Skip to content
COUNTMATERIALS
Home/Materials/Brick

Brick Calculator

Enter wall dimensions, openings, brick size, and mortar joint to estimate bricks needed.

Estimated bricks to order
1,174
160.00 ft² net wall · 6.86 bricks/ft²

Estimate only. Uses brick face length + height plus the mortar joint. Brick sizes vary by manufacturer and region, so use the dimensions of the product you plan to buy.

Project inputs
Results
Gross wall area
160.00 ft²
Net wall area
160.00 ft²
Bricks per sq ft
6.86
Before waste
1,098
Order quantity
1,174
Optional brick cost
—
Reference note. Brick-size methodology reference: Brick Industry Association, Technical Note 10, Dimensioning and Estimating Brick Masonry.

How the brick calculator works

The calculator first finds gross wall area from length × height and subtracts any door, window, or vent openings you enter.

It then builds a face module from brick length plus mortar joint and brick height plus mortar joint. That module area is converted from square inches to square feet, and net wall area is divided by the module area to estimate the number of bricks.

A waste allowance is applied and the result is rounded up. If you enter a local unit price, the calculator also shows an estimated brick-only material cost.

Brick dimensions are not universal

Brick Industry Association guidance distinguishes nominal, specified, and actual dimensions and notes that brick sizes vary by manufacturer and region. For estimating, use the face dimensions of the brick you actually plan to buy.

This calculator starts with a common U.S. modular-brick face size of 7.625 inches long by 2.25 inches high and a 0.375-inch mortar joint, but all three values are editable.

Larger formats such as queen, king, utility, and engineer brick cover more wall area per unit, so using a generic bricks-per-square-foot number can materially overstate or understate an order.

What the brick estimate excludes

The estimate covers brick count and optional brick-only cost. Mortar, wall ties, flashing, lintels, weeps, reinforcement, scaffolding, delivery, labor, and structural design are not included.

For structural or code-regulated masonry, follow project drawings, local requirements, and the selected brick and mortar specifications.

FAQ
How many bricks do I need per square foot?

It depends on the brick face size and mortar joint. A standard modular brick with a typical mortar joint works out to roughly seven bricks per square foot, but the calculator uses your exact dimensions instead of a fixed rule.

Should I subtract doors and windows?

Yes. Enter the combined square footage of openings so the calculator removes them from the gross wall area before estimating brick count.

Why does the mortar joint change the brick count?

Brick masonry is laid as a repeating module made of the brick plus the mortar joint. Increasing the joint slightly increases the area covered by each brick-and-joint module, reducing the number of bricks per square foot.

Does this calculator include corner cuts or breakage?

Use the waste allowance for cuts, damage, color selection, and breakage. The final order quantity is rounded up to whole bricks.

Related calculators
Paver Calculator →Mortar Calculator →Sand Calculator →