How Much Does a 5/8” Sheet of Drywall Weigh?


So, what is the weight of 5/8” drywall? A 5/8 inch thick sheet of Type X drywall weighs 70 to 105 pounds, depending on the size of the sheet.

To determine the exact weight of a USG Sheetrock Brand Type X sheet of 5/8″ drywall, simply multiply the total square feet of the sheet by 2.2 pounds per square foot.

“But what is the total square feet of my gypsum panel?” You might be asking.

I can tell you this, the three most common sizes of drywall are 4′ x 8′, 4′ x 10′, and 4′ x 12′.

Multiply the width by the height. Bam. You get the total square feet of the sheet. Got it?

To save you from pulling out your calculator, I’ll tell you right now, that’s 32 square feet for a 4’x8′ sheet, 40 square feet for a 4’x10′ sheet, and 48 square feet for a 4’x12′ sheet.

A good commercial drywall estimator will be able to calculate the total drywall weight, if needed, per the correct drywall product and manufacturer required in the project specifications.

Are you looking for a good commercial drywall estimator?? I might know of a few, just shoot me a message on the contact page.

how much does drywall weigh?
How much does drywall weigh?
How much does this six-stack of drywall weigh? If my “estimation” is correct, it’s about 13,728 pounds.

How Much Does Drywall Weigh Per Square Foot?

We just said a typical sheet of Type X 5/8″ drywall from USG weighs 2.2 pounds per square foot. 5/8″ is the most common size and thickness in commercial construction, but there’s much more to the story.

Much more.

Turns out, Type X is just one of many different types of drywall and gypsum board products by several manufacturers. Guess what? Every different type of drywall product weighs slightly different weight.

The good news is because the weight of drywall turns out to be an important factor in construction, each manufacturer calculates the weight per square foot and issues the statistics in the product data submittals.

The hard part is identifying the manufacturer and each specified product, then finding the technical data in the product submittals and identifying the drywall weight.

There’s more good news. I’m about to give you all the information you need to calculate the weight of the most common gypsum products on the market.

(And if you don’t think the weight of drywall is important in construction, you’ve never lifted it for 8 hours straight.)

And if you’ve hung drywall at any point in your life, I salute you. Let’s keep going.

usg ultralight sheetrock brand weight of 5/8 drywall
1/2″ USG UltraLight Sheetrock and 5/8″ Firecode Type X Drywall

How Much Does a 1/2” Sheet of Drywall Weigh?

So we just went over the math on the typical 5/8″ type X gypsum panels, but drywall comes in a few different thicknesses.

For residential projects, 1/2″ drywall is most common for walls. Let’s go over the math on how much 1/2″ drywall weighs.

USG Sheetrock Brand 1/2″ drywall weighs 1.6 pounds per square foot.

With the typical sheets equalling 32, 40, and 48 square feet total, the weight of 1/2″ regular gypsum drywall per sheet is 52, 64, and 77 pounds, depending on the size of the sheet.

Let’s keep going through the most common types of gypsum drywall panels, and look at the differences in weight per sheet.

I do have a handy chart in here as well – I wasn’t going to force you to read the entire article without a chart for quick reference – time is money.

stack of 1 2 inch 4/10 usg ultralight drywall weigh

Why Do We Need to Know the Weight of Drywall?

Let’s get one thing straight before we go too far.

There are several really good reasons to know the weight of drywall. It’s not just some crazy request from an architect because they have nothing else better to do. (to all you architects out there, I respect what you do very much)

Weight of drywall is actually really important. Here are three top reasons.

1. Transporting Drywall

First, trucks carrying enormous loads of drywall pass through tunnels, over bridges, and on top of freshly dug construction sites. We are talking about 30,000 to 40,000 pounds or more.

It’s critical to know the total weight of drywall on each truck.

2. Stocking and Stacking Drywall

Second, drywall must be stocked and stacked on each floor of a project in a centralized area before it can be hung on the walls and ceilings. (You can’t spread drywall around the construction site or the MEP trades would throw a fit.) It’s got to be neatly stacked.

That means tremendous weight concentrated in one specific area of a half-built building.

Structural engineers need to know how much weight is going to be resting on the floor of their project so they can engineer accordingly.

3. Installing Drywall

Finally, consider the workers. Unfortunately, we still do not have drywall hanging robots. (getting close, but still no) So human labor is hanging gypsum panels every day, all day long.

If you can reduce the weight of one drywall sheet from 2.2 pounds per square foot down to 1.8 pounds per square foot, like the USG Lightweight drywall product, you have just made one sheet almost 18% lighter.

That’s a huge difference. Consider a crew of two drywall hangers trying to hang 40 to 50 sheets per day. An 18% reduction in weight helps tremendously. That’s roughly 945 pounds they don’t have to lift every single day.

Not only can they hang more sheets that day, but it leaves them less tired and less worn out for the next day of work.

Happier, less tired workers able to increase drywall hanging labor productions. Now that’s a win-win scenario. (And yes, the price is almost the same for the lightweight drywall.)


How Much Does UltraLight Drywall Weigh?

Sheetrock Brand UltraLight Panels from USG weigh nearly 18% less than standard drywall.

Ecosmart Firecode 30 5/8″ drywall weighs 1.7 lbs / sq. ft.

These panels are not designed for rated walls because they don’t meet the requirements of ASTM C1396. So you can use UltraLight drywall anytime type X is not required.

For any partition or ceiling that requires type X drywall, there’s USG 5/8″ Firecode 30.

The sheets meet ASTM C1396 and will save the backs of your drywall hanging crews. Weight per square foot is 1.8 pounds for ultra light gypsum panels.


Does Fire Rated Drywall Weigh the Same as Regular Drywall?

Fire-rated drywall usually weighs slightly more than regular, non-rated drywall.

How much is “slightly?” About 5%. The reason type X fire-rated drywall weighs more is the additional glass fiber reinforcement in the gypsum core that’s specifically formulated to resist flame spread.

weight of 5/8 drywall
USG Drywall Products Weight Per Square Foot

How Much Does Soundproof Drywall Weigh?

There’s a popular product from National Gypsum called Gold Bond Soundbreak XP.

Soundbreak drywall panels have a high-density, acoustically enhanced sound-damping gypsum core with moisture and mold-resistant recycled purple paper.

1/2″ Gold Bond Soundbreak XP board weighs 2.3 pounds per square foot.

5/8″ Soundbreak XP drywall weighs 2.7 lbs / square foot.

How Much Does Moisture Resistant Drywall Weigh?

USG has their moisture-resistant drywall product called “Mold Tough” weighing in at 1.8 lbs/ sq. ft. for the 1/2″ glass-mat.

National Gypsum Gold Bond moisture-resistant, or greenboard products include the eXP Interior Extreme weighing 2 pounds per square foot for the 1/2″.

1/4 inch drywall

How Much Does a 12′ Sheet of 5 8 Drywall Weigh?

A 12-foot-long sheet of 5/8-inch thick drywall typically weighs around 105 pounds. Doing the math, it’s 2.2 pounds per square foot times 48 square feet in one sheet. That equals exactly 105.6 pounds.

In yards, it would be 5.33 Sq. Yards times 19.8 pounds per yard equals 105.6 pounds per sheet.

Do you want to do inches next? 6,912 square inches times .0153 pounds per square inch equals 105.6 pounds per sheet of drywall.

Have you ever lifted a 4′ x 12′ sheet of 5/8″ drywall by yourself? I would love to meet the person who has.

drywall weight per square foot
National Gypsum Products Weight Per Square Foot
drywall weight per square foot certainteed
Certainteed Drywall Products Weight Per Square Foot

How Many Sheets of Drywall in a Stack?

The number of sheets of drywall that can be stacked together will depend on the thickness of the sheets.

One stack of 5/8″ drywall has 26 sheets. For easy handling, two drywall sheets are attached at each end in the factory with thick paper.

For drywall installation, before picking up one sheet by hand, tear the paper off each end to separate the two sheets.

The typical stack of 1/2″ drywall has 32 sheets in one stack. Home improvement stores like Home Depot have several stacks of drywall on top of one another with dunnage in between.

As you can see below, the drywall stacks are separated with spaces so a forklift can lift each stack without damaging the sheets.

Even though a drywall stack is of different lengths, they are all stacked with the same number of sheets.

One last thing on drywall weight I’d like to clarify. If you’ve read this entire article and you’re still asking yourself, how much does sheetrock weigh? It’s the same weight as drywall. Sheetrock is simply the USG brand of drywall.

stack of drywall
stack of 5 8 inch drywall

This article is dedicated to the hard-working men and women who have, once upon a time, hung drywall, or are currently hanging drywall on construction projects around the world.

If you see a drywall hanger today, just tell them thanks.


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