Brick Calculator
Count the bricks for a wall in modular, standard, queen, king or metric sizes with standard mortar joints — plus the mortar bags to lay them.
How many bricks do I need?
Bricks are counted by the module: the brick plus one mortar joint. With the standard 3/8-inch joint, a modular brick covers an 8 × 2⅝ inch patch of wall — 6.86 bricks per square foot — and every other size follows the same arithmetic from its own dimensions.
Bricks = wall area ÷ ((brick length + joint) × (brick height + joint))
Example: a 10 × 8 ft wall in modular brick is 80 sq ft ÷ 0.146 sq ft per brick = 549 bricks laid, 604 to buy with the 10% allowance, and about 16 bags of 80-lb mortar mix to lay them.
Bricks per square foot, by size
| Brick | Per sq ft of wall | Bricks per 80-lb mortar bag |
|---|
| Modular (2¼ × 7⅝ in) | 6.86 | ≈ 36 |
| Standard (2¼ × 8 in) | 6.55 | ≈ 36 |
| Queen (2¾ × 7⅝ in) | 5.76 | ≈ 33 |
| King (2⅝ × 9⅝ in) | 4.80 | ≈ 30 |
| Metric (65 × 215 mm) | 5.51 (59 per sq meter) | ≈ 36 |
The mortar figures are the bag manufacturers' own published rates (an 80-lb bag of mortar mix lays roughly 36 standard bricks at 3/8-inch joints), and the calculator applies them to the bricks actually laid, not to the waste allowance — spare bricks do not consume mortar until they are in the wall. This tool counts a single-wythe wall (one brick thick); a double-wythe wall doubles the bricks and adds a collar joint of mortar between the wythes, so allow roughly double the mortar as well. Openings — doors, windows, vents — should be measured and subtracted from the wall area before you start.
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks are in a cube or pallet?
A standard cube holds about 500 modular bricks (some sizes differ — queen cubes run smaller counts, king fewer still). The example wall above, at 604 bricks to buy, is a cube plus a small top-up order.
Why does the count use the joint at all?
Because the joint is part of the wall. Counting bare bricks back-to-back would overstate the count by about 15% — the 3/8-inch joint is wall area the brick does not have to cover.
Can I lay brick with concrete mix instead of mortar mix?
No — concrete mix contains coarse aggregate and will not butter or bond properly. Mortar mix (Type N for above-grade walls, Type S below grade or for load-bearing work) is the right product, and it is what the bag counts here assume.
How much does a brick wall weigh?
A single-wythe modular brick wall runs about 35–40 lb per square foot including mortar. That is why brick veneer needs a proper footing or lintel support — it is a structural load, not a finish.
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