Brick Calculator

Enter the wall length and height, choose the brick size and whether the wall is single or double thickness, and get the brick count, bricks per square foot, mortar volume and an optional cost.

Covers modular, standard and queen bricks plus the UK 215 × 65 mm standard.

How to use the brick calculator

Enter the wall length and height.

Choose brick size and wall thickness.

Read brick count, mortar and cost.

Why use the Build Tally brick calculator

Four brick sizes

Modular, standard, queen and UK 215 × 65 mm.

Single or double

Handles half-brick and one-brick walls.

Mortar estimate

Cubic feet and bag count included.

Free forever

No sign-up, nothing uploaded.

Bricks per square foot

With standard 3/8 inch mortar joints, a modular brick (7⅝ × 2¼ in) covers about 4.5 square inches of wall face less than its nominal 8 × 2⅔, which works out at roughly 6.9 bricks per square foot for a single-thickness wall. Standard bricks give about 6.5 per square foot, and UK 215 × 65 mm bricks about 5.9 (60 per square metre). Double-thickness walls need twice as many.

Mortar for brickwork

Brickwork uses more mortar per square foot than blockwork because there are far more joints. A working figure is about one cubic foot of mortar per 30 bricks with standard joints, so an 80 lb bag of mortar mix lays roughly 30–35 bricks. Joint thickness makes a real difference — a 1/2 inch joint uses noticeably more than a 3/8 inch one.

Allow generously for waste

Ten percent is the standard allowance for brick, higher than for block, because bricks are cut more often and arrive with a proportion of damaged units. If your wall has many openings, angles or a decorative bond pattern, use 12–15%. Buying all bricks from the same batch matters too: colour varies noticeably between production runs, and a late top-up order can be visibly different.

Read the guide: How Much Concrete Do I Need? A Straight Answer for Slabs, Footings and Posts

Frequently asked questions

How many bricks do I need per square foot?

About 6.9 modular bricks or 6.5 standard bricks per square foot for a single-thickness wall with standard joints.

How many bricks in a square metre?

Around 60 for UK standard 215 × 65 mm bricks in a single-skin wall, or 120 for a double-skin wall.

How much mortar do I need for bricks?

Roughly one cubic foot per 30 bricks, or one 80 lb bag per 30–35 bricks.

How much waste should I allow for brick?

Ten percent normally, and 12–15% for walls with many cuts, angles or openings.

What is the difference between single and double thickness?

A single-thickness (half brick) wall is one brick wide; a double (one brick) wall is two. The double wall needs twice the bricks.

Should I buy all bricks at once?

Yes. Colour varies between batches, and a top-up order weeks later can be visibly different.