Brick Calculator
A brick calculator uses 6.75 modular bricks per sq ft. An 8 x 10 ft wall needs 541 bricks, or 595 with 10% waste. Includes mortar and size tables.
How many bricks do I need?
Plan on about 6.75 modular bricks per square foot of wall. An 8 × 10 ft wall (80 sq ft) needs 541 bricks, or 595 with 10% waste. At $0.65 per brick that is $351.65 before waste and $386.75 after.
The brick calculator divides the wall’s face area by 0.148 sq ft, the space one modular brick takes up in the wall including its share of the mortar joint. The formula is bricks = (length × height) ÷ 0.148, rounded up. Enter length and height in feet, add your price per brick, and tick the waste box to add 10%.
Where 0.148 sq ft comes from
A modular brick is about 7-5/8 × 2-1/4 inches on its face. With a 3/8-inch mortar joint, each brick occupies a block roughly 8 inches long by 2-2/3 inches tall in the wall. That is 8 × 2.667 = 21.33 square inches. Divide by 144 and you get 0.148 sq ft. Then 1 ÷ 0.148 gives 6.75 bricks per square foot.
This only holds for modular brick. Other sizes need a different factor, shown in the table below.
Bricks per square foot by brick size
Counts assume 3/8-inch joints and one layer of brick (a single wythe).
| Brick type | Nominal face (in) | Bricks per sq ft | Bricks for 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modular (this calculator) | 8 × 2-2/3 | 6.75 | 675 |
| Roman | 12 × 2 | 6.00 | 600 |
| Engineer modular | 8 × 3-1/5 | 5.63 | 563 |
| Norman | 12 × 2-2/3 | 4.50 | 450 |
| Closure modular | 8 × 4 | 4.50 | 450 |
| Engineer Norman | 12 × 3-1/5 | 3.75 | 375 |
| Utility | 12 × 4 | 3.00 | 300 |
For a size other than modular, multiply your net wall area by the number in the third column.
Bricks per square foot by mortar joint
Thicker joints spread the bricks out, so you need fewer. Thinner joints pack them in. These modular-brick figures are approximate.
| Joint thickness | Approx. modular bricks per sq ft |
|---|---|
| 1/4 inch | about 7.0 |
| 3/8 inch (calculator default) | about 6.75 |
| 1/2 inch | about 6.5 |
If your mason uses a joint other than 3/8 inch, scale the calculator’s result by the ratio. For example, 1/2-inch joints give roughly 4% fewer bricks than the 3/8-inch result.
How much mortar do the bricks need?
The calculator counts bricks only. As a rule of thumb, one 80-lb bag of premixed mortar lays about 30 to 40 modular bricks at 3/8-inch joints. That means roughly 25 to 33 bags per 1,000 bricks. Check the coverage printed on your bag, since brands differ.
| Bricks | Approx. 80-lb mortar bags |
|---|---|
| 500 | 13 to 17 |
| 1,000 | 25 to 33 |
| 2,000 | 50 to 67 |
For the 541-brick wall above, that is about 14 to 19 bags. Use the mortar calculator for a closer figure, and add a little extra, because mortar is easy to waste when it dries on the board.
Worked examples
- Garden wall: 10 ft × 8 ft, $0.65 per brick
- Area: 10 × 8 = 80 sq ft
- Bricks: 80 ÷ 0.148 = 540.5, rounded up to 541 bricks, costing $351.65
- With 10% waste: 540.5 × 1.10 = 594.6, rounded up to 595 bricks, costing $386.75
- Brick wall cost estimate: 20 ft × 6 ft, $0.65 per brick
- Area: 20 × 6 = 120 sq ft
- Bricks: 120 ÷ 0.148 = 810.8, rounded up to 811 bricks
- With 10% waste: 810.8 × 1.10 = 891.9, rounded up to 892 bricks, costing $579.80
That is brick only. Mortar, sand, ties, footing, and labor come on top. A rough check: at $0.65 each, the bricks alone cost about $4.39 per sq ft of wall (6.75 × $0.65).
- Veneer wall with openings: 24 ft × 9 ft, one door and two windows
- Gross area: 24 × 9 = 216 sq ft
- Openings: door 3 × 7 = 21 sq ft, plus two windows at 3 × 4 = 24 sq ft
- Net area: 216 − 21 − 24 = 171 sq ft (enter 171 × 1)
- Bricks: 171 ÷ 0.148 = 1,155.4, rounded up to 1,156 bricks
- With 10% waste: 1,271 bricks, costing $826.15 at $0.65
Bricks are usually sold in cubes or pallets of several hundred. Ask your yard how many come on a pallet, and round your order up to full pallets if that is cheaper.
How much waste should I add?
Use 10% for most walls. That covers chipped bricks, cuts at corners and openings, and half-bats at the ends of courses. Patterned bonds, arches, curved walls, and many small openings can push waste toward 15%. A plain, straight wall with few openings may need only 5%. If you are unsure, buy the extra. Matching a color later is hard.
How to measure a brick wall
- Measure the face you will lay. For veneer, measure the outside from the foundation ledge to the soffit or frieze board.
- Subtract large openings. Doors, garage doors, and big windows come off. Small vents and outlets can be ignored.
- Add gables as triangles. A gable end is half its base times its height. Add it to the rectangle below.
- Count corners once. Adding each wall’s full length counts corners twice, but the overlap roughly offsets corner waste.
- For a wall in feet and inches, convert first. A 9 ft 6 in height is 9.5 ft.
Common brick estimating mistakes
- Using 7 per square foot for every brick. It is close for modular, but it overstates larger bricks by a lot and utility brick by more than double.
- Forgetting the second wythe. A solid wall two bricks thick needs twice the count. Veneer is one wythe, so use the number as shown.
- Skipping mortar and ties. Veneer needs wall ties at set spacing and weep holes at the base.
- Ordering in batches. Color varies between production runs. Order the full amount plus waste at once, and blend from several pallets as you lay.
- Mixing up length and height. Enter length in the Length field and height in the Width field. Either order gives the same area.
When to call a mason
A garden wall under about 3 feet is a reasonable DIY job. Call a pro for walls over 4 feet, load-bearing walls, chimneys, and anything near a property line. Tall walls need a proper footing, reinforcement, and often a permit. A mason can also confirm the brick size and joint before you order.
Related masonry tools
To check the load on a footing or ledge, the brick weight calculator converts your count to pounds. For block walls, use the concrete block calculator. For brick laid flat on the ground, the brick paver calculator uses paver face sizes. For a stone look with less weight, try the stone veneer calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks do I need for a wall?
Plan on about 6.75 modular bricks per square foot of wall. The calculator divides the area by 0.148 sq ft per brick and rounds up. A 10 × 8 ft wall (80 sq ft) needs 541 bricks, or 595 with 10% waste.
How many bricks are in a square foot?
About 6.75 for modular brick with 3/8-inch joints. Larger bricks need fewer: Norman is about 4.5 per square foot and utility brick is about 3. Thinner joints raise the count slightly and thicker joints lower it.
How much does a brick wall cost to build?
Bricks alone at $0.65 each come to about $4.39 per square foot of wall (6.75 × $0.65). Mortar, footing, ties, and labor add to that, and prices vary by region. A 120 sq ft wall needs about 892 bricks with 10% waste, or $579.80 in brick.
How much mortar do I need for 1,000 bricks?
An 80-lb bag of premixed mortar lays about 30 to 40 modular bricks at 3/8-inch joints. That is roughly 25 to 33 bags per 1,000 bricks. Check the coverage printed on your bag.
How much waste should I add for brick?
Use 10% for most walls. That covers chipped bricks, cuts at corners and openings, and half-bats. Patterned bonds, arches, and many small openings can push waste toward 15%.
Should I enter length and height, or length and width?
Enter wall length in the Length field and wall height in the Width field. Either order gives the same area. For a wall with openings, subtract their area first and enter the net area as length × 1.
Estimates only. Verify quantities with your supplier before purchasing.