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Brick Calculator
Brick counts live and die by the joint: the same brick needs 6.86 or 7.3 bricks per square foot depending on whether the mortar joint is 3/8 or 1/2 inch. Enter the wall and brick size for the count with waste, the mortar bags to lay them, and the material cost.
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Counts are for a single-wythe wall (one brick thick). A double-wythe structural wall doubles the bricks. Brick is sold by the cube/pallet — typically about 500 modular bricks — and dye lots vary, so order the whole job at once.
How it works
Bricks = wall area × bricks per sq ft × (1 + waste %)
Mortar bags = bricks ÷ 37 per 80 lb bag
For the standard modular brick with a 3/8 in joint, the formula gives 144 ÷ (8 × 2.625) = 6.86 bricks per sq ft — the figure the Brick Industry Association publishes, usually rounded to 7 for quick estimates. Widen the joint to 1/2 in and it drops to 6.55, which is why old walls and new walls with the same bricks don't take the same count.
The mortar rate is the manufacturers' published coverage: an 80 lb bag of pre-mixed mortar (about 0.7 cu ft mixed) lays roughly 37 modular bricks at 3/8 in joints — Quikrete's figure, with Sakrete publishing about 40. When the dedicated mortar calculator launches it will break this into site-mixed cement, lime and sand as well; for bagged work, this rate is the one to order by.
Worked example
A 10×10 ft garden wall (100 sq ft) in modular brick with 3/8 in joints: 100 × 6.86 = 686 bricks, 755 with 10% waste — just over a pallet and a half. Mortar: 755 ÷ 37 = 21 bags of 80 lb mix (about 14.7 cu ft mixed). Materials at $0.65 a brick and $9 a bag: about $680.
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks are in a square foot?
6.86 for modular brick with standard 3/8 in mortar joints — call it 7 for quick math. Standard (8 in) brick runs 6.55 per sq ft, queen size 4.61. The joint is part of the math: bricks are counted by the area each one covers including its share of mortar.
How many bricks do I need for a 100 sq ft wall?
About 690 modular bricks before waste — 755 with a 10% allowance for cuts and breakage. That's 1.5 standard pallets (roughly 500 bricks each). Double-wythe (two bricks thick) doubles everything.
How much mortar does a bag lay?
An 80 lb bag of pre-mixed mortar lays about 37 modular bricks at 3/8 in joints (manufacturers publish 35–41 depending on brand and joint). A 100-brick project needs 3 bags; a 1,000-brick wall, about 27. Mixing your own from cement, lime and sand cuts the material cost roughly in half on big walls.
How many bricks come on a pallet?
About 500 modular bricks per cube (roughly 3,000 lb). Suppliers sell full cubes at the best price and will often split one for a fee. However you buy, get the whole project from one production run — clay brick color varies between firings in a way that's invisible in the yard and obvious on the wall.
What mortar type should I use?
Type N for most above-grade exterior walls — it's the general-purpose default. Type S where the wall is structural, below grade, or a retaining wall. Type O only for interior or historic repointing with soft brick. When in doubt, N for garden walls and veneer, S for anything holding back earth.
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About the author
Harrison Alley is a web publisher and data enthusiast based in Dallas, Texas. He built Urbarama’s remodeling calculators and maintains them.
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