Calculate how many bricks and mortar bags you need for a wall, based on wall size, brick size and mortar joint thickness.
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This calculator adds the mortar joint thickness to both the brick's length and height to get its effective 'footprint' on the wall face, then divides the total wall area (plus a waste allowance) by that footprint: Bricks Needed = (Wall Area × (1 + Waste%)) ÷ ((Brick Length + Joint) × (Brick Height + Joint)). The default 8 in × 2.25 in brick with a 3/8 in joint reflects a standard modular brick size.
Mortar bag needs are estimated using a commonly cited rule of thumb of roughly 3 standard 80 lb mortar mix bags per 100 bricks laid with standard joints. Actual mortar consumption varies with joint thickness and workmanship, so treat this as a planning estimate and buy a little extra.
For a 20 ft × 6 ft wall using standard 8 in × 2.25 in bricks with a 3/8 in (0.375 in) mortar joint and 10% waste: the 'Wall Area' result you see is the raw, pre-waste figure, 20 × 6 = 120 sq ft. Internally, the calculator also works out an area with waste added (120 × 1.10 = 132 sq ft) to determine the brick count, but that waste-adjusted number isn't itself shown as a separate result, only the final brick count reflects it. Each brick's effective footprint is (8+0.375) × (2.25+0.375) ÷ 144 = 8.375 × 2.625 ÷ 144 ≈ 0.1527 sq ft, so bricks needed = 132 ÷ 0.1527 ≈ 864.7, rounded up to 865 bricks. Mortar bags needed = (865 ÷ 100) × 3 ≈ 25.95, rounded up to 26 bags.
Using the brick's raw dimensions without adding the mortar joint, this calculator adds joint thickness to both brick dimensions to get its true 'footprint' on the wall, using only the raw brick size overstates how many bricks are needed.
Assuming mortar bag count scales exactly linearly and forgetting to round up, this calculator rounds up both the brick count and the derived mortar bag count to whole units, since you can't buy a fraction of a brick or bag.
Not subtracting door and window openings from the wall area before entering it, this calculator computes bricks for the full wall area you provide, subtract any large openings first for a more accurate count.
A common US modular brick face measures about 8 in × 2.25 in (nominal, including a standard 3/8 in mortar joint), though brick sizes vary by region and manufacturer, always check your specific brick's dimensions.
Thicker mortar joints mean each brick effectively takes up more space on the wall face, so fewer bricks are needed to cover the same area, and thinner joints mean more bricks are needed.
10% is a reasonable default for most projects, accounting for cutting, breakage and mistakes. Complex patterns or a lot of cutting around openings may call for a higher allowance.
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