Brick Calculator
Estimate bricks and bags of mortar for a wall, veneer, or chimney - with openings deducted and cost.
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For multiple walls, calculate each section and add the results.
Deducts 21 ft² each (3 × 7 ft).
Deducts 15 ft² each (3 × 5 ft).
Your Brick Estimate
- Enter wall length and height - the gross area is calculated automatically.
- Pick the brick size - modular is the most common at 7 bricks per square foot.
- Add doors and windows - each opening is subtracted from the wall area.
- Choose the waste factor - 10% for a standard wall, more for curves and cut work.
- Read your bill of materials - bricks, mortar bags, and cost - ready to order.
A standard modular brick wall takes about 7 bricks per square foot with a 3/8-inch mortar joint. Multiply your wall area (length x height) by 7, subtract openings, then add 10% for waste. A 10 x 10 ft wall needs roughly 770 bricks and about 26 bags of mortar; a double-thick (double-wythe) wall doubles the brick count. Enter your wall size above for an exact brick and mortar count.
How Many Bricks and How Much Mortar Do I Need?
Start with the wall area - length times height - and subtract any door and window openings. Multiply the net area by the bricks-per-square-foot figure for your brick size (modular brick runs about 7 per square foot with a 3/8-inch joint), then add a waste factor and round up. This calculator does all of that and also estimates the mortar bags, which many brick-only tools skip.
For mortar, the rule of thumb for pre-mixed bags is about one 80-pound bag per 30 bricks. So a wall is really two orders - the bricks and the mortar to set them - and this calculator gives you both, plus a cost estimate if you enter a price per brick.
How Bricks Cover a Wall
Bricks per Square Foot by Size
These are Brick Industry Association face counts at a 3/8-inch mortar joint. Always confirm against your manufacturer spec:
| Brick size | Nominal face | Bricks per ft² |
|---|---|---|
| Modular | 7⅝ × 2¼ in | 7 |
| Standard | 8 × 2¼ in | 6.75 |
| Queen | 7⅝ × 2¾ in | 6.5 |
| Engineer | 7⅝ × 2¾ in | 6 |
| Oversize | 7⅝ × 2¾ in | 5.7 |
| Norman | 11⅝ × 2¼ in | 4.5 |
| Utility | 11⅝ × 3⅝ in | 3 |
Wall Thickness: Half-Brick vs Full-Brick
How thick the wall is changes the brick count as much as its area does. A half-brick wall (single wythe, about 4.5 inches thick) is one brick deep - this is the standard for veneer, garden walls, and most facades, and it uses the per-square-foot figures above directly. A full-brick wall (double wythe, about 9 inches thick) is two bricks deep, so it needs twice the bricks for the same wall face.
So 100 sq ft of single-wythe modular wall is about 700 bricks (770 with 10% waste), while the same 100 sq ft built full-brick thick is about 1,400 bricks. Set the wall thickness option in the calculator to match, and it doubles the count automatically for full-brick walls.
Estimating the Mortar
This calculator uses the common pre-mixed rule of about one 80-pound bag of mortar per 30 bricks (roughly 30-40 bags per 1,000 bricks). A 60-pound bag covers about 75% as much, so plan on one per 22-25 bricks if that is what you buy.
On larger jobs it is cheaper to mix your own from masonry cement and sand: one bag of masonry cement plus about three parts sand lays roughly 125-140 bricks, and a 1:3 mix uses about one cubic yard of sand per seven bags of cement. Bumping the joint from 3/8 to 1/2 inch raises mortar use by about a third.
Quick Reference: Modular Brick (7 / ft², 10% waste)
| Wall | Net area | Bricks | Mortar bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 8 ft | 80 ft² | 616 | 21 |
| 20 × 8 ft | 160 ft² | 1,232 | 42 |
| 24 × 9 ft | 216 ft² | 1,664 | 56 |
| 40 × 8 ft | 320 ft² | 2,464 | 83 |
Before deducting openings. Pre-mixed mortar at ~30 bricks per 80 lb bag.
Worked Examples
Garden wall, no openings. A 20 x 8 ft single-wythe garden wall is 160 sq ft. At 7 modular bricks per sq ft that is 1,120 bricks, plus 10% waste = about 1,232 bricks, and roughly 42 bags of pre-mixed mortar. That rounds to about 3 pallets of brick.
House wall with a door. A 24 x 9 ft veneer wall is 216 sq ft gross. Subtract one 3 x 7 ft door (21 sq ft) for 195 sq ft net. At 7 per sq ft = 1,365 bricks, plus 10% waste = about 1,502 bricks and 51 bags of mortar.
Double-wythe wall. The same 20 x 8 ft wall built two bricks thick doubles the brick count to about 2,464, with mortar rising in step. Set wall thickness to double wythe and the calculator handles the doubling for you.
Brick Formulas
Area first, then bricks, then mortar:
Bricks = net area × bricks per ft² × wythe × (1 + waste), rounded up
Mortar bags = bricks ÷ 30 (80 lb pre-mix), rounded up
Bricks are usually sold by the pallet (about 500) or the thousand, so round your order up to the next pallet.
Finish the Wall Estimate
A brick wall needs more than brick. The usual order from here:
Standard & Source Notes
- The 7-bricks-per-square-foot figure assumes the standard 3/8-inch mortar joint specified for masonry by TMS 602. A thicker 1/2-inch joint lowers the count by roughly 7%; a thinner 1/4-inch joint raises it about 8%. Brick face dimensions follow Brick Industry Association standard sizes.TMS 602 - Specification for Masonry Structures
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many bricks are in a square foot?
For standard modular brick with a 3/8-inch mortar joint, about 7 bricks per square foot of wall face. Larger bricks need fewer - a Norman brick is about 4.5 per square foot and a utility brick about 3 - so always pick your actual brick size in the calculator.
How many bags of mortar do I need per 1,000 bricks?
Using pre-mixed mortar at roughly 30 bricks per 80-pound bag, plan on about 30 to 40 bags per 1,000 bricks. If you mix your own from masonry cement and sand, you need far fewer cement bags - around 7 to 8 per 1,000 bricks - plus roughly a cubic yard of sand.
How many bricks do I need for a 20x8 wall?
A 20 by 8 foot wall is 160 square feet. With modular brick at 7 per square foot and 10% waste, that is about 1,232 bricks, plus roughly 42 bags of pre-mixed mortar. Subtract any doors or windows first - the calculator does this when you enter them.
How many bricks are in 100 square feet?
For a single-wythe (half-brick) modular wall, 100 square feet takes about 700 bricks, or roughly 770 with 10% waste added. A 10 by 10 ft wall is exactly 100 square feet. A full-brick (double-wythe) wall of the same size needs about twice that, around 1,400 bricks before waste.
Should I deduct windows and doors?
Yes, for large openings. This calculator subtracts 21 square feet per door and 15 square feet per window by default. For small openings some masons skip the deduction and let it absorb into the waste factor, but for picture windows and garage doors you should always deduct.
How are bricks sold and how many are on a pallet?
Bricks are usually priced per brick but sold by the pallet or the thousand. A standard pallet holds about 500 bricks, though this varies by size and supplier. Order to the next full pallet, and keep a few spares from the same batch for future repairs since brick color shifts between production runs.