Drywall Installation Cost Calculator

Drywall is the skin of the room—it turns insulation and studs into clean, professional, paint-ready walls. If you are looking for a way to estimate drywall installation cost, you have come to the right place. Here, you can instantly see how much your drywall installation is likely to cost.

In this guide, we cover:

• What is a Drywall Installation Cost Calculator?
• How the calculator works?
• A real-world example

What is a Drywall Installation Cost Calculator?

A drywall installation cost calculator is an online tool that helps homeowners and contractors estimate the total project cost. It accounts for many factors to estimate not only the total cost but also a cost breakdown of:

• Materials (drywall boards by type)
• Labor (hang, tape, mud, sand—by finish level and location)
• Supplies (joint compound, screws, tape, corner bead, plastic—modeled at 5% of materials)
• Optional removal & disposal of old drywall
• Contingency (10%) to cover small surprises and normal job variability

Further, we will explain the formula behind the calculator and step-by-step walk-through a real-world example.

How the Drywall Installation Cost Calculator Works?

The math behind the calculator is simple, and it uses real-world factors to give you an accurate estimate that helps you make an informed decision based on real data.

We will explain a real-world example step by step so you can see exactly how the calculator computes the estimate:

A Real-World Example

Imagine a scenario where a house with an area of 1,000 ft² needs to be drywalled with these details:

• Area: 1,000 ft²
• Board type: Standard 1/2"
• Finish: Level 4 (normal smooth finish)
• Location: Suburban
• Old drywall removal: No

1. Step 1: Materials
   1,000 ft² × $0.65 = $650
2. Step 2: Labor
   1,000 ft² × $1.60 × (finish factor 1.0) × (location factor 1.0) = $1,600
3. Step 3: Supplies (5% of materials)
   5% × $650 = $32.50
4. Step 4: Removal
   Not selected → $0
5. Step 5: Subtotal
   $650 + $1,600 + $32.50 = $2,282.50
6. Step 6: Contingency (10%)
   10% × $2,282.50 = $228.25
7. Total = $2,510.75
   Cost per square foot = $2.51/ft²

So, we estimate it will cost about $2,510.75 in total, with a cost per square foot of $2.51/ft².