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Brick Calculator
Calculate how many bricks and bags of mortar you need for a wall or veneer from its length, height and openings, for modular, queen, Norman and utility bricks.
How to use it
- Measure the wall length and height and subtract windows and doors.
- Choose the brick size; most US residential brick is modular.
- Keep the standard 3/8 inch joint unless your mason specifies otherwise.
- Add 5-10 percent for cuts and breakage - more for patterns and curves.
How it works
Each brick, with its mortar joint, occupies (length + joint) × (height + joint) of wall face. Bricks = net wall area ÷ that area × (1 + waste). A modular brick with a 3/8 inch joint covers about 21 square inches, which is roughly 6.9 bricks per square foot, or about 690 bricks per 100 square feet.
Mortar is estimated from the joint volume around each brick (bed and head joints, 3.6 inch deep) plus 30 percent waste, using an 80 lb bag yield of about 0.6 cubic feet. Buy a little extra: mortar loss and jobsite waste vary widely.
FAQ
How many bricks do I need per square foot?
About 6.9 modular bricks per square foot with 3/8 inch joints (6.75 with 1/2 inch joints). Queen bricks need about 5.8, Norman about 4.6 and utility bricks about 3.
How many bricks in a pallet?
A standard pallet holds about 500 modular bricks (a "cube" is often 500-520), which covers roughly 72-75 square feet of wall.
How much mortar for 1,000 bricks?
About 17 bags (80 lb) including waste, or roughly 10 cubic feet of mortar for modular brick with 3/8 inch joints.
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