Brick Calculator

1. Calculating how many bricks you need
• Basic formula
• Including mortar
• Accounting for waste
2. Number of bricks calculation example
3. Does the calculator require a particular bond?

    Calculating how many bricks you need

First, to calculate how many bricks you need to construct an internal or external wall, you need to know the dimensions of the wall as well as the dimensions of a single brick. These dimensions can be acquired from the building plan and the manufacturer specifications, respectively. Then you need to know how thick the wall needs to be, with the two standard options supported by our online brick calculator being half-brick and single-brick:

• Half-brick means stacking the bricks with their longest narrow side on the face of the wall and the wall thickness equals the brick's width.
• Single-brick means stacking bricks with their shorter narrow side on the face of the wall so the wall will be as thick as their length.

    Basic formula

Either way the basic formula to calculate the number of bricks required for a wall is to divide the volume of the wall by the volume of a single brick:

Number of bricks = wall volume / single brick volume

Including mortar

Real-world situations require a more complex calculation, which is why our calculator supports the specification of the thickness of the mortar joint between the bricks. Usual values are half an inch or 10-13 mm, but this will depend on your chosen construction approach. Using wider margin will obviously reduce the number of bricks needed, but it has its effect on the constructive strength of the wall and results in more mortar being required.

Accounting for waste

Finally, you need to enter your expected percentage of wasted material. Waste usually occurs due to bricks being broken during transportation, handling, manipulation, but also due to the need to cut some of them into pieces in order to have a good-looking wall. Some of these pieces cannot be used and need to be discarded. Allowing for between 5-10% waste is a good practice.

    Number of bricks calculation example

Given a target wall height of 8 feet and a target length of 15 feet, how many bricks with a length of 8 inches (203mm), width 3-5/8 inches (92mm) and height of 2-1/4 inches (57mm) are needed if the wall thickness is half-brick?

First, calculate the volume of a single brick by multiplying its length by its height and by its depth (this is just a volume of a box calculation). In this case: 8 x 3.625 x 2.25 = 65.25 cubic inches (65-1/4 cu in).

Second, compute the volume of the entire wall: 8 feet x 15 feet x 3.625 in = 8 feet x 15 feet x 0.3 feet = 36 cubic feet.

Finally, divide the wall volume by the brick volume: 36 cu ft / 65.25 cu in = 36 / 0.03776 cu ft. = 953.39 which rounds up to 954 bricks needed. This calculation does not include the mortar joint between the bricks, but including it would complicate the example. Using our brick calculator above you can compute that the wall would require just 777 bricks if 0.4 inches of mortar is used. Always consider accounting for wasted material and purchase additional ones, usually 5-10%.

    Does the calculator require a particular bond?

No, the result from this software should be applicable to any type of bond. You can use any bond you like: stretcher bond, header, English, single or double Flemish bond, facing bond, Dutch bond, English cross bond, brick on edge bond, raking, zigzag, garden wall, etc. Since we use the volume in the calculations, as long as the thickness of the wall is correctly specified the number of bricks neeeded should not be affected.

However, it is worth noting that some kinds of bonds might result in a higher percentage of wasted construction elements, so you might want to adjust for that. For example, if the calculator says you need 200 bricks, you may need to purchase an extra 5 or 10 to account for the ones broken during the brick-laying process.