Brick Calculator

Estimate bricks for one or more walls. Subtract openings, account for brick size and mortar joints, and add a waste allowance. Optionally estimate whole packs and brick material cost.

Enter Your Wall Measurements

Use one brick size and construction method per calculation. Estimate different products or wall constructions separately.

Brick size and construction
Staggered brick faces with horizontal and vertical mortar joints Brick face length Face height
Enter the visible brick face length and height, excluding mortar joints.

One leaf estimates one layer of stretcher-facing brickwork. Two leaves doubles the quantity for two equal layers using the same brick. For a cavity wall with a block inner leaf, estimate only the outer brick leaf here.

This is a wall-face area estimate, not a bond or course layout. Use a custom rate for other bonds, solid wall arrangements, or supplier-specific quantities.

Adjust this starting allowance for cuts, breakage, and your supplier’s guidance. Waste is applied once to the net estimate.

QUICK START

How to Use the Brick Calculator

Measure your walls, subtract openings, and choose a brick estimation method to calculate quantities and optional material cost.

  1. Measure each wall and its openings

    Enter the wall length and height in your selected unit. Add the areas of its doors and windows, then enter that total as the opening area. Select Add Another Wall for additional walls, and count each wall face once.

  2. Choose your brick quantity method

    Use Brick face dimensions and joints to enter the brick’s visible length and height, vertical joint width, and horizontal joint thickness. Alternatively, enter a Custom bricks per area rate for your chosen product and complete wall construction.

    For a standard UK brickwork reference, see the Brick Development Association’s brick quantity calculator. Use dimensions or a rate appropriate to your own brick product and wall construction.

  3. Set the construction and ordering details

    In dimensions mode, choose one brick leaf or two equal brick leaves. Adjust the waste allowance for cuts and breakage. Enable whole packs to enter your supplier’s pack quantity, and add an optional price per brick, per 1,000 bricks, or per pack.

  4. Calculate and review the purchase quantity

    Select Calculate Bricks to see net wall area, the brick estimate with waste, and any whole-pack quantity or cost. Review the wall breakdown and recalculate after changing inputs. Select Clear All to start again.

Check which layers you are counting: For a cavity wall with an outer brick leaf and an inner block leaf, estimate one brick leaf here. A custom rate must already cover the construction being estimated; the calculator does not apply a leaf multiplier to that rate.

WORKED EXAMPLE

Brick Calculation Example

See how wall area, openings, brick face dimensions, and mortar joints determine the estimated brick quantity.

A 5 m × 2.4 m wall

This example estimates one brick leaf with a 2 m² opening. The brick face measures 215 × 65 mm, both mortar joints are 10 mm, and the waste allowance is 5%.

Gross wall area
5 × 2.4 = 12 m²
Opening area deducted
2 m²
Net wall area
12 − 2 = 10 m²
Brick face plus joints
225 × 75 mm
Calculated brick rate
≈ 59.2593 bricks/m²
Estimated bricks before waste
≈ 592.593
Including 5% waste
≈ 622.222
BRICKS NEEDED INCLUDING ALLOWANCE 623 bricks

The calculator applies waste to the unrounded estimate, then rounds the final quantity up to whole bricks.

The brick face area formula

For one stretcher-facing brick leaf, divide the net wall area by the face area of a brick including its mortar joints. Use meters for all dimensions in this formula.

Bricks before waste — one leaf

Net wall area ÷
((Brick length + vertical joint) ×
(Brick height + horizontal joint))

  • Net wall area: wall length × height, minus the opening area.
  • Brick length and height: the visible face dimensions, excluding mortar.
  • Vertical joint: the gap between adjacent brick ends.
  • Horizontal joint: the mortar bed between brick courses.
Using the example measurements

10 ÷ (0.225 × 0.075)
≈ 592.593 bricks
592.593 × 1.05 ≈ 622.222
Round up → 623 bricks

This dimensions method gives approximately 59.26 bricks/m² for the example. A rounded planning rate such as 60 bricks/m² produces a slightly different result. Use the custom-rate method when working from a supplier’s stated rate.

Ordering whole packs? If your supplier offers packs of 400 bricks, the example requires two packs, giving 800 bricks purchased. Pack rounding changes the purchase quantity, while the estimate remains 623 bricks. The 5% waste allowance is an example input you can adjust.

BEFORE YOU ORDER

Plan Your Brick Order

Check your brick dimensions, wall construction, and supplier’s selling units before turning the estimate into an order.

BRICK DIMENSIONS

Use Actual Brick Sizes with Separate Joints

Enter the actual visible brick face length and height. The dimensions method adds the vertical and horizontal mortar joints separately. If a supplier lists a coordinating size that already includes joints, avoid adding those joints twice.

Confirm the product: Brick sizes and coverage rates vary. Check the selected product’s dimensions or use its stated bricks-per-area rate.
WALL CONSTRUCTION

Count Only the Brick Leaves You Need

Choose one leaf for a single layer of stretcher-facing brickwork. Two equal leaves doubles the quantity for two layers using the same brick. An inner block leaf in a cavity wall is a separate material and should not be counted as another brick leaf.

Other arrangements: Use a verified custom rate for different bonds or solid wall layouts. The dimensions method does not create a bricklaying plan.
OPENINGS & DETAILS

Subtract Openings and Allow for Extra Details

Deduct the area of doors and windows from each wall face. Opening deductions remove the face area, but do not calculate bricks for reveals, returns, piers, decorative courses, or special shapes around those openings.

Keep quantities separate: Estimate additional details from their own measurements and layout. Use the waste allowance for cuts and breakage rather than as a substitute for omitted wall areas.
PACKS & COST

Match the Estimate to Supplier Pack Sizes

Enter the supplier’s bricks-per-pack quantity when ordering whole packs. The calculator rounds the pack count up and uses that purchase quantity for cost. Without packs, cost uses the whole-brick requirement including waste.

Check the quote: A price per 1,000 bricks is prorated in the estimate. Confirm minimum orders and add mortar, delivery, taxes, and labor separately.
CALCULATOR GUIDANCE

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers about brick quantities, wall measurements, mortar joints, waste allowance, packs, and material costs.

How do I calculate how many bricks I need?

Calculate each wall’s length × height, then subtract its door and window opening areas. Use brick face dimensions and mortar joints to estimate the brick rate, or enter a custom rate for your product and construction. Add a waste allowance and round the final requirement up to whole bricks.

How many bricks are needed per square meter?

The rate depends on brick size, joints, and wall construction. For one leaf using a 215 × 65 mm brick face with 10 mm joints, the dimensions formula gives approximately 59.26 bricks/m² before waste. A rounded planning rate of 60 bricks/m² gives a slightly different estimate and can be entered in custom-rate mode.

Should brick dimensions include mortar joints?

Enter actual brick face dimensions without mortar. The calculator adds the vertical joint width to the length and the horizontal joint thickness to the height. If your dimensions already include joints, adding them again will underestimate the brick quantity.

How do I subtract doors and windows?

Multiply the width and height of each rectangular opening, add those areas together, and enter the total for that wall. Select the matching opening area unit. Leave the value at zero when there are no openings. The deducted area must be smaller than the wall’s gross area.

Which option should I use for a cavity wall?

If the wall has an outer brick leaf and an inner block leaf, choose one brick leaf to estimate the outer layer. Estimate blocks separately. Choose two equal brick leaves only when both layers use the same brick and have the same net area. Different products or layer areas need separate calculations.

Does the calculator account for every brick bond or wall thickness?

The dimensions method estimates one or two equal leaves of stretcher-facing brickwork. It does not determine quantities for every solid wall thickness or bond pattern. Use a verified custom bricks-per-area rate covering your complete construction. No additional leaf multiplier is applied to a custom rate.

How much brick waste should I allow?

The calculator starts with 5%, which you can change. Choose an allowance based on cuts, breakage, handling, and supplier guidance. Enter a custom rate before waste when adding the allowance here. Piers, returns, and other omitted wall details need separate estimates rather than relying on waste to cover them.

Can I calculate bricks for several walls at once?

Yes. Select Add Another Wall and enter each wall’s dimensions and openings. The calculator combines their net areas using the same brick settings. Calculate walls separately when their brick products, joint sizes, or construction methods differ.

Why is the purchase quantity higher than the bricks needed?

When whole packs are enabled, the pack count rounds up. For example, a requirement of 623 bricks with 400 bricks per pack needs two packs, giving 800 bricks purchased. Without pack ordering, the purchase quantity equals the whole-brick requirement including waste.

What does the brick cost estimate include?

Cost uses your price per brick, per 1,000 bricks, or per pack. With packs enabled, pricing uses the rounded pack purchase. Per-1,000 pricing is prorated and does not impose a minimum order of 1,000. Mortar, labor, delivery, and taxes are excluded unless included in your price. Currency selection does not convert prices.

READY TO PLAN?

Estimate Bricks for Your Walls

Have your wall measurements ready? Subtract openings, enter your brick details, and calculate the quantity with waste. Add pack sizes and prices to plan your material order.

Use the Brick Calculator