— bricks required + —% waste | wall area — sq ft | — bricks/sq ft
Material Shopping List
- Brick—
- Pallets—
- Mortar—
- Brick ties—
- Brick cost—
- Mortar cost—
- Estimated total—
Brick Coverage Chart
| Brick type | Face size | Bricks per sq ft (3/8 joint) |
|---|---|---|
| Modular | 7-5/8 x 2-1/4 | ~6.9 |
| King | 9-5/8 x 2-1/4 | ~5.5 |
| Queen | 7-5/8 x 2-3/4 | ~5.8 |
| Utility | 11-5/8 x 3-5/8 | ~3.0 |
| Engineer | 7-5/8 x 2-13/16 | ~5.7 |
Mortar Consumption Guide
| Brick count | Mortar (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1,000 bricks | ~0.3 cu yd (about 7 bags) |
| 2,000 bricks | ~0.6 cu yd |
| 5,000 bricks | ~1.5 cu yd |
Roughly 7 bags of mortar per 1,000 bricks with standard 3/8 in joints.
Brick Bond Patterns
| Pattern | Notes and waste |
|---|---|
| Running bond | Most common, half-brick offset, lowest waste |
| Stack bond | Aligned vertical joints, simple, low waste, less strong |
| Flemish bond | Alternating headers and stretchers, more cuts, add waste |
| English bond | Alternating courses of headers and stretchers, strong, more waste |
| Herringbone | Angled, decorative, highest waste from cuts |
How Many Bricks Do I Need?
Brick is estimated from the wall area and the bricks per square foot, which depends on the brick size and the mortar joint. A standard modular brick with a three-eighths inch joint takes about 6.9 bricks per square foot of wall face. Multiply your wall area, minus any openings, by that figure, add a waste factor, and you have the brick count. This calculator goes further and returns pallets, mortar, brick ties for veneer, and total cost, so you order everything at once instead of discovering the gaps mid-project.
How Much Mortar for Brick?
Mortar is usually figured per thousand bricks. A common rule is about seven 80-pound bags, or roughly three-tenths of a cubic yard, of mortar per thousand bricks laid with standard three-eighths inch joints. Larger joints and larger bricks change the number, but per-thousand is the practical unit. The calculator converts your brick count into both cubic yards and bags so you can buy by whichever unit your supplier uses, and rolls the mortar into the cost estimate.
Bricks per Pallet and Buying in Bulk
Contractors order brick by the pallet, not the piece. A pallet of standard modular brick holds roughly 500 bricks, though it ranges by manufacturer and brick size. This calculator divides your final brick count by 500 and rounds up to whole pallets, which is how the order actually gets placed and delivered. Always round up: running a couple hundred bricks short means a second delivery charge and a stalled job.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bricks per square foot? About 6.9 modular bricks per square foot with a three-eighths inch joint; larger bricks cover more.
How much mortar do I need? Roughly 7 bags, or 0.3 cubic yards, per 1,000 bricks.
How many bricks per pallet? Around 500 for standard modular brick, varying by size and maker.
What is a wythe? A wythe is a single vertical layer of brick; a double wythe wall is two layers thick and uses twice the brick.