Enter the wall dimensions, brick rate and wall thickness. The estimate includes your waste allowance and an approximate mortar count.
Brick sizes, bond patterns and mortar coverage vary. Use the actual product information and a qualified design for structural, retaining or boundary walls.
How to use this calculator
- Measure the wall length and the height above ground; for a stepped wall on a slope, measure each step as its own rectangle and add them.
- Choose the brick type by its real name on the supplier's listing — rates differ by more than double between types.
- Decide single or double skin honestly: any freestanding wall over about two feet deserves double skin or piers.
- Add the waste allowance, then price the count by the pallet as well as per brick.
How brick quantities are calculated
Bricks = wall area (sq ft) x bricks per sq ft for the type x skins, plus waste. The per-square-foot rates assume a standard 3/8 inch mortar joint, so the joint is already counted — do not add it again. Mortar bags are estimated at one 80 lb bag of pre-mixed mortar per roughly 37 standard bricks laid.
A 10 ft x 3 ft single-skin garden wall in standard modular brick is 30 sq ft x 6.55 = 197 bricks, becoming 217 with a 10 percent allowance — about 6 bags of mortar, and just under half a pallet of bricks.
A few things worth checking
- Ordering brick by the wall's face area while building double skin — the wall silently needs twice the count.
- Ignoring the mortar joint when doing mental maths with bare brick sizes, which overstates how much wall each brick covers.
- Mixing bricks from only one pack at a time and ending with visible bands of slightly different colour; blend from at least three packs as you lay.
Your questions, answered
How many bricks are in a square foot of wall?
The selected brick type supplies the rate used in this estimate; the modular option is 6.55 bricks per square foot for one skin. The tool’s rates include an assumed mortar joint. Confirm the actual brick dimensions and joint layout before using a rate for an order.
How much mortar does a brick wall need?
The tool divides the rounded brick order by 37 and rounds up to approximate 80 lb mortar bags. This is a fixed planning allowance, not a yield guarantee for every brick, joint or mortar product. Check actual product coverage.
Does selecting double skin design the wall?
No. The double-skin option doubles the area-based brick count. It does not specify ties, reinforcement, foundations, openings or piers. The wall design and any extra materials need a separate project-specific check.
How many bricks come on a pallet?
The pallet comparison divides your brick count by an assumed 500 bricks per pallet and displays a decimal. Actual pack quantities vary, so confirm the supplier’s pack size and round the order appropriately.
A Simple Materials Checklist for Your Next DIY Project
Keep the measurements, materials and small forgotten bits on one page before you shop.