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Drywall cost calculator: price board, hang and tape

Drywall is priced by the square foot of board, but profit is made or lost in the hours: hanging, three coats of mud and sanding. Enter your crew and materials and see what you need to charge per square foot.

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What goes into the price

Seven costs every drywall bid has to cover

Hanging and taping hoursCount hanging, taping and every coat of mud, plus drying time that keeps the crew from moving on.
Payroll costsEmployer CPP and EI plus 4% vacation pay, roughly 12% on top of wages.
WCBThe 2026 Alberta industry rate for drywall, plaster and stucco is $4.69 per $100 of payroll; use your own rate from your premium notice.
MaterialsBoard, screws, tape, mud, corner bead and sanding supplies, if you supply them.
EquipmentLifts, stilts, sanders, scaffolding, delivery and disposal.
Your share of overheadTruck, insurance, phone and office spread over the jobs you finish each month.
Waiting to get paidBuilder terms plus holdback. The calculator shows how long you carry the costs.
Worked example

Example: 7,800 sq ft of board in a new house, supply and install

3 workers × 8 days × 9 hours = 216 crew hours at $33/hour. Overhead of $8,000 a month over 5 jobs. Target margin 15%.

Crew labour with CPP, EI, vacation pay and WCB$8,318
Labour contingency (10%)$832
Materials$5,200
Equipment, fuel and disposal$400
Share of overhead$1,600
Cost of waiting to be paid$107
Break-even price$16,456
Price for a 15% margin$19,360
Target price per square foot$2.48

These are example numbers to show how the math works, not market prices. Your wages, rates and overhead will be different, so put in your own. WCB uses the 2026 Alberta industry rate for Drywall/Plaster/Stucco (42135).

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Questions

Drywall and taping pricing questions

How do I price drywall per square foot?

Add up labour with payroll costs and WCB, materials, equipment and your overhead share, add your margin, then divide by the square feet of board.

Should hanging and taping be priced separately?

You can add them as separate lines on the proposal. For the job check, include all the hours so the total cost is right.

Does it handle holdback?

Yes. Holdback is on by default for new construction, and you can turn it off for customers who pay in full.

Is it free?

The job check is free. Proposals, invoices and your logo come with Pro, and new accounts get a 14-day Pro trial with no card needed.

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It takes about two minutes. Then turn it into a proposal with your logo and GST number.

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