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Materials & Specificationsaka: gypsum boardaka: sheetrockaka: wallboardaka: plasterboard

Drywall

In Plain English

The standard material used to make interior walls and ceilings, made of gypsum sandwiched between paper facing.

Definition

Drywall is a panel made of gypsum plaster sandwiched between two sheets of paper facing, used to construct interior walls and ceilings. It is also called gypsum board or sheetrock and is installed by screwing or nailing panels to wall framing, then taping and finishing joints. Drywall is available in standard, moisture-resistant, fire-rated, and abuse-resistant types.

Why It Matters in Bidding

Drywall is one of the largest interior-finish line items on commercial and residential bids, priced by square foot of board plus labor for hanging, taping, and finishing, so estimators must capture the correct type (standard, Type X fire-rated, moisture-resistant) because misreading the spec can leave a bid thousands of dollars short or noncompliant with code. Fire-rated assemblies tie directly to inspection approval, so getting the drywall scope right affects both bid accuracy and award risk.

Example

When pricing the tenant build-out, the estimator separated 5/8-inch Type X board at the corridor fire-rated walls from standard 1/2-inch board elsewhere, since the rated assemblies carried higher labor and inspection costs.

Related Terms

Gypsum BoardMetal StudFire-Rated AssemblySubstrate

Frequently Asked Questions

Drywall is quantified by square foot of wall and ceiling surface, then converted to board count using common sheet sizes like 4x8 or 4x12. Estimators add separate line items for hanging labor, taping and finishing to a specified level, corner bead, fasteners, and waste, usually allowing five to ten percent for cutting and breakage.
Type X board contains glass fibers and additives that slow burn-through, achieving a one-hour rating in tested wall assemblies, while regular board carries no rating. Bids must match board type to the architectural fire-rating schedule, because substituting standard board into a rated wall fails inspection and forces costly rework after finishing is complete.
Finish levels from 0 through 5 define how much taping, coating, and sanding the work requires, and labor cost climbs sharply at higher levels. A Level 5 finish for critical lighting can cost far more than a Level 3 finish hidden behind cabinets, so estimators who ignore the specified level either underbid labor or over-finish concealed areas.

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