How this brick calculator works
Brick counts come from the nominal face — the brick plus its share of mortar joints. A modular brick's 8 × 2⅔ in face covers 21⅓ in², so 6.75 bricks fill a square foot; the rest is multiplication:
mortar = bricks ÷ 37 per 80 lb bag · courses = height ÷ 2⅔″
At the defaults — a 20 × 8 ft wall of modular brick, 5% waste — the order is 1,134 bricks and 31 bags of mortar, about $1,075 in materials; the full chain is in the worked example below. The number that drives everything is bricks per square foot, and that comes from the nominal face — the brick plus its share of the mortar joints.
Brick sizes, joints, and courses
A brick order is really a face-size problem. The count follows the nominal face — the brick and its ⅜ in mortar joints — so the size your yard stocks changes everything downstream:
- Modular brick: 7⅝ × 3⅝ × 2¼ in actual, a clean nominal 8 × 4 × 2⅔ with joints — 6.75 per ft², three courses to 8 in of height. The default here.
- Engineer modular: a taller face, 5.625 per ft² — fewer bricks per wall, common for cost.
- Queen & king sizes: larger faces still, cheaper per wall; check the face your supplier actually carries before ordering.
- Mortar joints: the ⅜ in joint is baked into the nominal face — it’s why a 7⅝ in brick counts as 8 in. Bed and head joints together are about 20% of a wall’s face.
- Courses: height ÷ the nominal face height — the horizontal rows, which the calculator counts for you.
Mortar, ties, and what brick veneer needs
- Mortar: type N above grade, type S below; one 80 lb bag lays ~37 bricks. Mix small batches — an hour of pot life is all you get.
- Ties: veneer anchors to the backup wall with corrugated or wire ties, typically every 16 in vertically and horizontally (IRC R703.8).
- Weeps & flashing: open head joints every 33 in at the base over through-wall flashing — brick walls manage water, they don't stop it.
- Support: veneer bears on the foundation ledge or a lintel, never on studs — and openings need steel or masonry lintels sized to span.
How many bricks per square foot — and per wall?
Table 1 is bricks per ft² by face size; Table 2 runs the modular figure out to common wall sizes with 5% waste, brick and mortar together.
| Brick | Nominal face | Per ft² |
|---|---|---|
| Modular | 8″ × 2⅔″ | 6.75 |
| Engineer modular | 8″ × 3.2″ | 5.625 |
| Wall | Area | Bricks | Mortar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 8 | 80 ft² | 567 | 16 bags |
| 20 × 8 | 160 ft² | 1,134 | 31 bags |
| 30 × 8 | 240 ft² | 1,701 | 46 bags |
| 40 × 8 | 320 ft² | 2,268 | 62 bags |
How to measure a wall for brick
- Measure the wall length and height; multiply for the gross face area in square feet.
- Subtract the openings — total window and door areas and take them off the gross.
- Pick the brick face — modular or engineer — so the per-ft² figure and the density are right.
- Leave 5% waste for cuts and breakage, more on a wall with lots of corners and openings.
- Read bricks, mortar and courses, then price the two material lines against your yard’s quote.
Worked example: how many bricks for a 20 × 8 wall
The default, worked line by line — a 20 × 8 ft modular-brick wall, no openings, 5% waste, $0.75 a brick, $7.25 a mortar bag:
bricks = 160 × 6.75 = 1,080 → ×1.05 = 1,134
courses = 96 ÷ 2⅔ = 36 × 30 per course
mortar = 1,134 ÷ 37 = 31 bags · cost $1,075
The 1,080 exact climbs to 1,134 once 5% waste is folded in — that allowance is the cuts at openings and the ones that snap on the saw, and it is not optional on a real wall. Materials run about $851 in brick and $225 in mortar; on a laid wall those are the small half of the bill, which is why an accurate count matters before the mason quotes labor.
What this brick estimate doesn’t include
This counts brick, mortar and courses. A finished veneer wall needs a good deal more the count leaves out:
- Ties and fasteners. Corrugated or wire anchors to the backup wall, roughly every 16 in each way.
- Flashing and weeps. Through-wall flashing and open head joints to drain the cavity.
- Lintels. Steel or masonry to span every window and door opening.
- Sand and mix water. Masonry sand for site-mixed mortar — price it on the sand calculator.
- Support and labor. The foundation ledge or shelf angle, and the mason’s time, which is most of an installed cost.
Brick FAQ
How many bricks do I need per square foot?
About 7 with waste — exactly 6.75 for modular brick, from the nominal 8 × 2⅔ in face (brick plus its ⅜ in mortar joints). Engineer modular runs 5.625 per ft². Multiply wall area, subtract openings, add 5% for cuts and breakage.
How many bricks are in a 20 × 8 ft wall?
1,134 modular bricks with 5% waste (1,080 exact) — 36 courses of 30 bricks — laid with about 31 bags of mortar. At the calculator defaults that is roughly $851 in brick and $225 in mortar, materials only.
How many bricks does a bag of mortar lay?
About 37 standard bricks per 80 lb bag of mortar mix, per Quikrete’s published coverage — the same bag lays about 13 concrete blocks. Type N is the usual above-grade veneer mortar; type S below grade.
What size is a standard brick?
The US modular brick is 7⅝ × 3⅝ × 2¼ in actual, which becomes a clean nominal 8 × 4 × 2⅔ with its mortar joints — three courses stack to 8 in. "Queen" and "king" sizes are larger and cheaper per wall; check the face size your yard stocks.
How much does a brick wall cost?
Common brick runs $0.50–1.00 each in 2026, so the default 20 × 8 wall is about $1,075 in materials — $851 in brick and $225 in mortar. Laid by a mason, brick veneer typically prices at $25–45 per square foot installed — the labor is most of it, which is why estimates start with an accurate count.
How many bricks for a 10x10 wall?
A 10 × 10 ft wall is 100 ft²; at 6.75 modular bricks per square foot that is 675 exactly, or 709 with 5% waste — laid with about 20 bags of mortar. Subtract any window or door openings from the 100 ft² before you order, since a solid count over-buys on a wall with a big opening.
Sources and standards
The counts come from nominal brick sizing and published mortar coverage; the wall details from the residential code:
- Nominal modular sizing: the 8 × 2⅔ in face (6.75/ft²) and engineer modular (5.625/ft²) behind the per-ft² figures.
- Quikrete mortar coverage: about 37 standard bricks per 80 lb bag of mortar mix.
- IRC R703.8: brick veneer ties, roughly one per 2.67 ft² — about every 16 in each way.
- Your supplier’s face size: queen and king bricks change the count — confirm the face before ordering.
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