About the Brick Calculator
Brick count depends heavily on which figure you use for bricks per square foot, since brick size and mortar joint thickness both shift the number - there's no single universal constant the way there is for standard CMU block.
How It Works
The calculator multiplies your wall area by a bricks-per-square-foot rate (defaulting to 7, the standard figure for modular brick with typical 3/8-inch mortar joints) and adds a waste allowance for cutting and breakage.
Examples
A garden wall
A 200 sq ft wall at 7 bricks per sq ft with 10% waste needs about 1,540 bricks.
A different brick size
The same wall area using a larger brick (say, 6 per sq ft) needs about 1,320 bricks, fewer individual units but likely a different total cost.
Advantages
- Adjustable bricks-per-square-foot rate for different brick sizes
- Simple area-based calculation with a waste allowance built in
- Uses the standard modular-brick figure as a sensible default
Common Mistakes
- Using the standard 7-per-square-foot rate for a non-modular brick size
- Not accounting for a patterned bond that uses more brick than a running bond
- Forgetting that a double-wythe wall needs roughly double the single-wythe estimate
Edge Cases to Watch For
- The default of 7 bricks per square foot applies to modular brick (roughly 8" × 2.25") with standard 3/8" mortar joints - other brick sizes like queen or utility brick, or thicker joints, need an adjusted rate.
- Patterned bonds like Flemish or English bond use more bricks per square foot than a standard running bond, since headers (bricks laid end-out) interrupt the normal coursing.
- This calculates a single-wythe (one brick thick) wall - a double-wythe wall roughly doubles the brick count for the same face area.
Common Use Cases
- Ordering brick for a veneer wall, garden wall, or planter
- Budgeting a masonry project before contacting a supplier
- Comparing material needs across different brick sizes