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Plasterboard calculator: boards, screws, tape, Easi-Fill and studs
Measure the wall or ceiling, pick the board size and whether it is boarded one side or both, and get the boards, screws, tape and jointing compound to order, plus the metal C-stud or timber CLS if you are building a partition from scratch. Board sizes are Gyproc stock sizes, screws follow British Gypsum centres, and jointing compound is worked out by the length of joint from the Easi-Fill data sheet, not by the square metre.
What you need
Boards
- Gyproc WallBoard (standard) 12.5mm
- 10 × 1200 × 2400 sheets24.0m² of board over both sides, includes 10% for cutsGyproc WallBoard product data sheet
- Board weight
- 185 kg7.7kg per m² for 12.5mm WallBoard, about 22kg a sheet, for the delivery and carryingGyproc WallBoard product data sheet
Fixings
- Drywall screws
- 270 × 32mm27 a board: 3 stud lines at 600mm × 9 screws at 300mm centres. Fine thread for metalBritish Gypsum fixing centres; BuildByJai
- Screw boxes
- 1 × box of 1000
Jointing
- Paper joint tape
- 1 × 150m rollsabout 36m of joint, 3.6m a board. Tapered-edge boards for tape and joint
- Gyproc Easi-Fill 60
- 1 × 10kg bags8kg: 0.14kg per metre of flat joint, 0.15kg per metre of internal angleGyproc Easi-Fill data sheet DS-112
Sundries
- Wall area
- 12.0 m²one side
Round up to whole packs and bags. Figures include the wastage you chose and match TradeCalc in the app.
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Or claim your free profile link nowHow the maths works
- Board area is length × height, doubled if you board both sides and multiplied by the layers, plus 10% for cuts. Gyproc WallBoard comes in 900 × 1800, 1200 × 2400, 2700 and 3000 (and longer) at 9.5, 12.5 and 15mm; 12.5mm weighs 7.7kg per m² (British Gypsum product data sheet).
- Screws follow British Gypsum centres: 300mm on walls and 230mm on ceilings. A 1200 board crosses 3 studs at 600mm centres or 4 at 400mm, so it is 27 or 36 screws on a wall and 33 or 44 on a ceiling. 32mm screws for a single 12.5mm layer, 42mm for the second layer, fine thread for metal and coarse for timber, in boxes of 1,000.
- Jointing compound is worked out by the length of joint, not the area. Gyproc Easi-Fill data sheet DS-112 gives 9kg for taping plus 5kg for the first finish per 100m of flat tapered joint (0.14kg a metre), 0.40kg a metre on an external angle with a metal bead and 0.15kg a metre on an internal angle. Each board adds about one long and one short edge of joint. Easi-Fill comes in 10kg bags; the old 1.5kg per m² in 25kg tubs was 4 to 8 times too much.
- Paper joint tape comes in 150m rolls; self-adhesive fibre scrim in 90m. If you are skimming instead, scrim the joints and use the plaster calculator for the BoardFinish.
- Framing is either 70mm metal C-stud in U-track, or 38 × 89 CLS timber with head and sole plates. Studs are the length ÷ centres plus one to close, plus two per door. Noggins (dwangs) are a timber thing: metal stud partitions use Gypframe GFS1 fixing channel or plywood pattresses where you need to hang things, so they only show for timber.
- Angle beads run up each external corner in 3m lengths. Acoustic specs add mineral wool between the studs and sealant round the perimeter at about 8m a tube; pack coverage of the wool varies, so it is given in m².
Worked example
A 5m long, 2.4m high partition boarded both sides is 24m² of board. With 10% for cuts that is 10 sheets of 1200 × 2400 WallBoard, 270 screws (one box), 36m of joint, so 1 roll of paper tape and 1 bag of Easi-Fill. Framing in metal at 600mm centres adds 10 C-studs and 4 lengths of track.
Questions people ask
How many screws per plasterboard?
27 for a 1200 × 2400 board on a wall with studs at 600mm centres (3 stud lines, screws every 300mm), 36 at 400mm centres, and 33 or 44 on a ceiling where the centres come down to 230mm. A box of 1,000 does about 37 boards on a wall.
How much jointing compound do I need?
About 0.14kg per metre of flat joint for taping and a first finish (Gyproc Easi-Fill DS-112), so a 1200 × 2400 board with its 3.6m of joint takes half a kilo. Ten boards is roughly 5kg: one 10kg bag does 15 to 20 boards. External angles with a bead take 0.40kg a metre and internal angles 0.15kg. Buy it in 10kg bags, not 25kg tubs.
Should I use 9.5mm or 12.5mm plasterboard?
12.5mm is the standard for walls on studs at 600mm and is the default here. 9.5mm is lighter and fine on ceilings at 400mm centres or for curved work, but flexes between studs at 600mm. 15mm is for fire and acoustic specs. Two layers need the joints staggered by at least 600mm.
What size boards should I buy?
1200 × 2400 is the standard. 1200 × 2700 and 3000 are stock British Gypsum sizes that stand full height in taller rooms without a horizontal joint. 900 × 1800 boards are easier to carry upstairs and through loft hatches. Use tapered-edge (TE) boards for tape and joint and square-edge for skimming.
Do I need noggins in a metal stud wall?
No. Noggins (dwangs in Scotland) are timber. Metal stud systems use Gypframe GFS1 fixing channel, strap or plywood pattresses where you want to hang a radiator, basin or cabinet. Pick timber CLS and the calculator adds a row of noggins at mid height, two rows over 2.4m.
Do I skim over plasterboard or tape and joint it?
Either. Tape and joint (the Easi-Fill in this calculator) leaves the board face showing and is quicker for a painted finish. A skim gives a solid plaster finish and hides the joints completely; pick skim and the tape becomes scrim, then use the plaster calculator for the BoardFinish.
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