Brick calculator
Enter the wall size, take off doors and windows, and pick the brick to see how many to buy. Counts use the Brick Industry Association’s per-square-foot figures.
Enter your measurements
More options: Extra
- Bricks per square foot
- 6.75 per sq ft
- Wall area (net of openings)
- 160 sq ft
- Mortar mix, 80 lb bags (incl. 15% extra)
- 34 bags
- Brick size (specified)
- 3-5/8 × 2-1/4 × 7-5/8 in
20 ft × 8 ft = 160 sq ft
× 675 per 100 sq ft (BIA, ⅜ in joints) + 5% = 1,134 bricks
- Order all the brick for a wall from the same production run if you can — colour varies between batches. Mixing from several pallets as you lay also evens out shade.
Quick answers for common sizes
| Example | Answer |
|---|---|
| How many bricks per square foot | 6.75 modular bricks per sq ft (675 per 100 sq ft) |
| How many queen size bricks per square foot | 5.5 per sq ft (550 per 100 sq ft) for a 3 × 2¾ × 8 in queen |
The same wall in every brick size
| Brick size | Bricks to buy | Bricks per square foot |
|---|---|---|
| Modular | 1,134 bricks | 6.75 per sq ft |
| Standard | 1,101 bricks | 6.55 per sq ft |
| Queen | 924 bricks | 5.5 per sq ft |
| King | 765 bricks | 4.55 per sq ft |
| Engineer modular | 946 bricks | 5.63 per sq ft |
| Closure modular | 756 bricks | 4.5 per sq ft |
| Roman | 1,008 bricks | 6 per sq ft |
| Norman | 756 bricks | 4.5 per sq ft |
| Utility | 504 bricks | 3 per sq ft |
Brick counts come from the size of each brick plus its mortar joint. A modular brick is 7⅝ in long and 2¼ in tall; with ⅜ in joints, three courses rise exactly 8 in and each brick takes 8 in of length. The Brick Industry Association’s Technical Note 10 puts that at 6.75 modular bricks per square foot, or 675 per 100 sq ft.
Bricks per square foot, by size
| Brick | Specified size (in) | Per sq ft | Per 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modular | 3⅝ × 2¼ × 7⅝ | 6.75 | 675 |
| Standard | 3⅝ × 2¼ × 8 | 6.55 | 655 |
| Engineer modular | 3⅝ × 2-13/16 × 7⅝ | 5.63 | 563 |
| Queen | 3 × 2¾ × 8 | 5.50 | 550 |
| King | 3 × 2¾ × 9¾ | 4.55 | 455 |
| Closure modular | 3⅝ × 3⅝ × 7⅝ | 4.50 | 450 |
| Norman | 3⅝ × 2¼ × 11⅝ | 4.50 | 450 |
| Roman | 3⅝ × 1⅝ × 11⅝ | 6.00 | 600 |
| Utility | 3⅝ × 3⅝ × 11⅝ | 3.00 | 300 |
bricks = (wall area − openings) × bricks per sq ft × (1 + waste)
BIA says to add at least 5% for waste and breakage. Add more for walls with many cuts, arches or patterns.
Worked examples
- How many bricks per square foot — 6.75 modular, and what 100 sq ft takes.
- How many queen size bricks per square foot — the common veneer brick, compared with king and modular.
Mortar
Quikrete’s Mortar Mix data sheet says an 80 lb bag lays up to 37 standard bricks, so 675 modular bricks take about 18 bags before waste. BIA suggests adding 15–25% to mortar quantities for waste; the mortar line above includes 15%, about 21 bags per 100 sq ft. The mortar calculator has the full count, and how many bags of mortar per 1000 brick works through a typical order.
What you’ll need
- Brick trowelBudget price
Spreads and furrows the mortar bed and butters the ends of each block or brick. A 10–11 in trowel suits most hands.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Mortar jointerBudget price
Tools mortar joints to a concave finish once they are thumbprint-hard, which compacts them and sheds water.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Mason’s line and line blocksBudget price
Bright braided line stretched between line blocks keeps each course of block or brick straight and level, and marks out slab edges.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Brick set chisel and hammerBudget price
Scores and splits brick and block for half-units and cuts. For many cuts, a masonry saw used wet is faster and keeps dust down.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links to products are affiliate links — they cost you nothing extra and help keep these calculators free.
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks are in a square metre?
About 73 modular bricks per m² with ⅜ in (10 mm) joints — 6.75 per square foot × 10.76. For other metric brick sizes, divide 1 m² by the brick’s face area plus joints, or ask your supplier.
How many bricks do I need for a 10 × 8 ft wall?
80 sq ft × 6.75 = 540 modular bricks, or 567 with 5% extra.
Do I subtract windows and doors?
Yes — subtract their areas, then add back a little for the extra cutting around them. The waste allowance usually covers that.
Related guides
Sources
- Brick Industry Association — Technical Note 10, Dimensioning and Estimating Brick Masonry (opens in a new tab) — Table 4: brick per 100 sq ft and mortar per 100 sq ft and per 1,000 brick for modular and non-modular sizes; add at least 5% to brick and 15–25% to mortar for waste.
- Quikrete Mortar Mix (No. 1102) data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Each 80 lb bag lays up to 37 standard bricks or 13 standard 8×8×16 blocks.