Masonry & brickwork · free tool
Brick Calculator
How many bricks do you need? Enter your wall, subtract the doors and windows, and get the exact brick count and bags of mortar — with waste built in.
Brick Calculator
How many bricks & bags of mortar you need.
1 Your wall
2 Your estimate
Order 80-lb pre-mixed mortar — about 1 bag per 33 bricks.
One 80-lb bag lays about 33 bricks (~30 bags per 1,000). Mixing your own instead: plan roughly 7 mortar-cement bags + 1 yd³ of sand per 1,000 bricks.
Estimates only — brick sizes, joint width and waste vary; confirm quantities before ordering. See how we calculate · Updated monthly
Method · how it works
How to calculate how many bricks you need
Wall area, minus your openings, times the bricks each square foot holds. Here is exactly what the calculator does, so you can check it by hand.
Measure the wall
Multiply length × height (in feet) to get the wall area in square feet.
Subtract openings
Take out doors (about 21 ft²) and windows (about 12 ft²) you will not brick over.
Multiply by coverage
Times the bricks per square foot (modular ≈ 6.9). Double it for a two-brick (double-wythe) wall.
Add waste + mortar
Add about 10% for cuts and breakage, then ~1 bag of mortar per 33 bricks.
A 10 × 8 ft wall, modular brick
80 × 6.86 = 549 bricks
549 × 1.10 = 604 bricks
604 ÷ 33 = 19 mortar bags
single wythe, 10% waste in
Sources: Brick Industry Association (Tech Notes) · manufacturer size charts · masonry references
Verified against published brick coverage tables · Updated monthly
Estimates only. Actual brick sizes, joint width and site waste vary — confirm quantities with your supplier, and order a little extra so every brick matches the same batch.
Coverage · by brick size
How many bricks per square foot?
It depends on the brick's face size. These are the standard US face bricks with a 3/8 in mortar joint — pick yours in the calculator above.
Face 7 5/8 × 2 1/4 in. The US default.
Most commonFace 8 × 2 1/4 in. A touch longer than modular.
CommonFace 7 5/8 × 2 3/4 in. Taller, so fewer per wall.
PopularFace 9 5/8 × 2 5/8 in. Bigger face, fewer bricks.
Fewer bricksFace 11 5/8 × 1 5/8 in. Long and thin.
Slim lookFace 11 5/8 × 2 1/4 in. Long at modular height.
Fewer jointsFace 11 5/8 × 3 5/8 in. Large-format, covers fast.
Big formatAll figures assume a 3/8 in mortar joint and a single-wythe wall — a double wythe doubles the count.
Mortar · how much
How much mortar for brick?
The simplest path is bagged, pre-mixed mortar: one 80-lb bag lays about 33 bricks with standard 3/8 in joints. Here is what that works out to.
Pre-mixed 80-lb bags
Bags you need, by brick count
| Bricks | 80-lb bags |
|---|---|
| 100 | 4 |
| 250 | 8 |
| 500 | 16 |
| 1,000 | 31 |
Rule of thumb: ~1 bag per 33 bricks (about 30–31 bags per 1,000). Thicker joints and double-wythe walls use more.
Mixing your own?
Per 1,000 bricks, plan roughly:
Seeing "7 bags per 1,000" somewhere and "31" here? Both are right — 7 is bags of cement you mix with sand yourself; 31 is bags of ready-to-use pre-mixed mortar. Don't add them together.
Estimates only. Mortar use rises with joint thickness, brick absorption and waste — buy an extra bag or two, and check your bag's coverage before ordering.
Know your brick
Brick sizes and types
Nominal dimensions are length × height × depth. A bigger face means fewer bricks (and fewer joints) per wall — here is how the common sizes compare.
7 5/8 × 2 1/4 × 3 5/8 in
The US default face brick — three courses stack to a tidy 8 in.
8 × 2 1/4 × 3 5/8 in
Slightly longer than modular; common in older and repair work.
7 5/8 × 2 3/4 × 3 1/8 in
Taller and thinner — a popular, economical veneer brick.
9 5/8 × 2 5/8 × 2 3/4 in
Larger face, fewer bricks — faster, lower-cost walls.
11 5/8 × 1 5/8 × 3 5/8 in
Long and low — a flat, linear, modern look.
11 5/8 × 2 1/4 × 3 5/8 in
Long face at modular height — fewer head joints across a wall.
11 5/8 × 3 5/8 × 3 5/8 in
Large-format — covers a wall quickly for a bold, blocky face.
oversized (varies)
Chunkier than modular for speed — confirm your supplier's exact size.
Single vs double wythe: a single-wythe wall is one brick thick (typical brick veneer over a framed or block wall); a double-wythe wall is two bricks thick for a structural, load-bearing wall — which doubles your brick count. Building a block wall instead? Use the concrete block calculator.
Answers
Brick calculator FAQs
How many bricks are in a square foot?
With a 3/8 in joint, about 6.9 modular, 6.6 standard, or 5.8 queen bricks per square foot. Bigger-face bricks like king (4.8) take fewer.
How many bricks do I need for a wall?
Multiply wall area minus openings by the bricks per square foot, then add ~10% waste. A 10 × 8 ft modular wall works out to about 604 bricks.
How many bricks for a 10 x 10 wall?
100 sq ft of modular brick is 686 bricks, or about 755 with 10% waste — before subtracting any doors or windows.
How much mortar do I need for brick?
About one 80-lb bag of pre-mixed mortar per 33 bricks — roughly 31 bags per 1,000 bricks with standard joints.
Should I subtract windows and doors?
Yes. Deduct about 21 sq ft per door and 12 sq ft per window from the wall area — the calculator does this for you.
What is single vs double wythe?
Single wythe is one brick thick (typical veneer); double wythe is two bricks thick for a structural wall, which doubles the brick count.
How much waste should I add for brick?
10% is standard for cuts and breakage. Add more — up to 15% — for herringbone or other patterns with lots of cuts.
How many bricks does a bag of mortar lay?
One 80-lb bag of pre-mixed mortar lays about 33 bricks. Mixing your own instead uses roughly 7 bags of mortar cement plus 1 yd³ of sand per 1,000 bricks.