Drywall wallboard is offered by several manufacturers, under many brand names. One brand name stands out: Sheetrock. Noted for its high quality, Sheetrock is the oldest brand of drywall.
There are more similarities than differences between Sheetrock and other types of drywall. The differences between Sheetrock and other drywall products are slight and tend to boil down to price, product selection, and quality.
Differences Between Drywall and Sheetrock
Drywall
Generic name
Several companies
Slightly less expensive
May not use recaptured gypsum
Made internationally
Varying quality
Sheetrock
Brand name
One company—USG
Bit more expensive
Recaptured gypsum
Mostly made in U.S.
High quality
What Is Drywall?
Drywall is wallboard for home interiors that is attached to ceilings and walls.
Drywall is a broad product category that includes five or six prominent U.S. names: ToughRock, Gold Bond, ClassicRock, Certainteed Gypsum Board, QuietRock, and Sheetrock.
Drywall panels have a fire-resistant (but not fireproof) core made of gypsum and additives. The two long sides (8-, 10, or 12-foot) are edge-wrapped with paper. The two short sides (usually 4 feet) are not wrapped.
What Is Sheetrock?
Sheetrock is drywall. USG (United States Gypsum), the manufacturer of Sheetrock, refers to its product as drywall, drywall panels, and wallboard.
USG offers about 38 Sheetrock product lines, including regular drywall panels, lightweight drywall panels, fire-resistant panels, and mold-resistant panels.
Gypsum is a mineral that is mined from the earth. However, some of USG's gypsum is recaptured gypsum that is derived by flue gas desulfurization (FGD). Recaptured gypsum is the same as mined gypsum in terms of drywall production.
Makers and Brands of Drywall
- American Gypsum Company ClassicRoc: AGC's ClassicRoc is wrapped with 100-percent recycled paper.
- Certainteed Gypsum Board: Known primarily as a manufacturer of exterior building products, Certainteed also produces the drywall brand CertainTeed Regular Gypsum Board.
- Georgia-Pacific ToughRock: ToughRock is the brand most comparable to Sheetrock in terms of product variety.
- Gold Bond: Gold Bond is produced by National Gypsum Services Company's drywall division, Gold Bond Building Products.
- Pabco QuietRock: QuietRock is sound-dampening gypsum drywall.
- USG Sheetrock: Founded in 1902, USG has been producing Sheetrock drywall for over a century.
Drywall and Sheetrock Types and Sizes
All prominent drywall manufacturers, including USG Sheetrock, produce 4-foot-wide by 8-foot-long, 1/2- and 5/8-inch drywall sheets—drywall dimensions most commonly used in home building.
Thickness
- 1/2-inch drywall: Half-inch drywall is used all throughout the house on walls.
- 5/8-inch-thick drywall: This slightly thicker drywall, sometimes called Type X, is used on ceilings or in areas like furnace rooms where fire retarding materials are required by code.
- 1/4-inch drywall: Less commonly used, quarter-inch drywall is a flexible panel for curved walls and archways.
Tip
Though 1/4-inch-thick drywall has half of the materials of 1/2-inch drywall, it costs as much or even more than 1/2-inch drywall.
Widths
The most common width of drywall is 48 inches. While not usually found in stock, it's possible to order 54-inch-wide drywall, as well.
Lengths
Drywall lengths are designed to span multiples of 16 inches. Sixteen inches is the width between two wall studs. Accordingly, drywall is most usually sold in 8-foot and 12-foot lengths.
Tip
Twelve-foot sheets of drywall usually aren't cheaper than 8-foot sheets on a square-foot basis. You may even pay slightly more. The benefits of longer sheets are fewer seams for a faster installation and a more finished look.
Edge Profiles
- Tapered Edge: Tapers on the long sides meet to form a V-shaped void that is taped and filled with joint compound for invisible joints.
- Square Edge: On the short sides, 90-degree or square edges meet to form a butt joint.
Drywall vs. Sheetrock Costs
Sheetrock costs slightly more than drywall brands of comparable quality.
Sheetrock costs about $16 to $17 per 1/2-inch 4-by-8 sheet, or around $0.50 to $0.55 per square foot but note that prices fluctuate. Other brands of drywall like Toughrock and Georgia Pacific Gypsum Board cost a few cents less per square foot. However, Sheetrock and other drywall prices often vary significantly by location and market factors.
For small jobs that require six to eight sheets of drywall, a few pennies per square foot won't make much of a difference in the overall project cost. When many sheets of drywall are needed, though, the cost difference is apparent.
| Brand | Cost Per Sheet | Cost Per Square Foot | Cost for 2,400 Sq. Ft. |
| Sheetrock | $16.71 | $0.52 | $1,253 |
| Toughrock | $16.61 | $0.52 | $1,246 |
| Georgia Pacific Gypsum Board | $13.52 | $0.42 | $1,014 |
How to Save Money on Drywall and Sheetrock
- Buy in volume: Retailers may offer discounts of $1 to $3 for bulk purchases of drywall in quantities of 50, 60, or more.
- Avoid extra features: Mold-resistant drywall and ultralight drywall have their advantages. But if you're looking to save money, go with regular drywall panels if your project specifications allow.
- Look at local distributors: Lumberyards may offer better prices on drywall than home centers or hardware stores.
- Buy overseas:Overseas gypsum board is typically metrically sized. It's not uncommon to find overseas gypsum priced four to five times less than domestic gypsum board. Shipping prices, while high, can often be negotiated.
History of Drywall and Sheetrock
Sheetrock is close to being the world's first brand of drywall. But the distinction goes to a product called Sackett Board, patented in 1894.
The inventor Augustine Sackett soon partnered with USG, though. USG sold Sackett Board under the name Adamant Panel Board. A USG sales representative named D.L. Hunter suggested a different, catchier name: Sheetrock.
Sheetrock captured two aspects of the product that appealed to commercial plasterers of the time: plaster was applied wet on site over horizontal wood lath slats, and the plaster took days to dry out. Multiple layers were required to achieve a smooth finish.
Sheetrock moved all of that work to a factory. By the time Sheetrock shipped out, it was already dry and ready to install. Not only that but it was sturdy enough to install straight onto the wall studs, no lath required.
The Sheetrock of 1919 is similar to the Sheetrock of today: a hard gypsum core wrapped in two sheets of aluminized paper, the long edges folded to prevent the gypsum from crumbling.
Over 60 million square feet of Sheetrock was used by the U.S. government during World War I. Drywall or drywalling, terms that traditionally referred to building permanent stone walls without the aid of mortar or cement, finally began to be applied to Sheetrock work in the 1930s.
FAQ
Why is it called Sheetrock?
Sheetrock's name means that the product is an interior wall covering in the form of a sheet and it is made of gypsum, a mineral or rock. The name was coined in 1917 by D.L. Hunter. He suggested the name as an easier-to-remember alternative to Adamant Panel Board.
Why isn't all drywall Sheetrock?
All Sheetrock is drywall. Not all drywall is Sheetrock because there are many other brands such as Gold Bond, CertainTeed Regular Gypsum, and Toughrock.
What kind of drywall should you use on walls?
Use 1/2-inch-thick drywall or Sheetrock on walls. Drywall installed on walls is generally 4 feet wide by 8 feet long, but 12-foot lengths are available, too.
Butt vs Tapered Drywall Joints: Which Is Best?
The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Air Pollution Control Technology Fact Sheet. U.S. EPA.
Drywall. Home Depot.
Drywall. R.P. Lumber.
Drywall. Lowe's.
Augustine Sackett. The Sackett Family Association.
Birmingham Post-Herald, December 7, 1919
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, July 2, 1939
Freeport Journal-Standard. November 3, 1924
