A Free Tool · Walls & Veneer · Standard Modular Brick
How many bricks do you actually need?
Enter a wall's length and height — or its square footage directly — subtract
any doors and windows, and get the number of standard modular bricks plus the bags of
mortar to lay them. The count uses 7 bricks per square foot for a
single-wythe wall (a modular brick with a 3/8″ joint) and includes a 10% waste
factor so cuts and breakage don't leave you short.
Bricks & bags of mortar·Dimensions or direct square feet·Openings subtractable
Read this first
These are estimates based on a standard modular brick, a 3/8″ mortar joint, and a
single-wythe wall — not a substitute for your own measurements or your brick
supplier's coverage figures. A different brick size changes the count: confirm the
bricks-per-square-foot rate for the exact unit you're buying. Order all your brick in one
delivery where you can, since color and texture can drift between production runs, and
always buy a little extra rather than risk running short mid-course.
The calculator
Estimate bricks and mortar
Choose how you want to enter the wall — by length and height in feet, or as a square-foot total — then subtract any openings and pick a waste factor. You'll get the bricks needed and the bags of mortar to lay them.
Length × height gives the gross wall area in square feet.
Enter the total face area you're bricking, if you already know it.
Total square footage of doors, windows, and vents to subtract. Optional — leave at 0 for a solid wall.
5–10% is commonly recommended for cuts, breakage, and color blending.
Net wall area
Bricks before waste (7 per sq ft)
Waste applied
Bricks needed (with waste)
Mortar bags (70 lb, ~120 bricks each)
The math, honestly
How the brick and mortar counts are figured
It starts with area. The gross wall area in square feet is
length × height (or whatever square footage you enter directly).
Subtract the openings to get the net area you're actually covering:
net area = wall area − openings.
Then it's a flat rate. A standard modular brick laid with a 3/8″ mortar joint
covers about 6.86 square inches of wall face, so one square foot
(144 square inches) takes about 6.86 bricks — rounded to 7 per square
foot for a single-wythe wall. Multiply the net area by 7, add a waste factor,
and round up: bricks = ceil(net area × 7 × (1 + waste/100)).
You can't buy part of a brick.
Mortar follows the brick count. One 70 lb bag of mortar mix lays about 120
standard modular bricks, so the bags needed are
ceil(bricks / 120). The waste factor matters because
real walls need bricks cut at corners and around openings, some break in handling, and
you pull from several pallets to blend color — the default 10% covers all of that.
Bricks per square foot and mortar per brick
The coverage rates this calculator uses, plus a few common brick sizes for context.
The 7-per-square-foot rate is specific to a standard modular brick with a 3/8″
joint in a single-wythe wall — other sizes change the count, so confirm the rate
for the unit you're actually buying.
Brick type
Nominal face sizeheight × length
Bricks per sq ftsingle-wythe, 3/8″ joint
Modular (standard)
2 2/3″ × 8″
7
Queen
2 3/4″ × 8″
5.8
Engineer modular
3 1/5″ × 8″
5.6
Utility
4″ × 12″
3
The calculator uses 7 bricks per square foot for a standard modular brick. The other
sizes are listed for context only — if you're using one of them, get the exact
bricks-per-square-foot figure from the manufacturer and substitute it. Mortar coverage:
one 70 lb bag of mortar mix lays about 120 standard modular bricks at a 3/8″ joint.
Common wall sizes
Worked examples for a few common single-wythe walls, computed with the same formula and
a 10% waste factor — so these match what the calculator gives you. Bricks are
shown with waste included; mortar is 70 lb bags, rounded up.
Wall
Areasquare feet
Bricks+10% waste
Mortar70 lb bags
10 × 4 ft
40
308
3
10 × 8 ft
80
616
6
20 × 8 ft
160
1,232
11
40 × 8 ft
320
2,464
21
All four assume a solid single-wythe wall with no openings subtracted. The 20 × 8 ft
row is the worked example: 160 sq ft × 7 = 1,120 bricks, +10% waste rounds up to
1,232 bricks, and 1,232 ÷ 120 rounds up to 11 bags of mortar.
Reading the result well
A brick count is only useful if you act on it sensibly. Four things worth knowing before
you order.
Confirm 7 per square foot fits your brick
The 7-bricks-per-square-foot rate is specific to a standard modular brick with a 3/8″ mortar joint. A larger unit — queen, engineer, or utility brick — covers more wall and needs fewer per square foot; a smaller or thin-veneer brick needs more. If you're using anything other than a standard modular brick, pull the bricks-per-square-foot figure from the manufacturer and use that instead.
Single wythe versus double wythe
This calculator assumes a single-wythe wall — one brick thick, which covers most brick veneer over framing or block. A double-wythe wall is two layers thick and takes roughly twice the brick, about 14 per square foot. If your wall is two wythes, run the numbers and double the brick result; the mortar bags will scale with it.
Always add 5–10% waste
Every wall needs bricks cut to fit at corners and around openings, some break in handling, and good masons pull from several pallets at once to blend color. The waste factor covers all of that. This calculator defaults to 10%; you might drop to 5% on a small, simple wall, but never to zero. The waste factor is for cuts and breakage — not for openings, which you subtract separately.
Order in one delivery — and buy whole bricks
You can't buy a fraction of a brick or bag, so the calculator rounds both counts up. Order all of your brick at once where you can: color and texture can shift between production runs, and a later top-up may not match the wall you've already laid. A small surplus is cheap insurance against a mismatched batch or a course that comes up short.
Where to buy
Got your numbers? Here's where to pick up what you need:
The terms behind the calculator, in plain English. These are background definitions, not
masonry specifications — follow your local building code and any engineered plan
for structural brickwork.
Modular brick
The standard residential brick, with a nominal face of 2 2/3″ tall by 8″ long once a 3/8″ mortar joint is included. It covers about 6.86 square inches of wall, which is where the 7 bricks per square foot figure comes from. Other named sizes — queen, engineer, utility — cover more or less and change the count.
Wythe
A single continuous vertical layer of masonry one unit thick. A single-wythe wall, including most brick veneer, is one brick thick — that's the assumption this calculator uses. A double-wythe wall is two layers thick and takes roughly twice the brick.
Mortar joint
The band of mortar between bricks, conventionally 3/8″ thick. The joint is part of the brick's effective coverage, which is why bricks-per-square-foot already accounts for it. Wider or rougher joints use more mortar and slightly fewer bricks.
Brick veneer
A single-wythe outer layer of brick over a framed or block backup wall. It carries no structural load beyond its own weight and is the most common form of residential brick today. Because it's one wythe, it uses the same 7 bricks per square foot rate.
Waste factor
The extra brick bought above the calculated count — typically 5 to 10% — to cover cuts at corners and openings, breakage, and color blending. It's separate from the openings you subtract: openings are wall you're not covering, while waste is loss on the wall you are.
Opening
A door, window, vent, or other area of the wall you're not bricking over. Its square footage is subtracted from the wall area before the brick math, so you don't pay for brick that's never laid. On a wall with lots of glass this can lower the count meaningfully.
Mortar mix
The bagged cement-and-sand blend that bonds the bricks. A standard 70 lb bag lays about 120 modular bricks at a 3/8″ joint. Larger joints, hand-struck profiles, and fully filled head joints all consume more mortar, so treat the figure as a planning estimate and keep an extra bag on hand.
Frequently asked
Multiply your wall area in square feet by 7, then add about 10% for waste. For a single-wythe wall of standard modular brick that's roughly 7 bricks per square foot. A 20 ft × 8 ft wall is 160 sq ft, which is 160 × 7 = 1,120 bricks; adding 10% waste rounds up to about 1,232 bricks. Subtract the square footage of any doors or windows from the wall area first. Try it in the calculator.
About 7 for a standard modular brick in a single-wythe wall. A modular brick has a nominal face of 8″ × 2 2/3″, and with a 3/8″ mortar joint each brick covers about 6.86 square inches of wall. One square foot is 144 square inches, and 144 ÷ 6.86 is about 6.86, which rounds up to 7. Larger bricks cover more and lower the count; smaller or thinner bricks raise it.
Plan on about one 70 lb bag of mortar mix per 120 standard modular bricks, then round up. For 500 bricks you need 5 bags; for 1,000 bricks, 9 bags; for the 1,232 bricks in the example wall, 11 bags. This assumes a standard 3/8″ joint — larger or hand-struck joints and fully filled head joints all use more mortar, so buy a little extra rather than running short mid-course.
Add about 5 to 10% over your calculated count. This covers bricks cut to fit at corners and openings, breakage in handling, and color blending across pallets. This calculator uses 10% by default, and you can change it. Order all your brick in one delivery when you can, because color and texture can shift between production runs and a later top-up may not match.
A wythe is a single vertical layer of brick one unit thick. A single-wythe wall — including most brick veneer over framing or block — is one brick thick, which is the 7 bricks per square foot this calculator assumes. A double-wythe wall is two layers thick, common in older solid masonry and some garden walls, and takes roughly twice the brick, about 14 per square foot. If your wall is two wythes, run the calculator and double the brick result.
Yes. The 7-per-square-foot figure is specific to a standard modular brick with a 3/8″ joint. A larger unit — queen, engineer, or utility brick — covers more wall, so you need fewer per square foot; a smaller or thin-veneer brick needs more. If you're using anything other than a standard modular brick, get the bricks-per-square-foot figure for that unit from the manufacturer and use it in place of 7.
Yes. Add up the square footage of every opening you're not bricking over — doors, windows, large vents — and subtract that total from the wall area before multiplying by 7. On a wall with a lot of glass this can cut the count meaningfully. Leaving openings in the area just pads your order; the built-in waste factor is meant for cuts and breakage, not for whole sections of wall that aren't there.