How Much Does Drywall Weigh?

Drywall, or plasterboard, sheetrock, or gypsum board as it’s sometimes referred to, is a popular choice for constructing and lining walls and ceilings within homes.

Drywall consists of a layer of gypsum sandwiched between two sheets of thick paperboard, and it comes in large sheets or panels that can easily be cut down to size to suit any project.

Aside from being available in various sizes and being easy to cut, other advantages of drywall include its fire resistance, sound insulation properties, and low thermal conductivity.

One disadvantage of drywall is its weight, especially in its non-lightweight varieties. An 8-foot by 4-foot lightweight drywall sheet weighs between 20 lbs (1/4″ thickness) to around 80 lbs (1″ thickness), for example, whereas standard drywall can weigh considerably more (between 38-154 lbs).

In this article, we’ll help you figure out the weight of standard drywall sheet sizes and thicknesses for your project with the help of handy tables. We’ve also included a handy weight calculator to help you figure out the weight of custom sheet sizes too.

How Much Does Drywall Weigh?

As you’ll see below, drywall comes in not only a variety of lengths, widths, and thicknesses but also several different types depending on where you intend to use it.

For example, there are soundproof, moisture-resistant, and fire-resistant versions available for more demanding applications, as well as lightweight varieties that can be as much as half the weight of standard drywall.

From how much a sheet weighs in both imperial and metric measurements to how much drywall weighs per square foot, here’s everything you need to know about the weight of the various types and sizes of drywall that’s available:

How Much Does a Sheet of Drywall Weigh?

As mentioned above, drywall comes in various types to suit different applications. We’ve used the following sheets for reference in the weight tables below:

4 ft. x 8 ft. Drywall Sheet Weight:

In its lightest form (lightweight drywall), the weight of a 4′ x 8′ drywall sheet ranges from around 20.0 lbs (1/4″ thickness) to almost 80 lbs (1″ thickness).

In its heaviest form (standard drywall), the weight of a 4′ x 8′ drywall sheet ranges from around 38 lbs (1/4″ thickness) to almost 154 lbs (1″ thickness).

4 ft. x 10 ft. Drywall Sheet Weight:

In its lightest form (lightweight drywall), the weight of a 4′ x 10′ drywall sheet ranges from around 25 lbs (1/4″ thickness) to 100 lbs (1″ thickness).

In its heaviest form (standard drywall), the weight of a 4′ x 10′ drywall sheet ranges from around 48 lbs (1/4″ thickness) to 192 lbs (1″ thickness).

4 ft. x 12 ft. Drywall Sheet Weight:

In its lightest form (lightweight drywall), the weight of a 4′ x 12′ drywall sheet ranges from around 30 lbs (1/4″ thickness) to 120 lbs (1″ thickness).

In its heaviest form (standard drywall), the weight of a 4′ x 12′ drywall sheet ranges from around 58 lbs (1/4″ thickness) to about 230 lbs (1″ thickness).

Drywall Weight per Square Foot

The table below summarizes the approximate weight of drywall on a square foot basis.

The weights have been calculated based on the average density of the drywall sheets used in the weight tables above. The per square foot weight is likely to vary between manufacturers, so you should use these figures as an estimate only.

How Do You Calculate the Weight of Drywall?

A simple way to work out drywall weight is by using the weight per square foot reference table above (for imperial weights, i.e., lbs).

The first step is to work out the square foot area of the sheet you want to figure out the weight of, with a 4-foot by 8-foot sheet having an area of 32 square feet, for example (calculated by multiplying the two dimensions together).

Next, you’ll need to know the weight per square foot, which looking at a 1/2″ standard drywall sheet for this example, is 2.4 lbs/ft^² as per the reference table above.

The final step is to multiply the sheet area (32 square feet, in this case) by the weight per square foot (2.4 lbs/ft^² for this example) to give a sheet weight of approximately 76.8 lbs.

Alternatively, a much quicker and easier way to calculate the weight of a sheet of drywall is by using the simple drywall weight calculator below.

Drywall Weight Calculator

Need to work out how much a sheet of drywall weighs in either imperial or metric units?

Check out our handy drywall weight calculator:

Final Remarks

As mentioned, drywall is available in various sizes and thicknesses.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that larger and thicker drywall sheets tend to weigh more, but the specific type of sheet you choose can also influence its weight.

Lightweight drywall is a good option for constructing and lining ceilings, especially if you’re installing the sheets by yourself, with some lightweight drywall sheets being as much as 48% lighter than standard drywall sheets.

We’ve included handy weight tables above that you can use to check the approximate weight of standard types and sizes of drywall, and you can also use the calculator to figure out how much drywall weighs in custom sheet sizes.