Brick Calculator

A brick calculator turns the size of a wall into a delivery order: how many bricks, how many bags of mortar and what the material should cost. Brick count depends on the face size of the unit and the mortar joint around it, so a wall built from modular brick needs 6.75 bricks per square foot, while Norman brick needs 4.50. Counts here follow the Brick Industry Association table for 3/8 inch joints. Doors and windows come off the gross area before counting, waste gets added at 5, 10 or 15 percent, and mortar follows a standard estimating rule. The cost table splits bricks and mortar, each with Low, Typical and High prices.

Reading the brick and mortar results

The top figure is the order quantity with waste included. Broken units in shipping, cut bricks at corners and openings, and the occasional chipped face all eat into a pallet, and the BIA advises adding at least 5 percent to the net count. The default of 10 percent leaves room for a wall with several openings or a bond pattern with many cuts.

The quantity table shows the net wall area after openings, the bricks per square foot for the chosen size and the 80 lb mortar bags. Bag counts lean on QUIKRETE’s published coverage of about 37 standard bricks per 80 lb bag of Mortar Mix, counted on the net bricks before waste. Bricks are priced per piece by size, modular at $0.50 to $0.85, and mortar at $11 to $17 a bag. The full estimating method explains the ranges and the region factor.

Brick math, line by line

• Net wall area = length × height − openings
• Bricks = net area × bricks per square foot, rounded up
• Bricks to buy = bricks × (1 + waste), rounded up
• Premixed mortar in 80 lb bags = net bricks ÷ 37, next whole bag

The default wall is 10 by 5 feet, 50 square feet with no openings, in modular brick. At 6.75 per square foot it takes 338 bricks, and 372 with 10 percent waste. Mortar comes to 10 bags. Material totals $296 to $486, with $382 typical, and the bricks alone account for $242 of that.

The rate per square foot comes from the face size plus one joint. A modular brick has a nominal face of 2 2/3 by 8 inches once the 3/8 inch joint is added, which is 21.3 square inches, and 144 divided by that gives 6.75. Larger faces need fewer bricks, as the chart shows for 100 square feet of wall.

The BIA table lists 675 modular, 550 queen, 455 king, 600 Roman and 450 Norman bricks per 100 square feet. Queen and king sizes vary between manufacturers, so the maker’s own count per square foot is worth checking before a large order.

Turning the estimate into an order

1. Each wall face gets measured at its full length and height. Gable ends break into a rectangle and a triangle, and the triangle area is half the base times the height.
2. Openings get measured at the rough opening, and the areas add up into the deduction field. A standard 3 by 7 foot door is 21 square feet.
3. The brick size comes from the product sample or the plans. A brick sold as “modular” by one maker can differ slightly from another’s.
4. Waste goes to 5 percent for long plain walls and up to 15 percent for walls with many corners, arches or a pattern bond.
5. Mortar type follows the job. Type N suits most above grade veneer and garden walls, while Type S suits walls below grade or with higher loads.
6. The order adds sills, rowlocks and soldier courses at openings, which use bricks on edge or end and change the count along those lines.

Worked example: queen brick veneer on a house front

A single story house front measures 40 feet long and 9 feet high. It has two windows of 3 by 5 feet and a 3 by 7 foot entry door, 51 square feet of openings in all. The owner picks queen brick, 10 percent waste and national prices.

Line	Value
Gross wall area	360 sq ft
Net wall area	309 sq ft
Bricks before waste	1,700
Bricks to buy, with waste	1,870
Mortar, 80 lb bags	46
Bricks	$842 to $1,500 (typical $1,120)
Mortar	$506 to $782 (typical $644)
Material total	$1,350 to $2,280 (typical $1,770)

Skipping the openings would have ordered 2,178 bricks, 308 more than the wall can use, and added about $290 to the typical material bill. Veneer also needs metal ties, flashing and weep holes, which the code sets and this material count leaves out.

What pushes brick costs up or down

Brick size and maker come first. Per piece, the $0.45 to $0.80 queen band is the lowest on the site, while Roman brick at $0.80 to $1.50 costs the most each. Price per square foot is the fairer comparison, since a large brick covers more wall.

Mortar is a bigger share than many expect. At about 37 bricks per premixed bag, the default wall spends $140 on mortar against $242 on bricks.

Wall shape changes waste. Corners, piers, arches and pattern bonds need cut and partial bricks, and a running bond wall with no openings wastes the least. Bond patterns with header courses also add bricks, a correction the BIA handles with separate factors.

Region and labor sit on top. High cost states raise the material figures, and the default wall becomes $370 to $608. Mason labor, scaffolding and cleanup usually cost more than the materials on any wall taller than a garden wall.

Planning scenarios: Basic, Standard and Premium

Case	Wall	Brick	To buy	Mortar bags	Material, typical
Basic	Garden wall 16 × 3 ft	Modular	357	9	$358
Standard	Garage side 24 × 8 ft	Queen	1,162	29	$1,100
Premium	Two story side 32 × 18 ft, 60 sq ft of windows	King	2,583	64	$3,090

The Basic garden wall fits on a fraction of a pallet and a single afternoon of mixing. The Standard garage side uses queen brick, a common veneer size, at 1,162 pieces. The Premium two story wall needs 2,583 king bricks and 64 bags of mortar, with a material range of $2,380 to $3,930, before scaffolding that a wall of that height requires.

Brick buying notes

• Bricks are fired in batches, and color shifts slightly between runs. Pulling from several cubes at once blends the wall.
• Cube counts and pallet sizes vary by maker and brick size. The supplier sheet lists bricks per cube.
• Extra bricks from the same run are worth keeping for repairs, since a later run rarely matches.
• Premixed mortar in 80 lb bags suits small jobs. Large walls often use bulk masonry cement and sand mixed on site.
• Delivery on a boom truck sets cubes close to the wall and saves hours of carrying.
• Ties, flashing, weep vents and lintels come from the same masonry supply yard.

Brick wall quote checklist

• Brick maker, style and size, plus a sample panel approved before work starts
• Bond pattern and any soldier, rowlock or header courses
• Mortar type and color, and the joint profile such as concave or flush
• Wall ties, flashing, weep vents and steel lintels over openings for veneer
• Footing or brick ledge under the wall and who inspects it
• Scaffolding, protection of windows and landscaping, and daily cleanup
• Final acid wash or cleaning method and who is responsible for staining
• Payment schedule by stage and a warranty covering cracking and efflorescence

What the brick estimate leaves out

• Mason labor and cleanup
• Footing or ledge under the wall
• Wall ties, flashing, weep vents and steel lintels over openings
• Scaffolding and equipment rental
• Sills, caps and special shapes
• Delivery fees, permits and inspections

When a mason or engineer should handle the wall

Brick veneer on a house is governed by the building code, which sets the air space behind the brick, tie spacing, flashing and support at the foundation. Lintels over windows and doors carry real load, and a mason who builds veneer weekly knows the local inspector’s expectations.

Freestanding walls need a footing below the frost line and, past a modest height, steel reinforcement. Retaining walls hold back soil and water pressure and need engineered design, a different job entirely from a garden wall.

Masonry work has its own hazards. Wet mortar is alkaline and burns skin on long contact, cutting brick with a saw releases silica dust that calls for water cutting or a respirator, and scaffold work above 10 feet follows fall protection rules.

Cost data note

Brick and mortar prices are national planning ranges for October 2026, refreshed on a three month cycle. Per piece bands run $0.50 to $0.85 for modular, $0.45 to $0.80 for queen, $0.65 to $1.10 for king, $0.80 to $1.50 for Roman and $0.70 to $1.30 for Norman, and 80 lb mortar bags run $11 to $17. Brick counts come from BIA Technical Note 10, and the mortar yield of 37 bricks per 80 lb bag is QUIKRETE’s own coverage figure.

Frequently asked questions

How many bricks per square foot?

6.75 for modular brick with 3/8 inch joints. Queen brick needs 5.50, king 4.55, Roman 6.00 and Norman 4.50, per the BIA table.

How many bricks for a 10 by 8 wall?

594 modular bricks with 10 percent waste. The 80 square feet need 540 before waste, plus 15 mortar bags at 80 lb each.

How many bags of mortar for 1,000 bricks?

28 bags of 80 lb premixed mortar, at about 37 bricks per bag. Mixing masonry cement and sand on site needs far fewer bags, since one 70 lb bag of masonry cement with sand lays about 144 bricks.

How many bricks are in 100 square feet of wall?

675 modular bricks before waste. A Norman brick wall of the same size needs 450.

Should doors and windows be subtracted from the brick count?

Yes. The BIA method uses net wall area, which is the gross area less openings. Bricks for sills and soldier courses over openings then get added back.

Related calculators

• Mortar bag calculator for a mortar order from a known brick or block count
• CMU block wall calculator for a block backup wall or a block garden wall
• Cinder block calculator for lightweight block projects
• Concrete footing calculator for the footing a freestanding brick wall stands on
• Paver calculator for a brick paver patio beside the wall

All masonry tools are listed on the masonry calculators hub.