Brick Calculator

Estimate bricks for one wall face

Enter wall length and height in feet, the combined area of openings, and the actual exposed length and height of one brick in inches. Set mortar-joint width, waste, and an optional unit price. Results update automatically and can be downloaded as a text estimate.

Actual size versus nominal size

Actual brick dimensions describe the physical unit. Nominal dimensions may include the joint around it. Because this calculator adds a joint to the length and height, enter actual dimensions to avoid counting mortar twice. Brick sizes vary by product and country. Measure or consult the manufacturer's data rather than assuming that every brick has the dimensions shown in the example.

The facing-area calculation

Wall length times height gives gross square feet. Subtract the total openings area to find the face that needs bricks. Each brick's repeating face is actual length plus joint multiplied by actual height plus joint. Dividing 144 by that area gives bricks per square foot. Multiply by net wall area and the waste factor, then round up once to a whole purchase quantity.

Worked example: an eighty-square-foot face

A 10-foot-long, 8-foot-high wall with no openings has 80 square feet to cover. Bricks measuring 7.625 by 2.25 inches with 0.375-inch joints occupy an 8-by-2.625-inch repeating face. That is about 6.857 bricks per square foot. The unrounded quantity is about 548.571, so zero waste requires 549 bricks. A 10 percent allowance instead produces 604 bricks.

Account for openings and purchasing

Add window and door areas using consistent feet measurements before entering their combined total. Openings equal to or greater than the whole wall are rejected. Returns, reveals, arches, sills, and special corner units may add material beyond the simple face. If ordering in packs, round the tool's purchase count to the supplier's pack quantity and ask about matching color batches.

Assumptions and limitations

This estimates a single layer of rectangular facing bricks using average repeated coverage. It does not create a coursing plan, count specialty units, estimate mortar volume, or design a load-bearing wall. Bonds with unusual orientations, decorative courses, piers, and multiple layers need separate takeoffs. The joint allowance is averaged over the area, so exact boundary courses can differ from this quantity.