Brick walls are bought by the thousand and paid for by the hour. This page is the lookup table you check before you call the mason, so the truck shows up with the right count and you are not waiting on a second run for mortar.
Face area by brick type
The whole count hangs on one number, the face area of a single brick laid with its mortar joint. Pick the row that matches what the yard sells.
| Brick type | Face area per brick | Bricks per square foot |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 0.65 sq ft | about 1.5 |
| Queen | 0.70 sq ft | about 1.4 |
| King | 0.78 sq ft | about 1.3 |
King brick covers the most wall per piece, so you set fewer units per square foot, but each brick weighs more. Standard brick is the smallest face and the most common on older homes. Queen sits between the two and lays a touch faster than standard.
Count the bricks
Measure the wall in feet, length times height, to get square feet. Subtract every door and window opening, because those do not get brick. Divide the net wall area by the face area per brick from the table above. Add 10 percent for broken brick, cut units at the corners, and the odd replacement you will chip on the trowel.
Size the mortar
Mortar is the easy part of the order. Plan on one 80 lb bag of masonry cement per 1000 bricks. That ratio leaves room for the bed joints and the head joints without overbuying. A small wall under 1000 bricks still gets one bag, because bags are not sold in halves.
Read a sample order
Take a small wall that runs 10 ft long and 4 ft high. That is 40 sq ft of face. With standard brick at 0.65 sq ft each, the count lands near 615 before waste. Add 10 percent and the order is about 670 bricks. Mortar comes to one bag, since 670 is well under a thousand. Double that wall to 20 by 4 ft and the bricks climb past 1300, which pushes mortar to two bags and a second pallet.
Plan the pickup
Bricks move on pallets of about 500 pieces, weighing near a ton apiece. A wall that needs 670 bricks is one and a third pallets, so either have the yard deliver or bring a trailer. Trying to stack loose brick in a pickup bed by hand is how people throw out their back on a Saturday. Mortar bags ride home on the seat.
A brick wall goes smooth when the opening area is subtracted first, the brick count covers the waste, and the mortar bag is ordered even for a small job. The rest is trowel skill.
Brick Calculator
Look up the face area of standard, king and queen brick, read the per-square-foot count, and size mortar at one bag per thousand bricks.
How to use
- Measure wall length and height in feet
- Subtract doors and windows from the wall area
- Pick standard, king or queen brick size
- Add 10 percent waste for broken brick and cuts
- Read the brick count and the mortar bag count
Supported formats and limits
- Estimate only and assumes a solid wall face
- Default 10 percent waste already added
- Mortar estimate is approximate
- Openings are subtracted by hand before ordering
Examples
10 by 4 ft wall with standard brick needs about 670 bricks and one bag of mortar.Common errors
- Wall length and height must be positive
- Waste factor must sit between 0 and 30 percent
- Opening area cannot exceed the wall area
Privacy and browser support
All calculations run locally in your browser. No measurements are uploaded.
FAQ
How many bricks go on a square foot of wall
A standard brick covers about 0.65 sq ft of face, which works out to roughly 1.5 bricks per sq ft. Queen runs about 1.4 and king about 1.3.
How many bags of mortar do I need
Plan one 80 lb bag of mortar per 1000 bricks. A wall that takes 670 bricks uses one bag with a little left over.
What is the difference between standard, king and queen brick
King is the largest face at 0.78 sq ft, queen sits in the middle at 0.70, and standard is the smallest at 0.65 sq ft. Larger brick means fewer joints.
How many bricks ride on a pallet
A standard pallet holds about 500 bricks and weighs near a ton, so a few pallets go on most house-sized walls.
Do I deduct window and door openings
Yes. Measure the whole wall, then subtract the area of every opening before you count brick. The calculator does not auto-deduct.
Which brick size lays the fastest
King brick covers the most wall per piece, so fewer units go up per square foot, but each brick weighs more and the pallet runs out faster.