The Build Calculator

Brick Calculator

Calculate how many bricks you need for a wall — modular, queen or king size — plus the mortar bags to lay them, with waste factor and cost estimate included.

Bricks to buy (incl. waste)
bricks
sq ft of wall
80 lb mortar bags
pallets (~500)

Enter a price per brick to estimate cost.

You might also need:Mortar Calculator·Concrete Block Calculator

How brick counts are calculated

bricks = wall area (sq ft) × bricks per sq ft × waste factor
modular: 7.0/sq ft · queen: 5.8 · king: 4.8 (⅜″ joints, single wythe)

A 20 × 6 ft garden wall (120 sq ft) in modular brick needs 840 bricks before waste — order 925 at 10%. Counts are for a single-wythe (one brick thick) wall; a double-wythe structural wall doubles it.

Bricks per square foot by size

BrickFace sizePer sq ftPer 100 sq ft
Modular7⅝ × 2¼″7.0700
Standard8 × 2¼″6.55655
Queen7⅝ × 2¾″5.8580
King9⅝ × 2⅝″4.8480

Ordering tips

  • One production run: brick color varies batch to batch — order the whole job at once and blend from multiple cubes as you lay.
  • Don't forget openings: subtract windows and doors from the wall area, but keep the waste factor — arches and cuts eat bricks.
  • Mortar and sand: the result above uses premix bags; for site-mixing quantities see the mortar calculator, and pair it with the sand calculator.
  • Building with block instead? The concrete block calculator handles CMUs.

Frequently asked questions

How many bricks per square foot of wall?+

Modular bricks (7⅝ × 2¼ inches) run about 7 per square foot of single-wythe wall with ⅜-inch joints. Queen bricks run ~5.8 per square foot and king bricks ~4.8, which is why larger units go up faster and cheaper.

How many bricks do I need for a 100 square foot wall?+

About 700 modular bricks before waste — order 735–770 with a 5–10% waste factor for cuts and breakage. The same wall in king brick needs about 480 bricks.

How much does a brick wall cost?+

Standard modular bricks cost $0.50–$1.00 each ($350–$700 per 1,000); face brick with special finishes runs higher. With mortar, sand and accessories, DIY materials land around $4–$8 per square foot; professionally laid walls run $25–$45 per square foot.

How many bricks come on a pallet?+

A standard pallet ("cube") holds around 500–525 modular bricks and weighs about 2,000 lb. Suppliers sell by the cube for full pallets, so a 700-brick job means ordering a cube and a half or two cubes.

Do I need a footing for a brick wall?+

Yes — any freestanding or structural brick wall needs a concrete footing below frost depth, typically twice the wall width and at least 8–12 inches thick. Brick veneer on a house bears on the foundation ledge instead.

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