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Brick Calculator

Estimate how many bricks and how much mortar you need for a wall, calculated dynamically from your brick size and mortar joint width.

Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Figures are presented in United States units and terminology, and each formula’s basis is cited under regulatory standards below.

Last verified 2026-08-26 · v2.0.0

Market
Imperial · sales tax
19.5 ft8 ft
Schematic, drawn to the proportions you entered — not to scale on screen.
Who is doing the work?

The standard allowance most suppliers and estimating guides assume for ordinary work.

Estimated brick needed

1,106 bricks

High confidence
Wall area
156 sq ft
Coverage rate (from your dimensions)
6.44 bricks/sq ft
Base brick count (no waste)
1006 bricks
Mortar mix needed
17 80 lb bags

For the dimensions entered, expect a result of 1106 bricks. Of the working steps, base brick count (no waste) dominates at 1006 bricks. Set for United States. The market selector changes the units and the trade terminology; any standard behind the formula is cited under sources.

Estimated cost — your price

This site holds no price list for this material — local prices vary too much to publish honestly. Enter your supplier's price and the result is costed with it.

Preliminary estimate, not certified engineering. This tool produces an indicative quantity calculation for planning purposes only — it is not a certified structural analysis, a guaranteed material takeoff, or a substitute for building department approval. Always verify measurements on-site and have a licensed contractor or structural engineer review any load-bearing, code-sensitive, or safety-critical work before purchasing materials or starting construction. Spotted an arithmetic or standards error? Report it to contact@craftquantities.com with your inputs — a confirmed fix gets a permanent check of its own, so the same mistake cannot come back.

Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.

Regulatory standards & verification citations

  • Bricks per square foot is derived geometrically from nominal brick face dimensions (actual brick size + mortar joint width) rather than a single fixed rate, since brick products and joint widths vary
  • Mortar volume is derived from the gap between actual and nominal brick face dimensions across the wall's depth; one 80 lb bag of mortar mix yields approximately 0.66 cubic feet when mixed

Your workspace

Most jobs need more than one number. Add the calculators you need next and they open right here, underneath this one — your figures stay on screen and nothing is lost to a page change.

Frequently asked questions

Does this account for door and window openings?
No — subtract the area of any openings from your wall area before entering it here for a more precise count.
Why isn't the coverage rate a fixed '7 bricks per square foot' anymore?
That figure is a widely-quoted rounded rule of thumb for one specific brick size and joint width. This calculator derives the real coverage rate geometrically from your actual brick dimensions and mortar joint, so it stays accurate for larger format brick (Norman, Roman, Utility) or non-standard joint widths.
How is the mortar bag estimate calculated?
It's the volume of the gap between each brick's actual size and its 'nominal' size (actual size plus one mortar joint), multiplied by the brick's depth and the number of bricks, then converted using the typical yield of an 80 lb bag of pre-mixed mortar (about 0.66 cubic feet once mixed).