How many bags of mortar per 1000 brick?
A thousand standard bricks take about 27 bags of 80 lb mortar mix, at Quikrete’s figure of up to 37 bricks per bag. With 15% extra that is 32 bags. BIA recommends adding 15–25% to mortar estimates for waste.
How to work it out
- 1000 bricks ÷ 37 per 80 lb bag = 27 bags
- + 15% = 32 bags
Bricks are often ordered by the thousand, so mortar per thousand is the number masons and suppliers use. A thousand modular bricks build about 148 square feet of single-wythe wall.
Adjust for your project
More options: Extra
- Units per bag (Quikrete)
- Up to 37 bricks per 80 lb bag
- Cross-check
- Quikrete’s “up to 37” assumes neat ⅜ in joints; buy by the bag count and return unopened bags
- Weight of the bags
- 2,560 lb
- “Up to” on the bag assumes neat, consistent joints. Beginners, wide joints and full mortar beds under block use more — that is what the extra is for.
Bags of 80 lb mortar by brick count (15% extra)
| How many units | Mortar mix bags | Weight of the bags |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 4 bags | 320 lb |
| 250 | 8 bags | 640 lb |
| 500 | 16 bags | 1,280 lb |
| 1000 | 32 bags | 2,560 lb |
| 2000 | 63 bags | 5,040 lb |
Why the bag count is higher than the joint volume
By the bag: Quikrete says an 80 lb bag of Mortar Mix or Mason Mix lays up to 37 standard bricks. 1,000 ÷ 37 is 27 bags; add BIA’s 15–25% waste and you buy 32 to 34.
BIA’s Technical Note 10 tabulates the mortar that ends up in the finished joints — 8.1 cu ft per 1,000 modular bricks with ⅜ in joints. A bag count has to cover far more than that: mortar spread in a furrowed bed and squeezed out, droppings, the scrapings knocked off each joint, and mortar that stiffens in the tub before it is used. That is why buying by the volume in the joints would leave you short, and why this page uses Quikrete’s per-bag figure. Unopened bags can usually go back.
Masonry cement and sand
Many masons mix their own from masonry cement and sand instead of buying premix. BIA’s rule of thumb is that eight bags of masonry cement lay about 1,000 modular bricks — plus the sand, measured as the cement bag directs. For the bricks themselves, see how many bricks per square foot; for block, how many bags of mortar per 100 block.
Different size? Use the full Mortar Calculator.
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) - Mortar hawkBudget price
A flat board with a handle underneath that holds a load of mortar or stucco next to the work.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
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Frequently asked questions
How much mortar for 500 bricks?
16 bags of 80 lb mortar mix with 15% extra.
How many bags of mortar per 100 brick?
4 bags of 80 lb with 15% extra (2.7 before waste).
How many 60 lb bags of mortar per 1000 brick?
42 bags of 60 lb with 15% extra, at 28 bricks per bag.
Other common sizes
- How many bags of mortar per 100 block — 9 bags of 80 lb mortar mix (7.7 before the 15% extra)
Sources
- 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.
- Quikrete Mortar Mix data sheet (2007 edition, Table 1) (opens in a new tab) — 80 lb: 12 blocks or 37 brick; 60 lb: 9 blocks or 28 brick; 40 lb: 6 blocks or 19 brick.
- Quikrete Mason Mix (No. 1136, Type S) data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Each 80 lb bag lays up to 37 standard bricks or 13 standard blocks.
- CMHA (formerly NCMA) TEK 04-02A — Estimating concrete masonry materials (opens in a new tab) — Each 8×16 unit covers 8/9 sq ft, so 112.5 units per 100 sq ft (119 with 5% waste); grout per 100 sq ft by unit width and core spacing (Table 3); cores filled per 80 lb grout bag (Table 4); one 80 lb bag of preblended mortar lays about 16 CMU with face-shell bedding (Table 2).
- 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 Portland Cement data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Concrete mix 1 part cement : 2 parts sand : 3 parts gravel by volume; five to six 94 lb bags of cement per cubic yard of concrete; Type S and Type N mortar and ASTM C926 stucco blends.
- Quikrete Mortar Mix — product page (pallet quantities) (opens in a new tab) — 40 lb bags 80 per pallet, 60 lb 56, 80 lb 42.
- Sakrete Mortar Mix Type S — product data sheet (Sika Canada) (opens in a new tab) — A 30 kg (66 lb) bag makes about 0.65 cu ft of fresh mortar; lays about 12 blocks or 33 bricks with 3/8 in joints.