One of our viewers caught our camera in a store and asked why there were three different sizes of drywall.
The reality is that there are far more than three different sizes, and several types of the same size. For a video clip on this subject, click here.
Standard drywall is 4 ft x 8 ft. You are probably aware that you can get 4 ft x 9 and even 10 ft. Professionals even get it 14 feet long, and if necessary 5 feet wide.
In thickness: the 1/2 inch drywall is the standard for residential construction, that is what we have on most of our walls. But you may have seen water resistant 1/2 inch drywall for behind the shower tiles. How about sag resistant drywall for the ceiling, or flexible drywall for curved walls and abuse resistant drywall for the garage.
3/8 inch thick drywall for lighter duty use. 1/4 inch flexible drywall specifically for radical bends like in arches. 5/8 inch fire rated drywall for code required separations between living dwellings.
If you have a special need that your regular drywall doesn't seem to fulfil well, there is probably a specialized drywall available that would address that need. If you feel that your local supplier is rather un-imaginative with his stock of drywall, look in the yellow pages and see if you don't have a "drywall speciality" store in your town. They are very interesting stores to visit -- nothing but drywall and drywall tools.