Brick Calculator
Enter the wall's length and height and pick your brick size, and the calculator returns the bricks to order, the bags of mortar to lay them, and the courses and bricks per course. A standard modular brick with a 3/8-inch joint lays up at about 6.9 bricks per square foot of wall face. Bond pattern, wythes, joint width and openings are under Advanced options.
Your measurements
The total run of the wall, end to end.
How tall the wall is. Each course (row) of modular brick adds about 2⅝ inches.
Modular (7⅝ × 2¼") is the most common US face brick. Larger bricks cover more wall, so you need fewer. Pick "Other" to type in an odd size.
Bricks to buy
1,207 bricks
35 bags mortar · 6.9/ft² · 160 ft²
What to buy
- Brick
- 1,207 bricks
- Mortar
- 35 bags(80 lb, Type N/S)
About 6.86 bricks per square foot of wall face, plus 10% for cuts and breakage.
About one 80 lb bag of mortar mix per 35 bricks at a 3/8" joint. Pre-mixed bags already include the sand.
Typical installed cost
Installed, materials + labor — a ballpark to sanity-check bids, not a quote. See the cost breakdown.
Estimates only. Verify against your supplier's coverage figures before ordering.
Footprint
Wall elevation to scale
37 courses · 30 blocks/course · simplified for clarity
The numbers
- Wall area
- 160 ft²
- Bricks per ft²
- 6.86 bricks(0.375" joint)
- Courses (rows)
- 37 courses(2.63" each)
- Bricks per course
- 30 bricks
- Bricks before waste
- 1,098 bricks
- With waste (+10%)
- 1,207 bricks
Length × height.
144 ÷ ((7.625 + 0.375) × (2.25 + 0.375)).
Each course adds the brick height plus one mortar joint.
Wall length ÷ the 8" brick-plus-joint length, rounded up.
160 ft² × 6.86 bricks/ft².
Rounded up — the number to order, above.
The formula
Bricks/ft² = 144 ÷ ((length + joint) × (height + joint)) · Bricks = (L ft × H ft − openings) × bricks/ft² × bond × wythe × (1 + waste) · Mortar = ⌈bricks ÷ 35⌉ bags
Example: A 20 × 8 ft wall (160 ft²) in modular brick with 3/8" joints needs 160 × 6.86 ≈ 1,098 bricks, or about 1,207 with 10% waste, plus roughly 35 bags of mortar — laid 37 courses high.
How it works
- 1Find the wall area: length × height in feet, minus any door and window openings.
- 2Find the bricks per square foot: 144 ÷ ((brick length + joint) × (brick height + joint)). A modular brick with a 3/8-inch joint works out to about 6.9 per square foot.
- 3Multiply area × bricks per ft², then by the bond multiplier (1.0 for running, ~1.5 for Flemish or English) and the number of wythes (1 for veneer, 2 for a double-wythe wall).
- 4Add about 10% for cuts at corners and openings and for breakage, then round up.
- 5Mortar runs about one 80 lb bag per 35 bricks at a standard joint; pre-mixed bags already include the sand.
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks do I need?
Multiply the wall's length by its height in feet, subtract any openings, then multiply by the bricks per square foot for your brick (about 6.9 for modular brick with a 3/8-inch joint). A 20 × 8 ft wall (160 ft²) needs about 1,098 modular bricks, or roughly 1,207 with 10% waste.
How many bricks are in a square foot?
About 6.9 modular bricks (7⅝ × 2¼ inch face) per square foot of wall with a standard 3/8-inch mortar joint — the Brick Industry Association rounds this to 6.75 for estimating. Larger bricks cover more: a queen is about 5.8 per square foot, a utility brick about 3.0.
How much mortar do I need for brick?
About one 80 lb bag of pre-mixed mortar per 35 bricks at a standard 3/8-inch joint, so roughly 28–35 bags per 1,000 bricks. Thicker joints and rougher brick use more. Pre-mixed bags already contain the sand, so you don't buy it separately.
Does the mortar joint size change how many bricks I need?
Yes. A thicker joint makes each brick cover more wall, so you need slightly fewer bricks but more mortar. Going from a 3/8-inch to a 1/2-inch joint drops a modular wall from about 6.9 to 6.5 bricks per square foot. Set your joint width in the calculator.
What's the difference between veneer and a double-wythe wall?
A brick veneer is a single layer (wythe) of brick over a framed or block wall — one brick thick. A double-wythe wall is two layers bonded together for structural masonry, so it takes twice the brick. Choose the number of wythes in the calculator.