How to use the brick calculator
- Enter the length and height of the wall.
- Add up the area of doors, windows and other openings and enter it so it is subtracted.
- Enter the actual brick size and the mortar joint thickness. The defaults are a US modular brick with ⅜ in joints, or a UK standard brick with 10 mm joints in metric mode.
- Keep at least 5% extra bricks for cuts and breakage.
The formulas
Wall area = length × height − openings Bricks per unit area = 1 ÷ ((brick length + joint) × (brick height + joint)) Bricks = wall area × bricks per unit area × (1 + waste %) Mortar = joint volume around each brick × bricks × 1.2The mortar figure is the volume of the bed and head joints, with 20% added. The Brick Industry Association recommends adding 15–25% to mortar estimates for waste.
Common brick sizes
| Brick | Size (L × H × D) | Joint | Approx. per area |
|---|---|---|---|
| US modular | 7⅝ × 2¼ × 3⅝ in | ⅜ in | 6.75–6.9 per sq ft |
| UK standard | 215 × 65 × 102.5 mm | 10 mm | about 60 per m² |
The Brick Industry Association's estimating tables give 675 modular bricks and 5.5 cu ft of mortar per 100 sq ft of wall, before waste. Those tables use the nominal modular course height of 2⅔ in. Using the actual brick height plus a ⅜ in joint, as this calculator does, gives about 6.86 bricks per sq ft, a difference of under 2%.
Worked example
A 20 × 8 ft wall with no openings, modular bricks and ⅜ in joints:
- Wall area: 20 × 8 = 160 sq ft.
- Bricks per sq ft: 144 ÷ (8 × 2.625) = 6.86, so 160 × 6.86 = 1,097 bricks. With 5% waste: 1,152 bricks.
- Mortar: about 10.6 cu ft including 20% extra. QUIKRETE rates an 80 lb bag of Mortar Mix at about 37 standard bricks, which suggests about 32 bags.
Tips
- Buy all the bricks for one wall from the same production batch so the color matches.
- Patterns such as Flemish bond, or walls two bricks thick, use more bricks than a single running-bond wall.
- Footings and structural walls should be designed to local building codes.
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks are in a square foot?
About 6.75 to 6.9 US modular bricks per square foot with ⅜ in mortar joints, depending on whether you use nominal or actual dimensions.
How many bricks are in a square meter?
About 60 UK standard bricks (215 × 65 mm) per square meter with 10 mm joints, for a single-thickness wall.
How much mortar do I need for 1,000 bricks?
The Brick Industry Association lists about 8.1 cu ft of mortar per 1,000 modular bricks with ⅜ in joints, before waste. Add 15–25% for waste.
How many bricks does one bag of mortar lay?
QUIKRETE's coverage table rates an 80 lb bag of Mortar Mix at about 37 standard bricks. Actual coverage depends on joint size and how much mortar is dropped.