²

From the filler bag; 0 leaves it out.

Result

Sheet area, m²3
Sheets13
Board weightup to 37.5 kg per board
Framing, m58.3
Screws385
Scrim tape, m43.2
How it was calculated
35 m² × 1 layer × (1 + 10%) ÷ 3 m² = 13 boards screws: 3 studs under a board × 11 = 33 per board, 11 per m², 385 in total joints: 35 × (1 ÷ 1.2 + 1 ÷ 2.5) = 43.2 m of tape

Not just the boards

Board count including cutting waste, metres of framing, screws, jointing compound and scrim tape.

A 1.2 × 2.5 m plasterboard sheet is 3 m². For 35 m² of single-layer lining with a 10% allowance you need 13 sheets; at 0.6 m centres the framing comes to 58.3 m, the screws to 385, and the joint tape to 43.2 m.

Fixings and tape are counted geometrically rather than from averages: screws are the number of studs behind each sheet times the screws along each stud, and tape is the joint length per square metre. Tighten the frame to 0.4 m centres and each sheet sits on four studs, so the screws rise from 385 to 513.

How to use

Enter the area to be lined and the sheet size; the default is the 1.2 × 2.5 m format.
Set the number of layers, the frame spacing and the screw spacing — the framing and the fixings follow from them.
Read the sheets, the metres of framing and tape and the weight of one sheet; add a filler rate from the bag if you want that too.

Sheets, framing and fixings

Every row is a separate run of this calculator with a 10% allowance and 250 mm screw spacing.

Every value was produced by the calculator on this page.
Area	Sheet	Layers	Frame spacing	Sheets	Framing	Screws	Tape	Sheet weight
35 m²	1.2 × 2.5 m	1	0.6 m	13	58.3 m	385	43.2 m	up to 37.5 kg
35 m²	1.2 × 2.5 m	2	0.6 m	26	58.3 m	770	43.2 m	up to 37.5 kg
20 m²	1.2 × 3 m	1	0.6 m	7	33.3 m	217	23.3 m	up to 45 kg
35 m²	1.2 × 2.5 m	1	0.4 m	13	87.5 m	513	43.2 m	up to 37.5 kg
12 m²	1.2 × 2 m, 9.5 mm	1	0.6 m	6	20 m	135	16 m	up to 22.8 kg

Sheet sizes and weight in GOST 6266-97

Table 1 of the Russian standard lists lengths from 2,000 to 4,000 mm in 50 mm steps, widths of 600 or 1,200 mm and thicknesses of 6.5, 8, 9.5, 12.5, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 24 mm. Sheet size is an input here for exactly that reason: a long sheet for a full-height wall, a 600 mm one for a narrow pier.

Clause 5.2.1 limits the mass per square metre of an ordinary board to 1.00 times its nominal thickness in millimetres. For 12.5 mm that is at most 12.5 kg/m², so a 1.2 × 2.5 m sheet weighs up to 37.5 kg — a two-person lift, and not something to hoist onto a ceiling alone. Boards made to other national standards are close but not identical; check the label.

Where the screws and the tape come from

Screws are counted per sheet. A 1.2 m wide sheet on 0.6 m centres sits on three studs — one at each edge and one in the middle — and each stud takes screws at 250 mm from end to end of the sheet: 2,500 ÷ 250 + 1 = 11. That is 33 screws a sheet, or 11 per square metre — 385 over 35 m² in one layer. A second layer doubles it to 770.

Tape is joint length: per square metre it is one over the sheet width plus one over the sheet length. For a 1.2 × 2.5 m sheet that is 1.23 m per square metre, or 43.2 m over 35 m². Filler is only counted when you enter a rate from the bag, because it depends on the edge profile and on how many passes you make.

What this calculator shows

Board count for your sheet size and number of layers
Linear metres of framing at your chosen spacing
Screws, jointing compound and scrim tape

What to keep in mind

The cutting allowance defaults to 10%; openings and niches mean more offcuts, and the allowance is a field you can change.
The compound figure covers seams and fixings only, not a skim coat over the whole surface.

FAQs

How many plasterboard sheets for 35 m²?

In 1.2 × 2.5 m sheets, one layer, with a 10% allowance: thirteen. The area with allowance is 38.5 m² and a sheet is 3 m². A second layer needs another thirteen.

How many screws per sheet?

A 1.2 × 2.5 m sheet on 0.6 m centres is fixed to three studs, with 11 screws along each at 250 mm spacing — 33 a sheet. Over 35 m² in one layer that is 385.

How much framing do I need?

Area divided by the frame spacing: 35 m² at 0.6 m centres is 58.3 m, at 0.4 m centres 87.5 m. That is the load-bearing profile; perimeter tracks, hangers and connectors are counted from the frame drawing.

How much does a sheet weigh?

Under clause 5.2.1 of GOST 6266-97 the mass per square metre is at most 1.00 times the thickness in millimetres. A 12.5 mm sheet of 1.2 × 2.5 m weighs up to 37.5 kg; a 9.5 mm sheet of 1.2 × 2 m, up to 22.8 kg.

What sheet sizes exist?

Table 1 of GOST 6266-97 gives lengths of 2,000 to 4,000 mm in 50 mm steps, widths of 600 and 1,200 mm and thicknesses from 6.5 to 24 mm. The size is an input, so the calculation fits any of them — and any local format too.

How much joint tape?

The joint length: 1.23 m per square metre for a 1.2 × 2.5 m sheet, so 43.2 m over 35 m². Longer sheets mean fewer joints — a 1.2 × 3 m sheet over 20 m² needs only 23.3 m.

Worked example

35 m² of single-layer lining

Input: 35 m², 1.2 × 2.5 m sheets, 0.6 m frame spacing, 250 mm screw spacing

Output: 13 sheets, 58.3 m of framing, 385 screws, 43.2 m of tape

Note: One sheet weighs up to 37.5 kg under GOST 6266-97.

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