37 or 42 drywall screws per 4×8 sheet, but…

When I was in Nova Scotia Community College for the Drywall and Steel Framing course I learned that there are many different nailing (yes, I nailed the perimeter a few decades ago!) and screwing patterns for various lengths of drywall and the specific applications. See here for how many screws are needed for more drywall lengths.

If you are like me a visual person you can skip down and look at my incredibly terrible drawings. At least they are easy to understand at a glance.

Drywall screws needed for 4′ x 8’x 1/2″ sheet include:

LocationSpacingScrews
Wall
horizontal
1637
Wall
horizontal
2433
Wall
vertical
1626
Wall
vertical
2421
Ceiling1642
Ceiling2436
Screws per sheet for walls and ceilings at different spacing

4×8 sheet on the wall horizontally

Horizontally is how the majority of residential drywall is installed on wood lumber framing in USA and Canada. The below information is for 1/2″ drywall.

Wall drywall on 16″ wood and steel stud spacing

A 4×8 sheet of drywall on the wall horizontally in most residential construction situations in most states and provinces requires 10 screws in the field (middle) and 27 around the perimeter (14 – 15 in the bevel and 12 on the butt edge)

TIP: I like to stagger the screws in the butt ends between each sheet of drywall by at least one inch. This reduces the chance of weakening the edges and makes for a better joint for the crackfiller (taper, trust me, we appreciate it).

The screws do not need to land on a stud at the wall bottom or top. This is because there is a 2″ x 4″ wood plate running horizontally (two on the top of the wall). So as long as you install the screw within 2.25″ of the top (at the ceiling) and 1.25″ bottom (floor) you will hit lumber anywhere.

I usually add an extra screw at the top and bottom of each sheet because I am not following the wood studs and more is better than less in my experience.

TIP: Install screws at least one inch from the bevel edge. This prevents the screw from deforming the edge by pushing the drywall out slightly. This prevents the top sheet from sitting perfectly flat on the bottom one and increases the chance of the mud cracking in the future (and the taper won’t appreciate it either).

The above tip applies to the butt edges, even more so because the drywall paper does not continue around the edge. This exposed gypsum is easily cracked and pieces can fall out causing the next sheet to not butt up tights. This causes a weak joint that may crack later. So try to keep the screws at least 1/4″ from the butt edge.

TIP: Please, for the love of God, make sure all your screws are embedded in the drywall so the taper does not have to go around with a screwdriver for hours and twist them in. This is not a good start to your relationship with the taper. Also, please pull out the screws that missed the studs!

And use the end of a screwdriver or small hammer and pound in the paper that is sticking out from the wall. This will show through the paint if the taper does not do it.

I am too lazy to download a drawing app and learn how to use it, so try not to laugh at my hand drawing. I can’t draw a stick person, so this is fine art for me!

drywall screws

On 24″ wood and steel stud spacing

All the above information applies for 24″ stud spacing, except there will only be three studs in the field (middle) compared to five with 16″ spacing.

This results in the following number of screws for 24″ stud spacing:

  • Three screws for each stud in the field (middle three rows on studs): 9
  • The bevel edge where it meets another sheet of drywall: 5
  • The bevel edge where it meets the floor or ceiling: 7
  • Butt edges at other drywall or corners: 12
  • Total: 33

4×8 sheet on the wall vertically

Drywall should not be installed vertically on wood studs in residential construction. I have cheated on this rule many times, but only on the sides of closets where I had lots of drywall and I was doing the taping.

The reason is that I could cut a sheet of drywall in half lengthwise at about 24″. So with one cut, I had two pieces that completely covered these two 24″ walls. This saved me from running around looking for four pieces that were longer than 24″ and making four cuts.

It also saved me time by installing two fewer pieces (two versus four).

And another time saver was that I did not need to apply fiber mesh tape and three coats of bond and mud. I know this does not seem like a big time saver, but I have installed and taped thousands of closets in the past 32 years!

If you can get 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up 37 times better by the time you’re done.” “It is only when looking back 2, 5, or 10 years later that the value of good habits and the cost of bad ones become strikingly apparent.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

This is an amazing book that my sister gave me, and you can check it out here on Amazon. It has helped me greatly!

On 16″ wood stud centers

The number of screws required for drywall installed vertically included:

  • Screws for each stud in the field (middle two rows on studs): 10
  • The bevel edge where it meets another sheet of drywall or corner: 10
  • Butt edge where it meets the floor or ceiling: 6
  • Total: 26

On 24″ centers for wood and steel studs

This situation is most common in commercial construction. I have avoided commercial work until recently, for many reasons. One advantage for installers and tapers is that there are fewer screws to install and coat with mud.

This type of construction is almost always framed with steel studs and steel suspended ceilings.

The advantages of this construction include:

  • Less materials: fewer screws, bonds, and mud.
  • Less labor: fewer materials equal less time to install and tape.
  • Less labor: it takes months of manpower to move steel studs, drywall, screws, mud, bond, paper tape, mesh tape, etc from the floor level up through many floors in apartment and office buildings. Less materials equal less cost.

The disadvantages include:

  • Weaker construction: the walls will be much more flimsy with a 24″ span between studs.

Ah, but I did build a house for a client and I designed it using 2″ x 8″ wood studs on 24″ centers, so this situation can happen in residential construction in rare situations.

Screws that are needed for drywall that was installed vertically:

  • Screws for each stud in the field (the middle one row on a stud): 5
  • The bevel edge where it meets another sheet of drywall or corner: 10
  • Butt edge where it meets the floor or ceiling: 6
  • Total: 21

4×8 sheet on the ceiling

Drywall installed on ceilings requires more screws, for obvious reasons. But not many more, you can use the same fastening patterns as for horizontal 16″ and 24″ walls except add on more screw to the field. So instead of two in the middle of the sheet of drywall, there will be three. It is that simple.

On 16″ wood strapping and truss rafters

With an extra screw in the five field rows, the total number to install is 42.

On 24″ wood strapping and steel stud framing

There is obviously few screws required with fewer strapping or u-bar to fasten to. So the total number of screws needed for a 4×8 sheet of drywall on the ceiling with 24″ spacing is 36.

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