Disclaimer

Estimates, not quotes

The calculators work out figures from the values you enter plus the labelled default assumptions on each page. They are arithmetic, not predictions. Treat every result as a well-explained estimate and check it against your own documents, quotes, labels or measurements before acting on it.

Not professional advice

Drywall work touches building codes, fire safety, structure, electrical and plumbing systems, hazardous materials and money. The calculators and guides are not a substitute for your building department, the code edition it enforces, a licensed contractor, a structural engineer, or the installation instructions and listings of the products you use. Where a permit or inspection applies, the inspector’s reading of the code is the one that counts.

Specific limits of this site’s calculators

Framing calculators count materials for non-load-bearing partitions only. A wall that carries a floor, a roof or ceiling joists needs studs and headers from the span tables and, where in doubt, an engineer; the calculators do not size them. Anchor ratings are manufacturers’ figures reduced by a safety factor, and do not account for damaged board, poor installation or dynamic loads.

Sound and fire figures are those of published tested assemblies. A rating applies only to an assembly built exactly as listed, and built walls usually perform below their laboratory sound ratings. Take the listing, its fasteners and its joint treatment from GA-600, UL or the board maker, not from our defaults, and confirm with your building department what it accepts.

Drying times, work rates, waste allowances and costs are estimates. Take product coverage, set times and weights from the label of what you buy, prices from local quotes, and code requirements from the edition your jurisdiction has adopted. Materials in buildings from before about 1980 may contain asbestos, and paint from before 1978 may contain lead; the site mentions them so they can be tested for, and gives no procedures for handling them.

Sources and updates

Default figures come from public sources named on each calculator’s assumption table and on the methodology page, with the date they were last checked. We update them when sources change and at least once a year, but a default may be out of date on the day you use it. Your own figures are always better than ours.

Advertising

Advertisements on the site are served by Google AdSense and are labelled as advertisements. We do not choose or endorse the products advertised, and an advertisement’s appearance next to a calculator does not mean the calculator was built with that product in mind.

Errors

If a calculator or a guide is wrong, we want to know. Write to contact@drywallscalculator.com or use the contact form; error reports are checked first. Our editorial policy explains how corrections are made and recorded.