# Brick Quantity Calculator

> Count the bricks for a wall from its length, height, openings, brick size and joint thickness, with mortar volume and a waste allowance. Metric or imperial.

Category: Construction · Applies to: Worldwide · Last updated: 2026-10-29
Interactive calculator: https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/brick-quantity-calculator

Each brick plus one mortar joint covers a fixed patch of wall. Divide the net wall area by that patch, multiply by the number of bricks through the thickness, and add a waste allowance.

Also called: Brick estimator, Brickwork calculator.

## Inputs
- Units (options: Metric, Imperial; default metric)
- Wall length (default 5)
- Wall height (default 3)
- Doors and windows (total area) (default 2; optional)
- Bricks through the wall thickness (default 1)
- Brick length (default 190)
- Brick height (default 90)
- Brick width (bed depth) (default 90)
- Mortar joint thickness (default 10)
- Waste allowance (unit %; default 5; optional)

## Results
- Bricks to buy (with waste)
- Bricks laid (no waste)
- Bricks per m² of wall
- Net wall area
- Net wall area
- Wet mortar (with waste)
- Wet mortar (with waste)

## Formula

```
Bricks = (L × H − Openings) ÷ [(l + j)(h + j)] × Leaves × (1 + Waste);  Mortar = (Wall volume − Bricks laid × l × h × w) × (1 + Waste)
```

Where:
- L, H: wall length and height
- l, h, w: brick length, height and width
- j: mortar joint thickness
- Leaves: bricks through the thickness; wall thickness = Leaves × w + (Leaves − 1) × j

## Worked example
1. Net area = 5 × 3 − 2 = 13 m².
2. Each brick with its joint covers 0.20 × 0.10 = 0.02 m², so 50 bricks per m².
3. Bricks laid = 13 × 50 = 650; with 5% waste, 682.5 → 683 bricks.
4. Mortar = 13 × 0.09 − 650 × 0.19 × 0.09 × 0.09 = 0.170 m³, ×1.05 = 0.178 m³ wet.

**Result:** A 5 × 3 m single-leaf wall with 2 m² of openings needs about 683 bricks and 0.18 m³ of wet mortar.

## What the result means

Order whole packs above the "bricks to buy" figure, and keep a few spare from the same batch for later repairs. To turn the mortar volume into cement and sand, use the Sand Quantity for Mortar Calculator.

## Assumptions and limits
- Stretcher bond with full mortar joints on every face; the cross-joint between leaves is filled.
- The waste allowance applies to both bricks and mortar.
- Frogged or perforated bricks take more mortar than solid ones.
- Piers, returns, corners and special bonds (English, Flemish) are not modelled separately.

## Questions

### How many bricks are in 1 m² of wall?

For a single leaf: 1 ÷ [(brick length + joint) × (brick height + joint)]. That is 50 for a 190 × 90 mm brick with 10 mm joints and about 60 for a UK 215 × 65 mm brick.

### What waste allowance should I use?

5% is a common starting point for plain walls; use more for lots of cuts, fragile bricks or reclaimed stock.

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_Quantities are estimates. Confirm requirements with your engineer or supplier before ordering materials._

Source: GM¹X CalcVerse — https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/brick-quantity-calculator