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Brick Calculator

Estimate the bricks and wet mortar for a straight wall from its size, your brick size and joints.

By Nitin Raturi · Last reviewed

Your worksheet

How to use the Brick Calculator

Estimate the bricks and mortar for a straight wall.

  1. Enter the wall length, height and the area of openings.
  2. Enter the wall thickness.
  3. Enter your brick size and mortar joint.
  4. Add wastage, then read the bricks to buy.

Good to know

  • Measure a few bricks from your supplier; sizes vary between kilns.

Bricks = wall volume ÷ (brick + joint in each direction). Measure your own bricks.

Wall length (m)

Along the wall.

How to fill it in

  • Enter metres.

Wall height (m)

From the base to the top of the wall.

How to fill it in

  • Enter metres.

Doors and windows (m²)

Area left open in the wall.

How to fill it in

  • Add width × height of each opening.

Example

A solid 5 × 3 m wall needs 1,409 bricks; with a 2 m² opening, 1,221.

Wall thickness (mm)

How thick the finished wall is, including joints.

How to fill it in

  • A one-brick wall of 230 mm bricks is about 230 mm; a half-brick partition about 115 mm.

Example

As a 115 mm half-brick wall the same wall needs 611 bricks.

Brick length (mm)

The longest side of one brick.

How to fill it in

  • Measure a brick from your supplier.

Brick width (mm)

The brick’s depth into the wall.

How to fill it in

  • Measure a brick.

Brick height (mm)

The brick’s height in the course.

How to fill it in

  • Measure a brick.

Example

190 × 90 × 90 mm bricks in a 4 × 2.7 m, 200 mm wall: 100.0 per m², 1,080 in all.

Mortar joint (mm)

Thickness of mortar between bricks.

How to fill it in

  • 10 mm is a common joint.

Wastage (%)

Extra for broken and cut bricks.

How to fill it in

  • Enter 0% to 30%; the count is rounded up.

Example

With 5% wastage the default wall needs 1,283 bricks and 0.672 m³ of wet mortar.

Bricks to buy

1,283 bricks

A 5 × 3 m wall, 230 mm thick, with 2 m² of openings needs about 1,221 bricks, or 1,283 with 5% wastage, and 0.672 m³ of wet mortar.

Wall face area
13.00 m²
Wall volume
2.990 m³
Bricks per m² of wall
94.0
Bricks without wastage
1,221
Wet mortar
0.672 m³

Bricks of 230 × 110 × 75 mm with 10 mm joints. Check your bricks’ actual size; sizes vary by kiln and region. Mortar is wet volume; dry materials need more.

ChangelogHow we test this calculatorEmbed this calculator

How this calculator works

  1. Step 1Wall(L × H − openings) × tVolume of the finished wall.
  2. Step 2One brick(l + j)(w + j)(h + j)Space a brick and its mortar take.
  3. Step 3Countwall ÷ one brickPlus wastage, rounded up.

Each brick in a wall takes up its own size plus half a joint of mortar on every side, which is the brick size plus one joint in each direction.

Divide the wall’s volume by that space to get the number of bricks. The rest of the wall is mortar.

Worked example: a 5 × 3 m wall

230 mm wall, 230 × 110 × 75 mm bricks, 10 mm joints, 2 m² opening
Bricks
(L × H − openings) × t ÷ ((l + j)(w + j)(h + j))
  1. Wall face5 × 3 − 213 m²
  2. Wall volume13 × 0.232.99 m³
  3. One brick with mortar0.24 × 0.12 × 0.0850.002448 m³
  4. Bricks2.99 ÷ 0.0024481,221
  5. With 5% wastage1,283

Read the result

  • Solid, 230 mm1,409
  • With 2 m² opening1,221
  • Half-brick, 115 mm611
Bricks for a 5 × 3 m wall

Mortar is a large share of the wall: the default wall needs 0.672 m³ of wet mortar.

  • 230 × 110 × 75 mm94.0 per m²One-brick wall, 10 mm joints.
  • 190 × 90 × 90 mm100.0 per m²200 mm wall, 10 mm joints.

Assumptions and limits

  • Straight wallNo piers, corners or arches.
  • Your bricksEnter the measured size.
  • Wet mortarDry cement and sand need more volume.
  • Not a designStructural walls need an engineer.

Other building estimates

Bricks build the wall. Concrete, plaster and paint follow.

For footings and slabs, use the concrete calculator. The paint calculator works out litres for the finished walls, and the tile calculator covers floors.

Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Ignoring the mortar joint.

    Instead: Add one joint to each brick dimension.

  • Mistake: Ordering the exact count.

    Instead: Add wastage for breakage and cutting.

Checking the method

A separate script counts bricks per square metre of wall face in exact fractions, instead of dividing volumes, and matches every golden value.

Read how we test our calculators, or browse more everyday tools.

Frequently asked questions

How many bricks for a 5 × 3 m wall?

With 230 × 110 × 75 mm bricks, 10 mm joints, a 230 mm wall and a 2 m² opening: about 1,221, or 1,283 with 5% wastage.

How many for a solid wall of the same size?

1,409 bricks without any opening.

How many for a half-brick partition?

611 for the same 5 × 3 m wall at 115 mm thick.

How many bricks per square metre?

It depends on brick size: 94.0 per m² for the default one-brick wall, 100.0 for 190 × 90 × 90 mm bricks in a 200 mm wall.

Does it give cement and sand?

It gives the wet mortar volume, 0.672 m³ here; dry materials depend on the mix and bulking.

Sources and methodology

The formulas are standard time-value-of-money results. We check every figure against golden values worked out independently, by closed form and by month-by-month simulation; see the methodology.

Written and maintained by Nitin Raturi, a software engineer (about the author). Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026; next review due by . Found an error? Tell us.

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