Partition Wall Calculator
Drywall, stud, and insulation from wall linear footage.
About this calculator
This calculator turns a partition wall's linear footage and height into a full material takeoff by working through each assembly layer in sequence. Metal stud count comes from spacing 16" or 24" on-center along the wall length (studs per linear foot = 12/spacing, rounded up, plus one extra for the end), with top-and-bottom track equal to twice the wall length. Drywall area is the one-side wall area (length × height) doubled for both faces of the partition, then doubled again if you select double-layer construction — the two-layers-per-side assembly needed for a 2-hour fire rating versus 1-hour for a single layer — before dividing by 32 SF per standard 4'×8' sheet and rounding up, with your waste percentage applied on top.
Insulation batts (when selected) are sized off the same wall area at roughly 40 SF per bundle, and finishing materials follow fixed ratios: about 0.06 gallons of joint compound and 1.1 linear feet of paper tape per square foot of drywall face, plus one screw per square foot per layer. Sound and fire performance are estimated, not measured — a base STC of 38 for single-layer or 48 for double-layer assemblies, with +5 added when insulation is present, reflecting how sound transmission class improves with mass and absorptive fill in the stud cavity, while fire rating in hours simply tracks the layer count (1 or 2). Material costs are rough per-unit prices (roughly $14/sheet drywall, per-stud and per-track-foot stud costs, $45/bundle insulation) meant for early budgeting — get supplier quotes before ordering, since regional pricing and assembly details (fire-taping requirements, specific stud gauge) can shift real costs meaningfully.
Inputs
Results
Drywall sheets (4x8)
19
Metal studs
24
Total material cost ($)
$1,271.22
≈ 10 pairs of sneakers
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter Wall length (ft), Wall height (ft), and Drywall layers (0=single, 1=double).
- Set Stud spacing (0=16, Insulation (0=no, 1=yes), and Waste allowance (%).
- Review Drywall sheets (4x8), Metal studs, and Total material cost ($) ($).
- Use Wall area (sq ft) and Track (LF) to inform your decision.
How the result changes with Wall length (ft)
| Wall length (ft) | Drywall sheets (4x8) | Metal studs | Total material cost ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 10 | 13 | $650.26 |
| 23 | 15 | 19 | $975.01 |
| 45 | 29 | 35 | $1,898.18 |
| 75 | 48 | 58 | $3,108.75 |
What each input means
- Wall length (ft)
- Total linear feet of partition wall.
- Wall height (ft)
- Floor-to-ceiling or floor-to-deck height.
- Drywall layers (0=single, 1=double)
- Single layer (1-hr fire) or double layer (2-hr fire) each side.
- Stud spacing (0=16" OC, 1=24" OC)
- 16" OC for standard, 24" OC for non-load-bearing or cost savings.
- Insulation (0=no, 1=yes)
- Whether to include batt insulation in the stud cavity.
- Waste allowance (%)
- Typical 10% for straight runs, 15% for complex layouts.
What each result means
- Wall area (sq ft)
- One-side wall surface area.
- Drywall sheets (4x8)
- Total 4'x8' drywall sheets including waste and both sides.
- Metal studs
- Number of vertical studs needed.
- Track (LF)
- Linear feet of top and bottom track.
- Insulation bundles
- Batt insulation bundles (~40 sq ft each).
- Joint compound (gal)
- Gallons of joint compound for taping and finishing.
- Tape rolls
- 500-ft rolls of paper joint tape.
- Drywall screws
- Total drywall screws needed.
- Est. STC rating
- Estimated Sound Transmission Class for the assembly.
- Fire rating (hrs)
- Estimated fire resistance rating in hours.
- Total material cost ($)
- Estimated total material cost.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersWall length (ft) = 30, Wall height (ft) = 9, Drywall layers (0=single, 1=double) = 0, Stud spacing (0=16 = 0 = 6 input(s) provided
- Calculate Drywall sheetsDrywall sheets = ceil(sheetsNet * (1 + wastePct / 100))19 = 19
- Calculate Metal studsMetal studs24 = 24
- Calculate Total material costTotal material cost = drywallCost + studCost + insulationCost + finishingCost1271.22 = $1,271.22
- Calculate Wall areaWall area = wallLengthFt * wallHeightFt270 = 270
- Calculate TrackTrack = wallLengthFt * 260 = 60
Engine last updated . Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does selecting Double Layer drywall roughly double both the Drywall Sheets and Total Material Cost?
Double Layer sets the layers-per-side value to 2, which directly doubles the total drywall square footage calculation (wall area times 2 sides times 2 layers) compared to single layer's single pass — so sheet count, screw count, joint compound, and tape all scale up proportionally with it. This is also what pushes the Fire Rating output from 1 hour (single layer 5/8" Type X) to 2 hours (double layer), since the fire rating is set equal to the layers-per-side count directly.
How is the estimated STC (sound rating) calculated, and how much does insulation change it?
The calculator starts from a base STC of 48 for double-layer construction or 38 for single-layer, then adds a flat +5 if insulation is selected — so a double-layer wall with insulation estimates at STC 53, while a single-layer wall without insulation estimates at STC 38. These are fixed reference values for a typical 3-5/8" metal stud assembly, not a lab-tested rating for your specific product combination.
Why does changing Stud Spacing from 16 inches to 24 inches on-center reduce the stud count?
Stud count is calculated as the wall length in inches divided by the spacing (16" or 24"), rounded up, plus one extra stud for the wall's end — so going from 16" to 24" spacing reduces the number of studs needed for the same wall length by roughly a third, which is why 24" OC is typically chosen for non-load-bearing partitions where cost savings matter more than the extra rigidity of tighter spacing.
What's included in the Total Material Cost figure, and what isn't?
It sums four cost components: drywall sheets at about $14 each, metal studs and track at per-linear-foot rates, insulation bundles at about $45 each when selected, and finishing materials — joint compound, tape, and screws — at their own per-unit rates. It does not include installation labor or taping/finishing labor or any markup; it's raw material cost only, meant for early budgeting rather than a contractor quote.
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