Brick Quantity Calculator
Estimate how many bricks a single-wythe wall needs from its length and height in feet, minus door and window openings, for modular, standard, king and other US brick sizes with 3/8 in mortar joints.
Last updated: October 2026
Bricks Needed
1,134 bricks
Formula below · 1 source (gobrick.com) · Updated Oct 2026
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About this calculator
Bricks needed = (wall area − openings) × bricks per square foot × (1 + waste %). The wall area is length × height in square feet for one wythe (one brick thick), with door and window openings subtracted.
Bricks per square foot
Each brick occupies its face size plus one mortar joint in each direction. The Brick Industry Association's Technical Note 10 uses this to estimate quantities. A modular brick has a 7⅝ × 2¼ in face; with ⅜ in joints it fills 8 in × 2⅔ in (three courses rise 8 in), which is 21.3 sq in, so 144 ÷ 21.3 = 6.75 bricks per square foot. The other sizes in the list are worked out the same way. If your brick or joint size differs, divide 144 by (face length + joint) × (face height + joint) in inches.
What to add
A cavity or double-wythe wall needs the count for each wythe. Corners, piers, soldier courses and sills use extra brick and cut pieces, so add a waste allowance: about 5% for a straight running-bond wall and more for walls with many corners and openings. Mortar, ties and flashing are estimated separately.
| Brick | Face size (in) | Laid size with joint (in) | Bricks per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modular | 7⅝ × 2¼ | 8 × 2⅔ | 6.75 |
| Standard | 8 × 2¼ | 8⅜ × 2⅝ | 6.55 |
| Engineer modular | 7⅝ × 2¹³⁄₁₆ | 8 × 3.2 | 5.63 |
| King | 9⅝ × 2⅝ | 10 × 3 | 4.8 |
| Norman | 11⅝ × 2¼ | 12 × 2⅔ | 4.5 |
| Utility | 11⅝ × 3⅝ | 12 × 4 | 3 |
How to use
Enter the wall length and height in feet, the total area of doors and windows in square feet, the brick size and a waste allowance. The default 20 ft × 8 ft wall in modular brick is 160 sq ft × 6.75 = 1,080 bricks, or 1,134 with 5% waste. Subtract a 3 ft × 7 ft door (21 sq ft) and the same wall needs (160 − 21) × 6.75 × 1.05 → 986 bricks.
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks are in a square foot?
About 6.75 modular bricks per square foot of single-wythe wall with ⅜ in mortar joints. Standard 8 in brick is about 6.55, king brick about 4.8 and utility brick about 3.
How many bricks do I need for a 10 x 10 wall?
A 10 ft × 10 ft wall is 100 sq ft, so about 675 modular bricks, or about 709 with 5% waste, for a single wythe.
Does the count include mortar joints?
Yes. The bricks-per-square-foot figures already include a ⅜ in joint around each brick, so you should measure the wall itself, not individual bricks.
How do I convert to metric?
One square foot is 0.0929 m², so 6.75 bricks per sq ft is about 72.7 per m². A UK metric brick (215 × 65 mm with 10 mm joints) works out to about 59 per m² instead.
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Sources & references
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