01
Drywall Quantity Takeoff
A measured takeoff of gypsum board by type and thickness, framing, and accessories, broken out by floor, room, and wall type so you can see exactly where quantities come from.
Estimating Buddies prepares drywall quantity takeoffs and cost estimates for general contractors, drywall subcontractors, and builders across the United States - built from your plans, priced to your market, and delivered on the schedule your bid deadline demands.
What's in the file you'll receive
Bid-ready drywall estimate package
Sheets
Board counts by type, thickness, and location
Framing
Metal stud, track, and furring quantities
Finish
Tape, mud, corner bead, and level of finish
Labor
Hang, tape/finish, and sand hours by crew rate
Cost
Line-item material and labor pricing summary
48
states covered
24–48h
typical turnaround
±2–4%
target accuracy range
About This Service
Drywall is one of the trades where a missed sheet count, an uncounted furring channel, or an underestimated finish level shows up directly on the bottom line. Estimating Buddies was built around that reality: our drywall estimating services give contractors, subcontractors, and builders a takeoff and cost estimate they can hand straight to purchasing or drop into a bid, without spending internal estimating hours re-checking quantities.
We work with projects across the United States, from single-family renovations in the Midwest to multifamily and commercial builds on the coasts. Because labor rates, material freight, and code requirements shift by state and even by county, every drywall estimate we prepare is priced against the region the project sits in, not a national average. That regional grounding is what makes an estimate usable at bid time rather than just directionally close.
Whether you need a full drywall quantity takeoff for a general contractor's master estimate, a standalone bid package for a drywall subcontractor, or a quick material takeoff to check a supplier's quote, our team scopes the request to what you actually need - nothing padded, nothing missing.
Coverage
All 50 states
Pricing basis
Regional labor & material
Units
Imperial (US standard)
Codes referenced
IBC, ASTM C840, GA-216
File formats accepted
PDF, DWG, RVT, images
Delivery format
Excel, PDF summary
What We Offer
Each service below can be ordered on its own or bundled into a single drywall estimating services package for a project.
01
A measured takeoff of gypsum board by type and thickness, framing, and accessories, broken out by floor, room, and wall type so you can see exactly where quantities come from.
02
Material and labor pricing applied to the takeoff, using current supplier pricing and regional labor rates, delivered as a bid-ready drywall cost estimate.
03
A materials-only breakdown - board, screws, tape, joint compound, corner bead, and track - sized for purchasing and supplier quote comparison.
04
Hang, tape, finish, and sand hours calculated against crew production rates, so labor cost is grounded in real installation pace, not a flat multiplier.
05
A full bid package built around your drywall estimate - scope breakdown, inclusions and exclusions, and pricing formatted for submission.
06
Metal stud, track, and furring channel takeoffs for interior partitions, shaft walls, and ceiling grids, estimated alongside the drywall scope.
Part of our broader construction estimating services
Contractors working across multiple trades often pair a drywall estimate with our other bid estimating and subcontractor estimating services, so a full project bid comes together from one source rather than several disconnected takeoffs. This is where our construction cost estimate work for MEP estimating services, mechanical estimating services, and construction estimating services fits alongside drywall on a single project timeline.
Who We Serve
Whether you need a full drywall quantity takeoff for a general contractor's master estimate, a standalone bid package for a drywall subcontractor, or a quick material takeoff to check a supplier's quote, our team scopes the request to what you actually need.
A full drywall quantity takeoff for a general contractor's master estimate, formatted so wall and ceiling scope drops into the bid without rework.
A standalone bid package built around your drywall estimate - scope breakdown, inclusions and exclusions, and pricing formatted for submission.
A quick material takeoff to check a supplier's quote, or a full drywall cost estimate priced to the region the project sits in.
Project Types
From a single-family remodel to a multi-building industrial complex, the same disciplined takeoff process scales to the project.
Homes, renovations, multifamily
Offices, retail, hospitality, healthcare
Warehouse, manufacturing, plant
What's Included
A complete drywall material and labor estimate, broken into the categories your crew and your purchasing team actually use.
A
Sheet counts by size, thickness, and type - standard, fire-rated (Type X), moisture-resistant, and acoustic board - with waste factor applied.
B
Stud, track, and furring channel quantities for walls, shaft walls, and ceiling grids, sized to spacing called out on the drawings.
C
Joint tape, compound by coat, corner bead by type, and fasteners, quantified to the specified level of finish (Level 1 through Level 5).
D
Hang, tape/finish, and sand labor hours by crew production rate, priced at the regional labor rate for the project location.
E
Quantities separated by wall type, partition, ceiling, soffit, bulkhead, and shaft wall, matched to the wall types on your plans.
F
A written scope note listing what's included, what's excluded, and any assumptions made where drawings were unclear or unspecified.
Codes & Standards
Fire ratings, acoustic assemblies, and moisture-resistant applications all carry code and manufacturer requirements that affect material selection and quantities. Our estimators reference the applicable codes and standards for each project so the estimate reflects assemblies that will actually pass inspection, not just the cheapest material option.
IBC
Fire and life-safety requirements that affect rated wall and ceiling assemblies.
ASTM C840
Standard for application and finishing of gypsum board.
GA-216
Gypsum Association application and finishing guide.
UL Assemblies
Fire-rated wall and ceiling assembly listings used to match quantities to inspectable systems.
Local amendments
State and municipal building code amendments that shift material selection by jurisdiction.
Sample Estimate
A simplified excerpt from a typical commercial drywall estimate. Your delivered file includes the full room-by-room and wall-by-wall detail behind each line.
Sample Project - Commercial Drywall Estimate
Illustrative only
Item
Description
Quantity
Unit
Unit Cost
Total
1
5/8" Type X gypsum board
412
sheets
$16.20
$6,674.40
2
1/2" moisture-resistant board
96
sheets
$14.85
$1,425.60
3
3-5/8" metal studs, 25 ga.
3,180
lf
$0.92
$2,925.60
4
Joint compound, ready-mix
58
buckets
$14.10
$818.00
5
Corner bead, metal
640
lf
$0.85
$544.00
6
Hang labor
186
hrs
$48.00
$8,928.00
7
Tape / finish labor (Level 4)
224
hrs
$46.00
$10,304.00
Estimated project total
$31,619.60
Figures shown are illustrative only. Your delivered estimate is priced against current regional material and labor rates for your specific project location and scope.
How the Process Works
Most drywall estimates move through this process in 24 to 48 hours, depending on project size and how complete the plan set is.
01
Upload PDF plans, CAD files, or a Bluebeam/PlanSwift file, along with any specifications or addenda covering drywall scope.
02
We confirm project type, level of finish, fire and acoustic ratings, and any material preferences before the takeoff begins.
03
Our estimator measures the plans in a digital takeoff tool, quantifying board, framing, and finish materials by wall and ceiling type.
04
Current material pricing and regional labor rates are applied to the takeoff to produce a full cost estimate.
05
A second estimator checks quantities against the plans and flags any discrepancies before the file is released.
06
You receive the estimate in Excel and PDF. If plans are revised or you have questions on a line item, we update the estimate at no extra charge within scope.
Software & Pricing Sources
We measure quantities digitally and apply pricing from current regional sources so figures reflect the market your project sits in.
Digital takeoff and quantity measurement
Plan markup, measurement, and file review
Sheet-by-sheet material quantification
Model-based takeoff for BIM project files
Estimate build-up and final delivery format
Current gypsum board, framing, and finish material costs by market
Used as a cross-check on labor and material benchmarks
Union and open-shop rates by region
For fire-rated and specialty assemblies
Accuracy & Quality Assurance
Accuracy in drywall estimating comes from a consistent process, not a single careful estimator. Every estimate passes through the same checks before it reaches you.
01
Quantities are measured once during takeoff and re-verified during QA review against the same plan set.
02
Board, framing, and finish materials each carry a waste allowance appropriate to that material, not a single blanket percentage.
03
Material and labor rates are checked against current regional data rather than carried forward from older estimates.
04
Anywhere a drawing is unclear or unspecified, the assumption made is written into the estimate, not left implicit.
Why Choose Us
Drywall estimates are prepared for how contractors actually bid: trade-specific estimators, bid-deadline turnaround, and line items you can defend.
Drywall estimates are prepared by estimators who work drywall and interior systems regularly, not generalists switching between trades.
Most estimates are delivered within 24 to 48 hours, with expedited turnaround available for tight bid dates.
Every estimate shows the quantities and pricing behind each number, so you can defend it in a bid meeting or a client call.
Plan changes and addenda during the bid period are re-estimated within scope, without restarting the process.
Regional labor and material pricing across the US means the estimate reflects your market, not a national average.
Contractors who bid drywall regularly use us as a standing resource, not a one-off order, with consistent formatting project to project.
Service Areas
We estimate drywall projects nationwide, with regional pricing data covering every major US construction market.
NY, NJ, PA, MA, CT
FL, GA, NC, SC, TN
IL, OH, MI, IN, WI
TX, OK, LA, AR
CO, AZ, UT, NM
CA, WA, OR, NV
VA, MD, DC, DE
KS, NE, MO, IA
ID, MT, WY
Remaining states on request
Don't see your state listed by name - we still cover it. Regional groupings above reflect our standard labor and material pricing zones across all 50 states.
Cost & Pricing
Our drywall estimating fees are based on project size and complexity, not a flat rate. These are the factors that typically move the price.
01
Larger projects take longer to measure and typically carry a lower per-square-foot estimating fee.
02
Fully dimensioned plans with wall types called out take less estimator time than incomplete or conflicting drawing sets.
03
Projects with many distinct assemblies - fire-rated, acoustic, shaft wall - require more detailed quantification.
04
Standard 24–48 hour turnaround is included in our base pricing; rush turnaround carries an expedite fee.
05
A materials-only takeoff costs less than a full material-and-labor cost estimate with bid formatting.
06
Projects with multiple addenda or repeated plan revisions during the bid period may be quoted with revision rounds included.
Ready to Bid?
Send your plans and we'll quote a fixed price for the drywall estimate before any work begins, so there are no surprises on your invoice.
Common questions about our drywall estimating services
Drywall estimating is the process of measuring a project's plans to determine the quantity of gypsum board, framing, and finishing materials required, then applying material and labor pricing to produce a total project cost. It's used by contractors to prepare bids and by purchasing teams to order materials. Matching trade quantities are covered by our roofing estimating services.
A complete drywall estimate includes gypsum board quantities by type and thickness, metal stud and framing counts, finishing materials such as tape and joint compound, labor hours for hanging and finishing, and a written summary of assumptions and exclusions. A connected scope is available through our mechanical estimating services.