Gypsum Ceiling Takeoff in Excel: Boards, Channels, Hangers, Compound and Cost

A gypsum ceiling has many parts beyond boards: main and cross channels, wall angles, hangers, screws, compound and tape. If you count boards alone, the work stops midway when channels or hangers run out.

This sheet calculates every ceiling component for each room from its size and the system spacings, adding bulkhead board area, layers and waste, then converts them to channel pieces and boards and gives cost and cost per square metre.

Who is it for?

• Suspended ceiling and decoration contractors
• Quantity surveyors and estimators
• Home owners and interior designers
• Site supervisors ordering materials

What is inside the sheet?

• Board size, waste, channel and hanger spacings and piece length
• A price table for boards, channels, hangers, compound and labour
• A 14-room table with sizes, bulkhead length and drop and layers
• Ceiling area, board area and board count for each room
• Main and cross channel metres, wall angle, hangers and screws
• A summary with channel pieces, compound, cost and cost per m²
• A chart of boards and a guide

How to use it

1. Set board size, spacings and prices.
2. Enter each room size, bulkhead length and drop and layers.
3. Read the boards, channels and hangers.
4. Review total cost and cost per m².

Formulas used

• Board area = (ceiling area + bulkhead length × drop) × layers × (1 + waste)
• Boards = board area ÷ area per board
• Main channel (m) = area ÷ main spacing
• Cross channel (m) = area ÷ cross spacing
• Hangers = main channel ÷ hanger spacing
• Compound = board area × kg/m²

Worked example from the sheet itself

Seven rooms with 129.5 m² of ceiling, including a living room with a 12 m bulkhead 25 cm deep and a majlis with a 24 m bulkhead 30 cm deep in two layers.

• Board area is 200.1 m², or 73 boards of 1.2×2.4 m with 10% waste.
• Main channel is 108 m (30 pieces), cross channel 216 m (60 pieces), angle 122 m (41 pieces), 93 hangers, 5,003 screws and 100 kg of compound.
• Cost is 7,387, about 57 per m² of ceiling.

Parts of a gypsum ceiling

The main channel hangs from hangers about 1.2 m apart, the cross channel runs across it at 0.6 m to carry the boards, and the angle is fixed around the walls. These spacings are in the settings and can follow the manufacturer system.

Bulkheads and layers

A dropped bulkhead adds board area equal to its length times its drop, and a second layer doubles the boards, used for sound or fire. Enter layers per room and the sheet counts them.

Special boards

Bathrooms and kitchens need moisture-resistant boards, which cost more. Put them on their own row and edit the board price in a separate copy.

What the sheet leaves out

Lighting, air conditioning, openings, access panels and painting are done in other sheets. For paint use the paint takeoff.

Tips for best results

• Ask the supplier for the real board size.
• Assume 10% waste for small rooms and 7% for large ones.
• Leave access hatches next to air conditioners.
• Use the manufacturer spacing system.

Frequently asked questions

Does it cover walls?

No, only horizontal ceilings and bulkheads.

How do I do two layers?

Enter 2 in the layers column.

Can I change the board size?

Yes, in the settings.

Is the cost complete?

Yes, materials and labour per m², without painting.

Download the sheet

Press the download button at the top of the page to get the Excel file. It includes a full guide sheet, yellow input cells and formulas protected from accidental edits. The sheet is also available in Arabic from the language switcher.

A quantity estimate; prices and spacings are editable examples.