Brick Calculator
Number of bricks for a wall of a given area and brick size.
Result appears here
Fill in the fields and press Calculate.
Formula, calculation, assumptions and sources
Net wall area = (Length × Height) − openings
Bricks = Net area (ft²) × bricks per ft² (modular = 6.86)
Mortar ≈ 7 ft³ per 1,000 modular brick
Run the calculation to see each step with your own numbers.
A 30 ft × 8 ft brick wall, one 3 × 5 ft window, modular brick, 5% waste.
Net area = 240 − 15 = 225 ft²
Bricks = 225 × 6.86 = 1,544 → order 1,622
Mortar ≈ 1.62 × 7 = 11.4 ft³ (≈ 23 bags of mortar mix)
- Single-wythe running bond. A double-wythe or a header course roughly doubles the count.
- Modular brick with a 3/8-in mortar joint (nominal 8 × 2⅔ in face → 6.86 per ft²).
- Wall ties, weep holes, flashing, lintels and the cavity are separate.
- How many bricks in a square foot?
- 6.86 for standard modular brick with a 3/8-in joint. Oversize/queen brick is about 5.7, and utility brick about 3.0.
- Single-wythe or double-wythe?
- This assumes one layer of brick — a veneer or single-thickness wall. A solid double-wythe wall, or one with a bonded header course, uses roughly twice as many bricks; run it once per wythe.
- How is the mortar figured?
- About 7 ft³ per 1,000 modular bricks with a 3/8-in joint. A bag of pre-blended mortar mix yields around half a cubic foot, so 1,000 bricks needs roughly 14 bags before waste.
Bricks per area
Modular brick (7-5/8×2-1/4 in unit, 3/8-in joint → 8×2-2/3 in nominal) → 6.86 bricks per ft². Brick Industry Association Technical Note 10.
Mortar per brick
≈ 7 ft³ of mortar per 1,000 modular brick (3/8-in joint). Brick Industry Association Technical Note 8B. Default 7.0.
About the Brick Calculator
The Brick Calculator estimates the bricks and mortar for a wall from its area, the brick size and any openings to deduct. It assumes a single-wythe running bond — a double-wythe wall or a bonded header course roughly doubles the count. Wall ties, weep holes, flashing and lintels are separate. For concrete block instead of brick, use the Concrete Block or Block Wall calculators.
What you enter
- Wall length
- Wall height
- Openings to deduct
- Brick size + bond
- Waste allowance — Default 5%. Adjust to your own allowance — the exact figure is always shown too.
What you get back
- Net wall area — the exact result of the calculation.
- Bricks needed — shown as the exact figure and, separately, a recommended figure with your waste allowance added.
- Mortar volume — ≈ 7 ft³ per 1,000 modular brick (3/8-in joint). A bag of mortar mix yields ~0.5 ft³.
The formula, a worked example, the assumptions behind it and the sources are shown in full below the calculator.
Related calculators
- Mortar Calculator — Mortar quantity for a brick or block wall.
- Block Wall Calculator — Blocks, mortar and fill for a concrete block wall.
- Concrete Block Calculator — Number of concrete masonry units (blocks) for a wall of a given area.
- Retaining Wall Calculator — Block count and base material for a segmental retaining wall.
Part of the Masonry calculators.