🧱 Brick Calculator

How to Calculate How Many Bricks You Need

Brick is estimated by wall face area, not by volume. Every estimate is the same three moves: find the net face area, multiply by the bricks per square foot for your brick size and joint width, then add waste.

Bricks per square foot is not a property of the brick alone. It is a property of the brick plus the joint. A modular brick with a 3/8 in joint occupies an 8 x 2-5/8 in face, which is 21 square inches, so 144 / 21 = 6.86 bricks per square foot. Widen that joint to 1/2 in and the same brick drops to 6.27 per square foot - a 9% swing on the order.

Measuring the wall

• Measure the brick face, not the framing. Veneer usually runs from the top of the foundation ledge to the underside of the soffit, which is taller than the stud wall behind it.
• Deduct only openings over about 10 sq ft. Small windows are more than offset by the cutting waste they create around the jamb and head.
• Do not deduct for corners - add for them. Every outside corner needs a full brick returning each course, and the cut side is scrap.
• Count soldier courses and rowlock sills separately. A soldier course over an opening uses roughly three bricks per foot of width instead of one and a half.
• Gable ends are triangles. Base x height / 2, then add 10% because every course is a raking cut.

Single wythe vs veneer

The count above is for one wythe - a single thickness of brick. A traditional double-wythe wall is two of them plus collar joint mortar, so double the brick and add roughly 20% more mortar. Almost all modern residential brick is a single-wythe veneer hung on a wood or steel-framed structural wall, which carries no vertical load and is tied back rather than bonded through.

Brick Sizes and Bricks per Square Foot

Brick names are regional and inconsistent, but the dimensions are not. The figures below are actual unit sizes in width x height x length. Nominal size is the actual size plus one mortar joint, which is why a modular brick is called 4 x 2-2/3 x 8 but measures 3-5/8 x 2-1/4 x 7-5/8.

The three you will actually be quoted are modular, queen and king. Modular is the historic default and still the reference size for every published table. Queen and king are builder sizes: they are thinner and taller, so they cover the same wall with fewer units and less mortar, which is why production builders favour them. Compared with modular, queen saves about 16% of the units and king about 30%.

The rule of thumb is 7 bricks per square foot. It is close enough for modular brick with a 3/8 in joint and it is wrong by 30% for king. Use the table, not the rule.

Cubes ship as roughly 500 modular brick per cube on a pallet, so a 1,200 brick order is two full cubes and a partial. Ordering to the cube is often cheaper than ordering the exact count.

Bond Patterns and What They Cost You

Bond is not just decoration - it changes the unit count, sometimes by half. A stretcher shows its long face and covers about 8 in of wall length. A header is turned end-on and covers about 4 in, so any course of headers uses twice as many bricks as a course of stretchers.

Choose running bond unless you have a specific reason not to. It is the strongest common pattern for a veneer, it hides small dimensional variation between bricks, and it is the cheapest to lay. Stack bond looks sharp and is unforgiving: every vertical joint lines up, so any variation in brick length shows as a wandering line down the wall, and it needs horizontal joint reinforcement to make up for the lost overlap.

Header courses in a modern veneer are cosmetic. There is nothing behind the veneer to bond into, so masons use clipped headers - a brick cut in half - which halves the extra material but not the extra labour.

Mortar, Ties, Flashing and Everything Else

Brick is usually 55 to 70% of the material bill on a veneer job. These are the items that get forgotten and then hold up the wall.

Air space and weeps are the whole system. Brick veneer is not waterproof and was never meant to be. It is a rainscreen: water passes the brick, runs down the back face, hits flashing, and exits through the weeps. Fill the cavity with mortar droppings and you have built a wall that holds water against the sheathing.

When you need an engineer and a permit

A brick veneer over a framed wall is usually permitted as part of the overall building permit, and the framing behind it has to be designed to carry the veneer weight - about 40 lb per square foot for a nominal 4 in wythe. Anything beyond a straightforward veneer needs professional design:

• Any structural or load-bearing masonry - a brick wall carrying floor, roof or beam loads.
• Freestanding garden and privacy walls, which are cantilevers in the wind. Many jurisdictions require engineering and a permit above roughly 3 to 4 ft.
• Any wall retaining soil - see our retaining wall calculator for why brick is the wrong material for that job.
• Veneer above 30 ft, over openings, or on shelf angles.
• Seismic and high-wind zones, where tie type, spacing and joint reinforcement are all prescribed.

This calculator estimates quantities only. It is not a structural design and it does not replace an engineer or your local building department. Height limits, permit triggers and tie schedules vary by jurisdiction - check locally before you order.

How to Lay a Brick Veneer Wall

1. Check the foundation ledge. The brick shelf must be level and wide enough for the full brick plus a 1 to 2 in air space. Shim the first course rather than trying to correct it later - every error compounds upward.
2. Set the flashing and weep system first. Through-wall flashing at the base course, turned up the sheathing at least 8 in and lapped over the ledge. Weeps every second head joint at 24 in o.c.
3. Dry-lay the first course. Lay the whole bottom course out with joint spacers before mixing anything, and adjust the joint width slightly so you finish on a full brick at each corner.
4. Build the corners first, four or five courses high. Corners are the reference for everything. Run a mason line between them and lay the field to the line.
5. Mix mortar to a workable, board-stiff consistency. It should stand on the trowel and not slump off a brick when buttered. Use it within 90 minutes - two and a half hours in cool weather - and retemper with water only, never with more cement.
6. Butter fully. Full bed joint, full head joint. Partly filled head joints are the single most common cause of a leaky veneer.
7. Set a tie every 2.67 sq ft as you rise - roughly every 16 in vertically and every 16 to 24 in along the course. Nail into studs, not sheathing, and bed the tie in the mortar bed rather than laying it on top.
8. Keep the cavity clean. Bevel the back of the bed joint so squeeze-out falls forward, or drag a board up the cavity as you go.
9. Tool the joints when the mortar is thumbprint hard. Too early and you smear it, too late and you burn the surface. A concave joint sheds water best; a raked joint looks great and holds water, which is why it fails first in freeze-thaw climates.
10. Brush, then clean after 7 days. Brush off crumbs the same day. Wait a week before any acid wash, pre-wet the wall, and test on a hidden panel - the wrong cleaner permanently discolours some brick.

Mistakes that cost real money

• Ordering exactly what the math says. A short order in the last two courses means a new kiln run, a visible colour band, and a delivery fee.
• Mixing pallets randomly. Pull from three or four cubes at once and blend as you lay, the same way you blend flooring boxes.
• Using Type S or M mortar on soft or reclaimed brick. Mortar must be weaker than the brick. Over-strong mortar transfers stress into the unit and spalls the faces off.
• Laying below 40F without protection, or above 90F without wetting the brick down. Both wreck the bond.
• Skipping expansion joints. Brick expands permanently as it absorbs moisture after firing. A 30 ft unjointed run will crack, usually at a corner or an opening.

Brick Cost and What Drives It

Labour is the bigger half. A competent mason lays 400 to 600 modular brick a day on straightforward running-bond field work, and far fewer on corners, gables and detail. That is why king-size brick keeps winning on production jobs: 30% fewer units for the same wall means roughly 30% less laying time.

Thin brick is worth a look if you are re-cladding. It gets the same face for a fraction of the weight, needs no brick ledge or footing, and can go over an existing wall. It gives up the drainage cavity, so the water management has to happen in the wall assembly behind it.

Related calculators: concrete block for the backup wall or foundation, mortar and thinset coverage for a straight bag count, concrete for the footing under it all, and stucco if you are pricing an alternative cladding.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bricks do I need per square foot?

6.86 modular bricks per square foot with a standard 3/8 in mortar joint. Queen brick is 5.76 per sq ft, king is 4.80, and standard is 6.55. The common rule of thumb of 7 per square foot is close for modular and badly wrong for the larger builder sizes.

How many bricks are in a 10x10 wall?

A 100 sq ft wall in modular brick takes 686 bricks before waste, or about 755 with a 10% allowance. In queen brick it is 576 before waste, and in king 480. Deduct any opening larger than about 10 sq ft first.

What is the actual size of a modular brick?

3-5/8 in wide by 2-1/4 in high by 7-5/8 in long. The nominal size is 4 x 2-2/3 x 8 in, which is the actual size plus one 3/8 in mortar joint. Nominal is what the size is called; actual is what you measure. Three courses of modular brick plus joints equal exactly 8 in, which is why brick and concrete block course together.

How many bags of mortar do I need per 100 bricks?

About 3 bags of 80 lb pre-mixed mortar per 100 brick, or roughly one 70 lb bag of masonry cement plus 200 lb of sand. Over 1,000 brick, budget 8 bags of masonry cement and about a ton of sand. Bag yields vary between brands, so check the coverage printed on the bag you are buying.

Which mortar type should I use for brick?

Type N for most above-grade residential brickwork. It is strong enough at 750 psi, workable, and forgiving of movement. Use Type S below grade, at grade, and in high wind or seismic areas. Use Type O only for repointing soft historic brick. Never use Type M on ordinary face brick - mortar should always be weaker than the unit it holds.

Does the bond pattern change how many bricks I need?

Yes, and by a lot. Running and stack bond are the baseline. Common bond with a header course every sixth course needs about 17% more brick, Flemish bond about 33% more, and English bond 50% more. Headers are turned end-on so they cover half the wall length that a stretcher covers.

How much waste should I add to a brick order?

10% for a normal veneer with openings and corners. Drop to 5% on a plain wall with almost no cutting. Go to 15% for arches, patterned faces and gable ends, and 20% for reclaimed brick where sizes vary and breakage is high. Leftovers are your repair stock - a later kiln run will not match.

How many wall ties do I need for brick veneer?

One tie per 2.67 square feet of wall, which works out to about 16 in vertically by 16 to 24 in horizontally. Current code caps spacing at 32 in horizontal and 25 in vertical. Add extra ties within 12 in of every opening at 36 in o.c. around the perimeter. Fasten into studs, never into sheathing alone.

Do I deduct windows and doors from my brick count?

Deduct openings larger than about 10 square feet. Smaller openings generate enough cutting waste around the jambs and head to offset the brick they save. And add back any soldier course over the opening, which uses roughly three bricks per foot of width instead of one and a half.

Do I need a permit or an engineer to build a brick wall?

For a veneer on a framed house, the brickwork is normally covered by the building permit for the project. Any structural masonry, any freestanding wall, and any wall retaining soil is a different question. Many jurisdictions require an engineered design and a permit for freestanding walls above roughly 3 to 4 ft, and thresholds vary widely. Check with your local building department before you start - this calculator gives quantities, not a structural design.

How many bricks are on a pallet or in a cube?

A cube of modular brick is typically 500 bricks, sometimes 480 or 525 depending on the manufacturer, and weighs around 2,000 to 2,500 lb. Larger units come fewer to the cube. Ordering up to the next full cube is often cheaper than ordering a broken quantity.

Why does my brick wall need weep holes?

Because brick veneer is a rainscreen, not a waterproof barrier. Water passes through the brick and mortar, runs down the back of the wythe, lands on the through-wall flashing, and has to get out. Weeps go in the bottom course and above every flashing line, at 33 in o.c. maximum, or 24 in for open head joints. Blocking them traps water against the sheathing.

Should I use modular, queen or king brick?

If you are matching existing brickwork, match what is there - the coursing has to line up. On new work, king brick is usually the cheapest installed because it covers the same wall with 30% fewer units and 30% less laying time. Modular gives the most traditional proportions and the widest colour selection. Queen sits between the two and is the most common builder brick in much of the country.