Brick Calculator

From Wall Size to Brick Count

A brick order starts with area, not brick counts. Measure the wall in feet, multiply length by height, and you have square feet to work with. A single-wythe wall of standard modular bricks with 3/8" mortar joints takes about 7 bricks for every square foot once you account for the joint around each unit. A 10 ft × 8 ft wall is 80 sq ft; at ~7 bricks per sq ft that's 560 bricks, or about 616 once you add 10% for waste. Enter your dimensions above and the calculator does the same arithmetic for whatever brick size and joint you choose.

Openings, Waste, and Double-Wythe Walls

Two things change the raw count. First, subtract openings: a 3 ft × 6 ft door and a couple of windows can easily be 36 sq ft, which is roughly 250 bricks you don't buy. Second, add waste — 5% for a long straight wall, 10% when there are many cut edges around openings, and 15% for arches or herringbone patterns where partial bricks pile up. If the wall is two bricks thick (double-wythe), double both the brick and the mortar; a structural cavity wall is effectively two single-wythe walls tied together.

Mortar and Wall Ties Come With the Bricks

Bricks are only part of the order. One 80 lb bag of mortar mix lays roughly 35–40 standard bricks with 3/8" joints, so a 1,000-brick wall needs about 27–29 bags — buy Type S for load-bearing work and Type N for a non-structural veneer. If you're facing a wood-framed wall with a brick veneer, you also need wall ties at about one per 2.67 sq ft (a 16" × 16" grid), plus extra ties within a foot of every opening. The calculator reports all three so the quantities on your delivery match the wall you're actually building.

How to Use This Calculator

1. Measure the wall in feet: Enter wall length and height. Length × height gives the gross area — a 20 ft long, 8 ft tall wall is 160 sq ft before openings.
2. Pick the brick size and joint: Choose standard modular, queen, king, or utility, and set the mortar joint to 3/8" or 1/2". A bigger brick or thicker joint means fewer bricks per square foot.
3. Subtract openings and set waste: Enter the total square footage of doors and windows to deduct, then choose a waste allowance — 5% for straight walls, 10% around many openings, 15% for complex patterns.
4. Read the brick, mortar, and tie counts: The results show bricks needed with waste included, 80 lb mortar bags, wall ties, and net wall area — plus an optional cost if you enter a price per brick.

Tips & Considerations

• Measure each opening and add them up before entering the deduction — a door and two windows are often 30–40 sq ft, which is a few hundred bricks.
• For a double-wythe or cavity wall, run the calculator once and double the brick and mortar totals; the tie count grows too.
• Order all your bricks in one delivery from the same production lot — colors drift between lots, and a mid-wall reorder rarely matches.
• Bump waste to 10–15% if the wall has arches, angled ends, or a soldier course, since those chew through partial bricks.
• Round mortar bags up, not down — running short mid-course means the joints you already laid start to set before you can tool them.