How many bricks do I need?
Divide the wall's area by the area one brick covers, including its mortar joint. Add the joint to the brick's length and height, multiply, and divide 144 by the result to get bricks per square foot.
Bricks = wall area (sq ft) × 144 ÷ ((brick length + joint) × (brick height + joint)) + waste
A modular brick is 7-5/8 in long and 2-1/4 in high. With 3/8 in joints it covers 8 × 2-5/8 in, which is 6.86 bricks per square foot. A 20 ft wall, 8 ft high, is 160 sq ft. 160 × 6.86 = 1,097 bricks. Add 5% for breakage and cuts and buy 1,152. At 125 bricks per bag of masonry cement, that's 10 bags and about 1.5 tons of mason sand. As veneer, it takes 60 wall ties.
You'll often see 6.75 bricks per square foot quoted for modular brick. That figure uses the nominal course height of 2-2/3 in (three courses to 8 in), which works out to a bed joint a little over 3/8 in. The difference is under 2%, and your waste allowance covers it.
Brick sizes and how many per square foot
| Brick | Face (actual) | Bricks per sq ft, 3/8 in joints | Bricks per 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modular | 2-1/4 × 7-5/8 in | 6.86 | 686 |
| Standard | 2-1/4 × 8 in | 6.55 | 655 |
| Queen | 2-3/4 × 7-5/8 in | 5.76 | 576 |
| King | 2-5/8 × 9-5/8 in | 4.80 | 480 |
| Norman | 2-1/4 × 11-5/8 in | 4.57 | 457 |
| Utility | 3-5/8 × 11-5/8 in | 3.00 | 300 |
Sizes vary by manufacturer, especially queen and king. Measure a brick or read the spec sheet, pick "Custom size" and enter the actual dimensions. Change the joint if your mason runs 1/4 or 1/2 in joints.
Brick calculator for a wall
Enter each wall as its own rectangle. Use a triangle for a gable end. Subtract doors and windows in the per-wall field: a standard 3 × 6-8 ft door is 20 sq ft and a 3 × 5 ft window is 15 sq ft. Keep waste at 5% for a plain wall. Raise it to 7 to 10% for lots of corners, openings, soldier courses or a running bond with many cut bricks.
A double wythe wall is two bricks thick, so it takes twice the bricks per square foot of face. Header courses tie the wythes together but don't change the count much. A filled collar joint between the wythes adds mortar on top of the estimate.
Brick veneer calculator: mortar and ties
Most brick on houses is veneer: one wythe of brick tied to the wood or steel frame behind it with metal ties. Under the IRC (R703.8.4), ties are spaced no more than 32 in apart horizontally and 24 in vertically, and each tie supports no more than 2.67 sq ft of wall. The calculator divides your wall area by 2.67. Your plans or local code may call for closer spacing, and extra ties around openings.
Mortar yield is a rule of thumb, not a fixed number. The default is 125 modular bricks per 70 lb bag of masonry cement mixed with about 3 parts sand. Premixed 80 lb mortar mix already contains the sand and typically lays 30 to 40 bricks per bag. Bigger bricks need more mortar each, so the calculator adjusts the yield for the brick size and joint you pick. Type N mortar is typical for above-grade veneer. Use Type S where your plans or code call for it. The mortar calculator covers yields in more detail.
Pricing a brick job
Masons usually price brick per thousand laid or per square foot of wall, with mortar, sand, ties, flashing and lintels as separate lines. The labor default assumes about 35 bricks per labor hour for a mason and tender together. Set your own rate and production in contractor mode, add the footing from the concrete calculator, and send it as an estimate.
Questions
How many bricks are in a square foot?
About 6.86 modular bricks with 3/8 in joints, often rounded to 6.75 using the nominal course height. Queen bricks are about 5.8 per square foot, king about 4.8 and utility 3.
How many bricks does a bag of mortar lay?
It depends on the bag and the joint. A common rule is about 125 modular bricks per 70 lb bag of masonry cement mixed with sand. An 80 lb bag of premixed mortar mix typically lays 30 to 40. Check the bag.
How much waste should I add for brick?
5% for a plain wall. Use 7 to 10% for walls with many corners, openings, soldier courses or cut bricks.
How many wall ties do I need for brick veneer?
Under the IRC, each tie supports no more than 2.67 square feet of wall, spaced at most 32 inches horizontally and 24 inches vertically. Divide the wall area by 2.67 and add ties around openings if your code requires them.