Calculators/ Masonry & Aggregate/Brick Calculator
Brick Calculator
How many bricks a wall needs, plus the mortar.
Brick coverage depends on the nominal size, which includes the mortar joint. A standard modular brick covers slightly less than 6.75 bricks per square foot once the 3/8 inch joint is counted, which is why counting from the brick's own dimensions always comes out wrong.
How this is calculated
- Net wall area = length × height, minus the area of doors and windows.
- Multiply by the bricks per square foot for your brick size. This already includes a standard 3/8 inch mortar joint.
- Add 5% waste for cuts and breakage, or 10% for a wall with many openings or a pattern bond.
- One 80 lb bag of pre-blended mortar mix lays roughly 35 modular bricks.
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks are in a square foot?
About 6.75 standard modular bricks per square foot of wall face, counting the 3/8 inch mortar joint. Larger utility bricks cover the same area with only 3 bricks.
How much mortar do I need per 1000 bricks?
Roughly 28 to 30 bags of 80 lb pre-blended mortar mix. If you are mixing masonry cement with sand yourself, the figure is closer to 7 bags of cement plus about a ton of sand.
Should I order extra bricks?
Yes, at least 5%. Bricks vary between production runs, so a later top-up order may not colour-match the wall you have already built.