Calculate how many bricks you need, estimate mortar volume, and get a project cost breakdown — instantly.

Wall Width

Enter a valid width greater than 0

Wall Height

Enter a valid height greater than 0

Dimensions Unit

Brick Type / Size

Mortar Joint Thickness (inches)

Typical: ⅜″ (0.375) to ½″ (0.5)

Wall Thickness

Total Opening Area (doors/windows) — same unit as above

Enter combined area of all openings to subtract

Waste / Breakage Factor: 10%

5% 25%

Enter your custom brick dimensions in inches. Mortar joint is applied on all sides.

Brick Length (in)

Enter a valid length

Brick Height (in)

Enter a valid height

Brick Width / Depth (in)

Enter a valid width

Mortar Joint (in)

After entering dimensions, switch to Wall / Area tab, select "Custom size…", and your values will be used automatically.

Optional: fill in prices to get a full material cost breakdown.

Cost per Brick ($)

Cost per 60-lb Mortar Bag ($)

Labor Cost per sq ft ($)

One 60-lb bag covers (sq ft)

Typical coverage: 25–35 sq ft

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Total Bricks Needed (incl. waste)

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Wall Area (sq ft)

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Net Bricks (no waste)

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Mortar Bags (60 lb)

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Bricks per sq ft

Project Breakdown

Item	Value

How to Use This Brick Calculator

Enter your wall width and height, select the unit (feet, metres, or inches), choose your brick type, and set the mortar joint thickness. Subtract door and window openings by entering their combined area, then adjust the waste slider for breakage. Hit Calculate to get your total brick count, mortar bag quantity, and optional cost estimate.

Why This Matters

Ordering the right number of bricks before a project starts can save you hundreds of dollars and several trips to the supplier. Under-order and work stops mid-project — a common and costly mistake. Over-order and you're paying for material you'll never use, plus disposal fees.

Consider a typical backyard garden wall: 20 ft wide × 4 ft tall with standard bricks. That's 80 sq ft of wall surface, roughly 530 bricks at about 6.75 per sq ft. Add 10% waste (53 bricks) and you need 583 — about 9 boxes of 65. Without a calculator, most people guess 500 or round to 600 haphazardly. Getting this right on a larger project like a 40 ft × 8 ft retaining wall (320 sq ft) can be the difference between a $1,200 and a $1,500 brick order.

Mortar bags are just as important. A 60-lb bag typically covers about 25 sq ft of single-wythe wall. Forgetting mortar in your estimate means a day-two hardware run that kills productivity on busy job sites.

How It's Calculated

The calculator uses this sequence:

Wall Area = (Width × Height) − Opening Area
Brick Face Area = (Brick Length + Mortar Joint) × (Brick Height + Mortar Joint)
Net Bricks = Wall Area / Brick Face Area × Wall Wythe Count
Total Bricks = Net Bricks × (1 + Waste %)
Mortar Bags = Wall Area × Wythe Count / Coverage per Bag

All dimensions are converted to the same unit (inches) before calculation to avoid errors. The "brick face area" includes one mortar joint on the right and top of each brick — this is the standard industry method, since joints are shared between adjacent bricks.

Tips & Common Mistakes

Always add waste. Even experienced masons use 5–10% extra for cuts and chips. On complex patterns (herringbone, diagonal), bump this to 15–20%.
Measure openings carefully. A standard door (3 ft × 6.8 ft ≈ 20.4 sq ft) represents about 137 fewer standard bricks — don't skip this input.
Match your mortar joint to the bond pattern. Running bond uses ⅜″; some decorative patterns use ½″. This changes brick count per square foot noticeably.
Double-wythe walls roughly double your brick count — but also provide much better insulation and structural integrity for freestanding walls over 4 ft tall.
Buy from the same dye lot. Order all bricks at once. Color variations between batches are common and noticeable once the wall is built.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bricks do I need per square foot?

Standard bricks (7⅝″ × 2¼″) with a ⅜″ mortar joint cover about 6.75 bricks per square foot for a single-wythe wall. Larger bricks like Norman (11⅝″ × 2¼″) drop this to about 4.5 per sq ft. This calculator computes the exact figure based on your selected brick and joint size.

How much mortar do I need for 1,000 bricks?

A common rule of thumb is that one 60-lb bag of mortar covers roughly 25–35 square feet of wall, which equates to about 1 bag per 40–50 standard bricks. For 1,000 bricks that's roughly 20–25 bags, but this varies with joint thickness and brick size. Use the calculator for project-specific figures.

What is a wythe in brick construction?

A wythe is a single vertical layer of bricks one brick wide. A single-wythe wall is 3⅝″ thick; a double-wythe wall is roughly 7½″ thick (two layers with a collar joint). Structural walls, garden walls over 4 ft, and exterior building walls are typically double-wythe for stability.

Should I include the foundation in my brick count?

This calculator estimates above-grade visible wall bricks. Below-grade foundation courses are typically a separate estimate and often use a different (cheaper) brick. Calculate foundation courses separately by entering only those dimensions, or add them as an additional wall run.