How many bricks do I need for a 10 × 8 ft wall?
For the worked example (10 × 8 ft wall, modular brick, ⅜ in joints) the material list is Bricks: 576 bricks (calculated 548.6 bricks, based on 7.63 in × 2.25 in brick, 0.38 in joints, 5% waste). Quantities to buy are whole units rounded up from the calculated amounts. Enter your own measurements in the calculator above for your exact list.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the wall length and height, and subtract openings if you like.
- Pick the modular brick size, or enter your brick’s face length and height.
- Check the mortar joint and the waste allowance.
- Copy, print or share the material list.
How this is calculated
- Module width = brick length + joint
- Module height = brick height + joint
- Bricks = net wall area ÷ (module width × module height)
- Buy = round up (bricks × (1 + waste ÷ 100))
- Net wall area = length × height − openings
Geometry is deterministic. Material coverage, density, installation waste and product yield can vary. We expose those assumptions so you can replace them with the values printed on the products you are actually buying. Treat every result as an estimate. Items on your list are labelled Calculated (straight from your measurements) or Estimated (depends on an assumption), and “Buy” quantities are whole units rounded up.
Sources
- Brick Industry Association – Technical Note 10, Dimensioning and Estimating Brick Masonry. The wall-area method for estimating brick quantity; modifying estimates for bond pattern, breakage and waste; mortar quantities handled by its tables. We use a simple face-dimension module and leave mortar bags to a coverage you enter.
Last reviewed: . See the methodology.
Assumptions
These starting values are used until you change them. They are typical, not universal. Check the label on the product you are buying.
| Assumption | Starting value | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Modular brick face (specified size) | 7⅝ × 2¼ in | Manufacturer / industry sourced – Common specified size of a modular brick; confirm against your brick’s data. |
| Inches in a foot | 12 | Mathematical – Depth in inches ÷ 12 gives feet |
| Brick length | You enter it | You enter it (product / supplier) |
| Brick height | You enter it | You enter it (product / supplier) |
| Mortar joint | 0.375 in | Common planning default |
| Waste allowance | 5% | Common planning default |
| Wall area covered per bag of mortar (optional) | You enter it | You enter it (product / supplier) |
Worked example
A 10 × 8 ft wall, modular brick (7⅝ × 2¼ in), ⅜ in joints, 5% waste:
- Bricks: 576 bricks (548.6 before the 5% allowance) · 7.63 in × 2.25 in brick, 0.38 in joints, 5% waste
Common questions
Is this a masonry design?
No. It is a quantity estimate from the wall face and brick size. Bond pattern, cuts, corners and wall details change the real count, and structural masonry needs proper design.
Why is there no mortar bag count by default?
Mortar quantity depends on the masonry configuration and joint size; the Brick Industry Association publishes detailed tables for it. If your mortar’s label gives wall coverage per bag, enter it.
What brick size should I pick?
Use the size on your brick’s product data. “Modular” is the common 7⅝ × 2¼ in face with ⅜ in joints; choose Custom for anything else.
Guides
- How Many Bricks Do I Need for a Wall?Wall area and brick size turned into a brick count with waste.
- How Many Bricks Per Square Foot?Bricks per square foot by brick size and mortar joint.
- How Much Extra Material Should You Buy?Waste, overage and rounding: what an allowance is and what moves it.
- How Many Concrete Blocks Do I Need for a Wall?Net wall area divided by the installed block module, plus an allowance, rounded up.
- How Many Concrete Blocks Are in a Square Foot?1.125 blocks per square foot for a standard module, and why the sizes differ.