How this calculator works
Each brick plus one mortar joint on each side occupies a module, and the wall area divided by that module gives the brick count. Both the length and the height take a joint, because a brick shares half a joint with its neighbour in each direction. The count is raised by the waste allowance and rounded up so that cut bricks at corners and openings come out of whole units. Mortar is estimated from the finished brick count at about 0.011 ft³ per brick.
Formula
Effective brick = (brick length + joint) × (brick height + joint); bricks per ft² = 0.09290304 ÷ effective brick area in m²; bricks = ceil(wall area × (1 + waste%) ÷ effective brick area); mortar ≈ 0.011 ft³ per brick.
Worked example
A 10 × 8 ft wall, 80 ft², in modular brick 7 5/8 by 2 1/4 in with a 3/8 in joint covers 6.86 bricks per ft². With 5% waste that is 576 bricks and about 6.3 ft³ of mortar. A 3.0 × 2.0 m wall in 215 by 65 mm brick with a 10 mm joint needs 374 bricks.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does the joint count on both sides?
In a running bond each brick shares a bed joint below and above and a head joint at each end, so half a joint belongs to each of the four neighbours. Adding one full joint to each dimension accounts for all of it.
Is the metric figure the same wall?
Close, not identical. The metric brick standard gives 215 by 65 mm with a 10 mm joint, which works out near 59.5 bricks per square metre compared with about 73.8 per square metre for modular inches. Always use the brick you can actually buy.
Does this allow for openings and corners?
The wall is treated as one solid rectangle. Subtract the area of doors and windows first, and use the waste setting, at least 5 to 10%, to cover corner cuts and bond breaks.