Bricks are sold by the piece, so you need a solid count before placing an order. This calculator figures out how many bricks or blocks to buy for walls, patios, or walkways, factoring in mortar joints and waste for cuts and breakage.
Wall Dimensions
ft
ft
Brick & Mortar Details
in
in
in
Wall
Scenario: You're building a 20 ft x 4 ft garden wall with standard bricks (8 x 2.25 in face) and 3/8-inch mortar joints.
Result: Wall area is 80 sq ft. With mortar, each brick covers about 0.153 sq ft, giving 6.55 bricks per sq ft. Add 5% waste and you need 551 bricks.
Patio/Walkway
Scenario: You're laying a 12 ft x 10 ft brick paver walkway with 8 x 4 inch pavers (no mortar joints).
Result: Walkway area is 120 sq ft. Each paver face is 32 sq in (0.222 sq ft), giving 4.5 bricks per sq ft. With 10% waste, you need 594 pavers.
About 6.5 to 7 standard modular bricks per square foot for a single-wythe wall with 3/8-inch mortar joints. For a paver patio laid flat without mortar, it's about 4.5 bricks per square foot.
Plan on about 7 bags of 80 lb mortar mix per 100 square feet of standard brick wall. That's roughly 1 bag for every 35 bricks. Wider mortar joints or sloppier technique will use more.
Standard bricks (8 x 2.25 x 3.625 in) are smaller and used for walls and patios. Concrete blocks (16 x 8 x 8 in) are larger, hollow, and used for structural walls, foundations, and retaining walls. You need fewer blocks to cover the same area.
Always. Add 5-10% for straight layouts and 10-15% for herringbone or basketweave patterns. Stash a few extras somewhere dry for future repairs. Matching fired clay bricks years later is nearly impossible.
Want to learn more before you start your project?
Read the full guide →
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