Brick Calculator

How many bricks, mortar bags and sand you need for a wall, fire pit, steps or patio

Project Details
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Results
Calculated estimates for your project
Area160 sq ft (14.9 m²)
Bricks per sq ft6.86 (73.8 per m²)
Bricks needed (with 10% waste)1,207
Premixed mortar, 80 lb bags37
Or masonry cement, 70 lb bags10 + 0.93 cu yd sand
Total cost$1238.25

Turn these numbers into a build plan.

  • 160 sq ft wall area
  • 1,207 bricks
  • 37 (80 lb) mortar bags
Materials List
Recommended materials and quantities
Bricks (1,207 at $0.75)$905.25
Premixed mortar (37 bags)$333.00
Pallets (about 500 per pallet)2.4
Approximate weight5,069 lb

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Project plan · built from your numbers

Brick wall, 20 ft x 8 ft

A 160 sq ft brick wall: 1,207 bricks (10% waste included) laid in about 36 courses with 37 bags of mortar. Covers the footing, layout, laying to a line, and tooling the joints.

Materials
$1,491
Time
3 weekends
Level
Advanced
8 steps 9 tools 7 materials
  1. 1

    Check rules and plan the wall

    Freestanding walls over about 4 ft and any retaining wall usually need a permit and sometimes an engineer. Your wall is 8 ft tall, so call the building department before you dig, and call 811 to locate buried lines.

    • Call 811 for utility locates
    • Ask the building department about permits for this height
    • Confirm setbacks from the property line
  2. 2

    Dig and pour the footing

    Dig a trench below frost depth, at least 16 in wide and 20 ft long. Set two runs of rebar on chairs and pour about 30 bags of concrete. Let it cure 2 to 3 days before laying brick.

    • Trench below local frost line
    • Rebar on chairs, 3 in off the bottom
    • Footing top level end to end
  3. 3

    Dry-lay the first course and make a story pole

    Lay the first course dry along the 20 ft footing with 3/8 in spacers to set the bond pattern and avoid a skinny cut brick. Mark a story pole with all 36 course lines.

    • Snap a chalk line for the wall face
    • Adjust joints so ends land on full or half bricks
    • Mark course heights on the story pole
01 · Your numbers
Wall area
160 sq ft
Bricks
1,207
Mortar bags
37 (80 lb)
Est. cost
$1,491
02 · The plan

8 steps · 9 tools · 7 materials

5 more steps, the full tool list and a shopping list you can check off as you go.

03 · Finished

Your plan is 60% built. Save it.

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Brick wall, 20 ft x 8 ft

Finished in 3 weekends · $1,491 DIY

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Bricks per square foot by brick size

Counts assume a 3/8 in joint, which is what the mortar joint guide calls standard. A thinner or thicker joint changes the count, which is why the calculator asks for it.

BrickNominal sizeActual size (in)WeightPer sq ftPer m²
Modular4 x 2-2/3 x 8"3.625 x 2.25 x 7.6254.2 lb6.8673.8
Standard4 x 2-2/3 x 8-3/8"3.625 x 2.25 x 84.5 lb6.5570.5
Queen3 x 3-1/5 x 8"2.75 x 2.75 x 7.6254.5 lb5.7662.0
Closure4 x 4 x 8"3.625 x 3.625 x 7.6256.5 lb4.5048.4
Jumbo4 x 3 x 8-3/8"3.5 x 2.75 x 85.5 lb5.5059.2
King3 x 2-5/8 x 10"2.75 x 2.625 x 9.6255.5 lb4.8051.7
Roman4 x 2 x 12"3.625 x 1.625 x 11.6254.5 lb6.0064.6
Norman4 x 2-2/3 x 12"3.625 x 2.25 x 11.6255.5 lb4.5749.2
Utility4 x 4 x 12"3.625 x 3.625 x 11.6258 lb3.0032.3
Concrete block (CMU)8 x 8 x 16"7.625 x 7.625 x 15.62538 lb1.1312.1

How to calculate bricks for a wall

  1. Measure the face. Measure the length and height of each wall in feet and add the lengths together. For a fire pit, measure the inside diameter; for steps, the width, rise and tread depth.
  2. Subtract openings. Take out doors and windows. A standard door is about 21 sq ft and a 3 x 4 ft window is 12 sq ft.
  3. Choose the brick and joint. Pick the brick size you are buying and the mortar joint, usually 3/8 in. The calculator works out bricks per square foot from those two numbers.
  4. Add waste. Add 10% for cuts and breakage, and another 10% for herringbone or basketweave patterns.
  5. Order mortar and sand. Buy about one 80 lb bag of premixed mortar per 33 modular bricks, or one 70 lb bag of masonry cement plus about 2.5 cu ft of sand per 125 bricks.

The formula: bricks per sq ft = 144 / ((brick length + joint) x (brick height + joint)). A modular brick is 7-5/8 x 2-1/4 in, so with a 3/8 in joint that is 144 / (8 x 2.625) = 6.86. Multiply by the wall area, double it for a two-wythe wall, then add waste.

Worked examples

ProjectMathBricks (10% waste)Mortar
20 x 8 ft garden wall, modular160 sq ft x 6.86 = 1,0971,20737 premix bags
36 in fire pit, 4 courses, modular16 per course x 4 = 64713 premix bags
2,000 sq ft house veneer, modular1,600 sq ft x 6.86 = 10,97112,069366 premix bags or 97 cement bags + 9 cu yd sand

A freestanding wall needs a footing under it: size it with the concrete footing calculator. Building a fire pit next to the house or a deck? Check the fireplace clearance calculator first. Laying a patio instead? Follow the paver patio installation guide. Need mortar, sand or block? Use themasonry estimator for mortar bags by type, site-mix sand, grout and rebar.

Brick calculator FAQ

How many bricks do I need per square foot?

About 6.9 modular bricks per square foot with a 3/8 in joint (round up to 7). King size bricks need about 4.8, Norman about 4.6, utility about 3, and 8 x 8 x 16 concrete blocks 1.125. The calculator works it out from the brick size and joint, so pick your brick type rather than typing a rate.

How many king size bricks per square foot?

About 4.8 king size bricks per square foot with a 3/8 in mortar joint, from 144 / ((9.625 + 0.375) x (2.625 + 0.375)). That is about 52 per square meter.

How much mortar do I need for 1000 bricks?

About 30 bags of 80 lb premixed mortar (roughly 33 modular bricks per bag), or 8 bags of 70 lb masonry cement mixed with about 20 cu ft (0.75 cu yd) of sand. Premix costs more per brick but needs no sand or measuring.

How many bricks are in a fire pit?

A 36 in inside diameter ring takes about 16 modular bricks per course, so a 4 course pit is about 64 bricks before waste. Use fire brick or a steel ring on the inside face, and set the pit on a gravel or concrete base.

How many bricks for a 2,000 sq ft house?

A 2,000 sq ft single story house usually has about 1,600 sq ft of exterior wall after windows and doors. In modular brick veneer that is about 11,000 bricks, or about 12,000 with 10% waste: roughly 24 pallets.

How many bricks per linear foot of an 8 ft wall?

About 55 modular bricks per linear foot for a single wythe wall 8 ft tall (8 sq ft x 6.86), or 110 for a double wythe solid wall.

How many bricks come on a pallet?

Most modular brick pallets hold about 500 bricks, though it varies by plant and brick size (king and queen pallets often hold 525 to 600). Check with the yard before you order.

What type of mortar should I use for bricks?

Type S for walls at or below grade, retaining walls and anything freestanding in freeze-thaw climates. Type N for most above-grade veneer and interior walls. Avoid Type M for brick above grade; it is too rigid and can crack the units.

Brick or block for a garden wall?

Block (CMU) is faster and cheaper per square foot, at about 1.1 units per sq ft, and is usually capped or faced. Brick takes six times as many units but needs no facing. Both need a footing below the frost line.

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