Boneyard Tools

How to estimate bricks for a wall

Measure a wall, account for mortar joints, pick a sensible waste margin, and turn all of it into a brick count you can order with confidence.

Open the Brick Calculator →

Measure the wall as a rectangle

Start with the finished length and height of the brickwork in feet, measuring the face you will actually lay rather than the footing. For an odd shape, break the elevation into rectangles, calculate each one, and add the counts together. If a gable or arch is involved, take the average height across the sloped section. Getting the gross area right is the single biggest factor in the estimate, so measure twice before you type once.

Why the mortar joint changes the count

Bricklayers do not butt bricks tight against each other. A mortar joint of about 3/8 inch sits between every brick, both horizontally and vertically, and that joint is part of the wall surface each brick covers. The calculator adds the joint to the brick length and height before working out coverage, so a nominal 7.625 by 2.25 inch modular brick actually accounts for an 8 by 2.625 inch cell. Ignore the joint and you would order roughly ten percent too many bricks.

Choosing a waste allowance

Even a careful mason breaks bricks, culls chipped units, and cuts partial pieces at corners and openings. Ten percent is a reasonable default for a straight, unbroken wall. Decorative bonds, curves, and walls peppered with windows generate far more offcuts, so fifteen to twenty percent is safer there. Buying a little extra from the same batch also guards against dye-lot color shifts if you need replacements later.

From wall area to bricks to buy

The tool divides the wall area by the coverage of one brick and its joint, then rounds up to a whole brick to get the count before waste. It multiplies that figure by one plus your waste percent and rounds up a second time to reach the bricks to buy. Because both steps round up, the final number always errs slightly high, which is what you want when a half pallet short means a second delivery fee. Take the bricks-to-buy figure to your supplier and order by the pallet from there.

Frequently asked questions

Should I order by the pallet or the exact count?

Suppliers usually sell full pallets or straps, so round the bricks-to-buy figure up to the next pallet quantity. Keeping a few spares on site is cheaper than a return trip and protects against later damage or color mismatch.

How do I handle a wall with a large window?

Estimate the full rectangle first, then subtract the window area by lowering the height or length you enter. Keep some of that saving as contingency, because the cut bricks framing the opening tend to produce extra waste.

What if my bricks are not modular?

Type the true face length and height of your brick in inches and adjust the joint if you lay wider or tighter than 3/8 inch. The utility brick example shows how a larger face sharply lowers the count for the same wall.