How many screws do you need on a drywall sheet

The construction of drywall structures begins with the design and calculation of the amount of purchased material. The number of profiles and GCRs is easy to find out, but determining how many fasteners are needed is more difficult. We will figure out how to calculate the number of screws on a drywall sheet.

What self-tapping screws are used when installing gypsum plasterboard?

For fastening drywall to the frame, screws of different lengths are used:

• 25 mm - when installing gypsum plaster in one layer;
• 35 mm - when cladding in two layers.

The type of screws is selected based on the material of the frame:

• the lining is fixed to the profile with screws for metal;
• to a bar - on a tree.

It’s easy to distinguish between them: hardware designed for working with metal has a more frequent thread.

Do not use one type of screw instead of another: this will certainly affect the fastening strength.

The design of the fasteners provides the convenience and quality of work:

• A special coating protects them from corrosion of the hardware, giving them a black color.
• The pointed spiral of the thread provides easy penetration of the self-tapping screw into the metal profile and reliably holds it there in the future.
• The cone head is recessed into the material and does not interfere with subsequent finishing.
• The deep cross-shaped slot on it allows you to screw a self-tapping screw with a conventional screwdriver or screwdriver.

When using a screwdriver, you need to act carefully: there is a risk of drowning the screw too deep and spoil the material. Make work easier special drywall nozzle: due to its design, it limits the depth of screwing of the hardware.

Professionals use self-tapping screwdrivers. They facilitate and accelerate the installation process of drywall sheets at times. But the cost of such a tool is high, so it makes no sense to purchase it for a single repair.

Layout and screwing recommendations

Before calculating how many self-tapping screws will go into the design, it is logical to familiarize yourself with the norms and rules for their placement. The following nuances are taken into account here:

• The distance between adjacent screws should be more than 10 cm, otherwise when screwing in, the gypsum sheet begins to crumble.
• When aligning the walls or installing partitions between the attachment points, make a step of 25–35 cm. It is reduced to 15–20 cm if it is planned to surface the surface with heavy material, such as ceramic tiles.

• More hardware is used to cover the ceiling lining, since they are attached more often: the step is 15–20 cm. The rule works here: the thicker and heavier the drywall, the smaller the distance between the attachment points.
• When mounting in two layers, the first is attached less often - every 45-60 cm. Self-tapping screws securing the second layer are 10 cm longer. When screwing, they additionally fasten the first. This reduces the consumption of hardware and frees from unnecessary costs.
• The number of required mounting points increases with the construction of curved structures. Here the step between the screws is chosen so as to fix the desired surface shape.

Calculation of the number of screws

Produce it according to the structure of the frame. It is clear that the number and dimensions of the guides, as well as the jumpers between them, will be individual for each case. General recommendations are as follows:

• For walls, the distance between the rails is 40 or 60 cm. This step allows you to place the joints of the sheets on the surface of the profile.

• The number of horizontal jumpers depends on the size of the room (one sheet of drywall is often not enough in height), and also from the requirements for structural rigidity (required for the construction of partitions, and when leveling the walls with them you can neglected).
• For ceiling structures, frames are constructed in the form of cells with dimensions of 40 × 40, 40 × 60 or 60 × 60 cm. This structure provides a minimum of scraps and joining of elements on the profile.

Having drawn a plan of the frame, you can calculate how many hardware is needed to cover the gypsum board. For example, to mount one standard sheet to the frame on a wall having a distance between racks of 40 cm, you will need:

• 11 screws on each rack (the sheet is vertical, its length is 2,500 mm, the mounting pitch is 25 mm).
• Based on 4 racks - 44 screws.
• Plus 6 - for fastening to the upper and lower horizontal jumper (three for each - just put one self-tapping screw between adjacent vertical posts).
• Total on the sheet will leave 50 pieces.

Similarly, the number of screws for fixing individual fragments is calculated, after which all results are summarized.

Consumption of screws per 1 m2

Fastener consumption table for wall cladding in one layer according to the Knauf system (C 623.1):

Name	Quantity per 1 square. m
Dowel nails K 6/35	1,6
Screws for joining profiles LN 9	2,7
Self-tapping screw TN 25	17

For two-layer wall cladding (C 623.2):

Name	Quantity per 1 square. m
Dowel nails K 6/35	1,6
Screws for joining profiles LN 9	1,5
Self-tapping screw TN 25	7
Self-tapping screw TN 35	15

For partitions with drywall mounting in one layer (C 111):

Name	Quantity per 1 square. m
Self-tapping screw TN 25	34
Dowel nails K 6/35	1,6

For a partition with a two-layer sheathing (C 112):

Name	Quantity per 1 square. m
Dowel nails K 6/35	1,6
Self-tapping screw TN 25	14
Self-tapping screw TN 35	30

For false ceiling:

Name	Quantity per 1 square. m
Screw LN 3.5 x 9 mm	1,4
Self-tapping screw TN 25	23
The expansion bolt shield for fastening of the PN 28/27 profiles	0,7
Anchor dowel	0,7

Drywall calculator online calculator

In order not to engage in manual calculations or check yourself, it is convenient to use our calculator, which counts according to the Knauf formula.

Advice from Mr. Build. Fasteners are often broken and lost, which leads to an increase in the consumption of self-tapping screws, therefore, it is better to buy them with a margin of 10-15%. This type of fastener is universal, and the excess will come in handy during subsequent repairs, so that the costs are justified.