Brick and Mortar Calculator

Enter the wall size and openings, choose the brick size and joint, and adjust the waste allowances if your mason uses different figures.

How it works

Bricks = net wall area ÷ 100 × bricks per 100 sq ft, then + brick waste, rounded up. Mortar = net bricks ÷ 1,000 × mortar cu ft per 1,000 bricks, then + mortar waste. This is BIA's wall-area method with its Table 4 quantities, which exclude waste. 1 cu ft = 0.0283 m³ (NIST).

Worked example: BIA Table 4: 100 sq ft of modular brick wall with ⅜ in joints needs 675 bricks and 675 × 8.1 ÷ 1,000 = 5.5 cu ft of mortar before waste. A 20 × 10 ft wall (200 sq ft) is 1,350 bricks, or 1,418 with 5% waste.

Assumptions

Single-wythe wall in running bond with full mortar joints. BIA gives correction factors for other bond patterns (headers) and for hollow brick; those are not applied here.
Waste defaults: 5% brick (BIA: as a general rule at least 5%) and 20% mortar (middle of BIA's 15 to 25%). Job conditions can call for more.
Mortar is the volume in the wall. BIA notes the rough rule of thumb that eight bags of masonry cement lay 1,000 modular brick; follow your mortar product's yield for bags.
Openings, corners and partial bricks: subtract openings above; BIA notes partial brick at corners may need to be added.
This is a quantity estimate only, not a wall or veneer design. Footings, ties, flashing and reinforcement are set by local codes; check local codes and use a qualified mason or engineer where required.

Frequently asked questions

How many bricks per square foot?

For modular brick, 6.75 per square foot (675 per 100 sq ft) with ⅜ in or ½ in joints, according to BIA Technical Note 10. That is about 72.7 per square meter.

How much mortar for 1,000 bricks?

BIA lists 8.1 cu ft of mortar per 1,000 modular bricks with ⅜ in joints and 10.3 cu ft with ½ in joints, before waste. BIA suggests adding 15 to 25% for mortar waste.

How much extra brick should I order?

BIA says that, as a general rule, at least 5% is added to the net brick quantity for waste and breakage.

Related calculators

Sources

Formulas and reference values are from these sources. Page content last updated 2026-10-19.