Brick Calculator

Brick Calculator

Use our brick calculator to estimate how many bricks you need for a wall, how many bricks are required per square foot, the total wall coverage, estimated mortar quantity, and brick material cost. Enter your wall dimensions, choose a brick size, account for doors and windows, and add your local brick price to get a practical estimate for your project.

This calculator is designed for homeowners, builders, contractors, and anyone planning a brick wall. Instead of using one fixed bricks-per-square-foot value, it calculates the result from your selected brick dimensions and mortar joint. You can also add a waste allowance so your purchase quantity is more realistic.

How to use the brick calculator

You only need a few measurements to calculate the number of bricks required for your wall. If you know the actual dimensions of the bricks you are buying, use those dimensions for a more accurate estimate.

1. Enter the length of your wall.
2. Enter the height of your wall.
3. Select the brick type or enter a custom brick size.
4. Enter the mortar joint thickness.
5. Add doors and windows if the wall has openings.
6. Choose an extra percentage for waste and breakage.
7. Enter the price per brick to calculate the estimated brick cost.
8. Enter a mortar price if you also want an estimated mortar cost.

The calculator then estimates your net wall area, bricks needed, bricks per square foot, brick coverage, mortar volume, brick cost, mortar cost, and total material cost.

How many bricks do I need?

The number of bricks you need depends on the size of your wall, the dimensions of the brick, and the thickness of the mortar joints. Larger bricks generally cover more wall area, while smaller bricks require more individual units.

First calculate the total wall area:

For example, a wall that is 20 feet long and 8 feet high has:

If that wall has a 3-foot by 6.67-foot door, the door occupies about 20 square feet. The net wall area becomes:

The calculator uses this net area when determining how many bricks you need, so you are not estimating bricks for areas occupied by doors and windows.

Brick wall calculator

A brick wall calculator helps you estimate the materials required for a brick wall before starting construction. It can be useful for exterior walls, garden walls, garages, extensions, brick facades, partitions, and other masonry projects.

For example, imagine a 30-foot-long wall that is 8 feet high. The gross wall area is:

Now suppose the wall contains two windows, each measuring 3 feet by 4 feet. The total window area is:

The net area that needs brick is therefore:

The calculator uses the 216 square feet of net wall area when estimating the required number of bricks.

Bricks per square foot

The number of bricks per square foot depends on the brick's face dimensions and the mortar joint. This means there is no single bricks-per-square-foot number that is accurate for every brick.

For example, our modular brick preset is approximately 7 5/8 inches long and 2 1/4 inches high. With a 3/8-inch mortar joint, the effective planning dimensions become approximately 8 inches by 2 5/8 inches.

The approximate area occupied by one brick and its mortar joint is:

Since one square foot contains 144 square inches:

This is why using the actual brick size and mortar joint can give you a more useful estimate than simply assuming a fixed number of bricks per square foot. Always check the actual dimensions of the brick supplied by your manufacturer.

How to calculate how many bricks I need

Once you know the net wall area and the estimated bricks per square foot, you can calculate the basic brick quantity:

For example, if your net wall area is 216 square feet and your selected brick requires approximately 6.86 bricks per square foot:

That is the estimated quantity before adding extra bricks for waste and breakage. If you add 10%:

You would normally round the final quantity up when purchasing bricks.

Brick coverage

Brick coverage tells you how much wall area a certain number of bricks can cover. It is useful when comparing brick sizes, estimating materials, or checking whether an existing quantity of bricks will be enough for a project.

Larger bricks generally provide more wall coverage per brick. Smaller bricks require more individual units to cover the same area. Mortar joint thickness also affects the effective coverage.

The calculator shows the approximate wall coverage of 100 bricks based on the brick dimensions and mortar joint you select.

Brick types and sizes

Brick dimensions vary by country, manufacturer, and product type. For this reason, the calculator includes several common brick sizes but also allows you to enter your own dimensions.

Modular brick

The calculator includes a common modular brick measuring approximately 7 5/8 × 2 1/4 × 3 5/8 inches. Modular bricks are widely used for masonry planning and are a useful starting point for estimating brick quantities.

Queen brick

Queen bricks are generally taller than modular bricks. Their larger face can reduce the number of individual bricks needed to cover a wall, although the exact dimensions depend on the manufacturer.

Utility brick

Utility bricks are larger masonry units that can cover more wall area per brick. Their dimensions and applications vary, so use the actual dimensions supplied with your product whenever possible.

Custom brick size

If your brick does not match one of the presets, select the custom brick option and enter the actual brick length, height, and depth. This is the preferred option when you have the manufacturer's dimensions available.

Brick calculator with waste

It is usually a good idea to order more bricks than the exact calculated quantity. Bricks can break during transportation and handling, and additional bricks may be needed for cuts, corners, openings, or damaged material.

For example, if the calculation gives you 1,500 bricks and you choose a 10% waste allowance:

A 5% to 10% allowance can be useful for general planning, but the appropriate amount depends on your project, brick type, wall layout, and installation requirements.

Brick cost calculator

Once you know how many bricks you need, you can estimate the brick material cost using the price of one brick.

For example, if you need 1,650 bricks and each brick costs $0.70:

This gives you an estimated brick-only material cost. Delivery, labor, equipment, taxes, and other construction costs are not included.

Brick price per square foot

Brick price per square foot can be more useful than comparing the price of individual bricks. A brick that costs more per unit may cover more wall area and require fewer bricks overall.

For example, suppose Brick A costs $0.60 and requires 7 bricks per square foot:

Brick B might cost $0.80 but require only 6 bricks per square foot:

This demonstrates why both brick price and brick coverage matter when estimating the cost of a wall.

Brick mortar calculator

Mortar fills the joints between bricks and is an important part of a brick wall estimate. The amount required depends on the wall area, brick dimensions, mortar joint thickness, and wall thickness.

This calculator provides an estimated mortar volume in cubic feet and cubic yards based on the dimensions entered. You can also enter a local mortar price per cubic foot to estimate the mortar cost.

For example, if the calculator estimates 8.5 cubic feet of mortar, the equivalent volume in cubic yards is:

Treat this as a planning estimate. Actual mortar usage can vary because of mortar joint thickness, brick irregularities, workmanship, tooling, and material waste.

Complete brick calculation example

Let's put the calculation together. Suppose you are building a wall that is 20 feet long and 8 feet high using a modular brick with a 3/8-inch mortar joint.

First, calculate the gross wall area:

The wall has one 3-foot-wide by 6.67-foot-high door:

Therefore, the net wall area is:

Using approximately 6.86 bricks per square foot:

With 10% extra for waste:

If each brick costs $0.70, the estimated brick cost would be:

Your actual result will change depending on the brick dimensions, mortar joint, wall dimensions, openings, waste allowance, and local material prices.

Why your actual brick quantity may be different

A brick calculator provides an estimate rather than a detailed construction takeoff. Your final quantity can change because of corners, cuts, brick patterns, damaged material, unusual wall shapes, openings, mortar joint variations, and construction waste.

Brick dimensions can also vary between manufacturers. A brick sold under the same general type may have slightly different actual dimensions. For the best estimate, use the dimensions of the exact brick you plan to purchase.

For a large construction project, use the calculator for initial planning and budgeting, then confirm the final material quantity with your supplier, mason, contractor, or project-specific material takeoff.

Frequently asked questions