Brick Calculator

Measure the length and height of each wall face and multiply them for its gross area. For an irregular building outline, divide it into rectangular wall sections and add them separately — the calculator sums their areas automatically before any rounding happens.

Add each opening's width and height inside its wall, plus a quantity if the same opening repeats (e.g. four identical windows). The calculator multiplies width × height × quantity and subtracts the total from that wall's gross area — a wall can have any number of openings.

“Specified” (or actual/physical) dimensions are the brick's real measured size. “Nominal” dimensions, used by some other masonry units, already include an assumed mortar joint baked into the number. This calculator always works from specified dimensions and adds the mortar joint separately, so it never double-counts or omits the joint the way mixing the two conventions would.

Even within one named size, manufacturers vary slightly in the brick they actually produce. A small dimensional difference compounds across hundreds or thousands of bricks, so for anything beyond a rough estimate, measure or look up your specific product's specified dimensions rather than relying on a preset alone.

The joint is added to the brick's own length and height to form the “face module” — the space one brick plus its share of mortar actually occupies on the wall. A larger joint means a larger module, which means fewer bricks (and more mortar) cover the same wall area; a smaller joint means more bricks and less mortar. This is why the joint is always an editable, visible input rather than a hidden constant.

Running bond (each course offset by a half-brick) and stack bond (bricks aligned directly above one another) both use the same brick quantity as this calculator's standard wall-area method — offsetting the pattern doesn't change how much of the wall face a single brick covers.

Bonds that include header courses — bricks turned to show their end face, as in English or Flemish bond — use some bricks differently than a simple running-bond face, which changes both brick and mortar quantities. BIA publishes correction factors for specific header-bond patterns, but they come with applicability conditions tied to particular brick proportions and wall construction that this calculator cannot verify are met for your project. Rather than silently apply a factor that might not fit your brick, selecting “Other / header bond” shows a note instead of a number, and you should adjust the estimate using your bond's specific layout or your mason's guidance.

A wythe is one continuous vertical layer of brick. “Single wythe” uses the standard wall-area quantity as-is; “two wythes” doubles it, for two independent layers. A real two-wythe wall is often tied together with header courses or wall ties bonding the wythes — which, similar to a header bond, can need a different quantity than this simple ×2 estimate. This calculator does not design or recommend a wall thickness; it only scales the brick quantity for the construction you tell it to assume.

Waste allowance is a separate ordering contingency for cuts, breakage, and project variation — it is applied to the calculated brick count before the final purchase round-up. 5% is an editable, commonly used starting point, not a universally correct figure; more complex cuts or a less experienced crew may warrant more.

The mortar figure here is a simplified geometric estimate: it treats each brick as a solid block and measures the mortar-sized gap the joint leaves around it. Real mortar use also depends on frogs (indentations) or perforations in the brick, header-bond cross joints, collar joints between wythes, and bedding technique — none of which this calculator models. Treat it as a starting point, not a final order quantity, and adjust with your mason's experience or your product's own coverage data.

Bagged mortar mix yield (how much mixed mortar volume one bag produces) depends on the product's formulation and mix water — not just the bag's weight. Two 80 lb bags from different manufacturers can yield different mixed volumes. Enter your product's stated mixed yield to get an accurate bag count; this calculator never infers yield from bag weight.

• Structural wall thickness or load-bearing capacity.
• Reinforcement, wall ties, or lintels over openings.
• Foundations or footings.
• Mortar type, strength, or mix ratio.
• Movement joints or expansion joint spacing.
• Building code or local requirement compliance.
• Bond correction factors for header-containing bonds (see above).

Follow your project drawings, manufacturer instructions, and a qualified professional for all of the above — this calculator estimates material quantity only.