Guide · Brick
How Many Bricks Do I Need for a Wall?
A 20-foot-long, 8-foot-tall single-wythe wall built with standard modular bricks (7⅝″ × 2¼″) and ⅜″ mortar joints needs about 1,120 bricks. Add 10% for cuts, breakage, and color matching, and buy 1,232 — round up to 1,250 since bricks are sold by the pallet. Plan on roughly 30–35 bags of 60-lb mortar as a rough planning estimate.
Below is the counting method — the 7-bricks-per-square-foot rule — plus a chart of brick counts for common wall sizes, mortar bag estimates, and how different brick sizes change the math. To skip the arithmetic, use our free brick wall calculator: enter the wall length and height and it returns bricks, mortar, and sand for any wall.
Brick, mortar, and sand for your exact wall size — free, no sign-up.
Open the brick calculator →At about 7 bricks per square foot. With 10% waste: 1,232 bricks. Mortar: roughly 28–38 bags of 60-lb mix (planning estimate).
The math, step by step
= 8″ × 2⅝″ = 21 sq in per brick
Bricks per sq ft = 144 ÷ 21 = 6.86 → plan on 7
Bricks = wall area × 7 = 160 × 7 = 1,120
- Measure the wall. Length × height = square footage. 20 ft × 8 ft = 160 sq ft.
- Multiply by 7. A standard modular brick with ⅜″ joints covers about 21 square inches of wall face, so 144 ÷ 21 = 6.86 bricks per square foot — rounded to 7 for planning. 160 × 7 = 1,120 bricks.
- Handle openings sensibly. Don’t deduct small windows and doors — the cuts around them eat the apparent savings. Do subtract large openings like garage doors from the square footage first.
- Add 10% waste. Bricks chip, some arrive cracked, and corners and openings create cut-offs: 1,120 × 1.10 = 1,232 → order about 1,250.
- Double for double-wythe. A structural wall two bricks thick needs twice the count: 2,240 bricks before waste.
- Estimate mortar. As a rough planning estimate, one 60-lb bag of mortar lays about 30–40 bricks: 1,120 ÷ 35 ≈ 32 bags. Joint width and brick absorption swing this number, so buy a few extra.
Brick counts for common wall sizes
Single-wythe walls, standard modular brick, ⅜″ joints. These are before openings — see the guidance above on what to deduct.
| Wall size | Sq ft | Bricks | Bricks +10% | Mortar (60-lb bags) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 4 ft garden wall | 32 | 224 | 247 | 6–8 |
| 10 × 6 ft | 60 | 420 | 462 | 11–14 |
| 16 × 8 ft | 128 | 896 | 986 | 23–30 |
| 20 × 8 ft | 160 | 1,120 | 1,232 | 28–38 |
| 24 × 8 ft | 192 | 1,344 | 1,479 | 34–45 |
| 32 × 10 ft | 320 | 2,240 | 2,464 | 56–75 |
| 40 × 10 ft | 400 | 2,800 | 3,080 | 70–94 |
Mortar ranges assume 30–40 bricks per 60-lb bag — a rough planning estimate, not a product guarantee. Check your mortar’s coverage.
How much mortar per 1,000 bricks?
Budget 25–34 bags of 60-lb mortar per 1,000 bricks, treating it as a rough planning estimate rather than a precise figure. The real number moves with joint width (a fat ½″ joint eats noticeably more than a tight ⅜″ one), how thirsty the bricks are, and how much ends up on the ground. Type N is the all-purpose choice for most above-grade walls; Type S is stronger and common for below-grade or structural work. If your wall is long, buy mortar in the same batch — like bricks, mortar color can drift between production runs.
Brick sizes change the count
The 7-per-square-foot rule is for the standard modular brick. Other common sizes cover more or less wall face per brick, so the per-square-foot count shifts:
| Brick type | Nominal size | Bricks per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Modular | 7⅝ × 2¼ × 3⅝″ | ≈ 6.9 → use 7 |
| Standard / common | 8 × 2¼ × 3¾″ | ≈ 6.6 → use 6.5–7 |
| Queen | 7⅝ × 2¾ × 2¾″ | ≈ 5.8 |
| King | 9⅝ × 2⅝ × 2⅝″ | ≈ 4.8 |
Counts assume ⅜″ mortar joints. If you’re using an unusual brick, measure its face plus one joint each way, divide into 144, and use that figure.
Openings, corners, and the 10% rule
Three judgment calls separate a good estimate from a short delivery. First, openings: leave small windows and doors in the count — cutting bricks to fit around them wastes roughly what the opening “saves.” Subtract only genuinely large openings such as garage doors or storefront glazing. Second, corners: each corner burns a few extra bricks in cut closures, so long walls with multiple corners deserve the full 10% rather than a trimmed allowance. Third, color: buy the entire quantity — including the waste allowance — from the same lot in one order. Brick shade varies between kiln runs, and a second delivery weeks later can read as a visible band across the wall.
Bricks typically ship about 500–550 per pallet (it varies by manufacturer), so our 1,232-brick example is roughly two and a half pallets — order 3. A full pallet is also easier to have delivered than a partial one, and the leftovers make good spares for future repairs, where matching the original lot matters most.
For a footing under the wall, run the dimensions through our concrete calculator — brick walls need a proper concrete footing, typically twice as wide as the wall is thick and below the local frost line.
How we calculate
Brick counts start from the wall’s square footage multiplied by bricks per square foot. For standard modular brick with ⅜″ joints, each brick’s exposed face is 8″ × 2⅝″ = 21 square inches, so 144 ÷ 21 = 6.86, rounded to 7 for planning; other sizes range from about 6.5 to 7 per square foot. The 10% waste allowance covers cuts, chips, and culls. Mortar at one 60-lb bag per 30–40 bricks is a rough planning estimate — joint width, brick absorption, and technique all move it, so confirm against your product’s coverage and buy a few extra bags. These are planning figures, not engineering specifications.
Reviewed September 2026 · TrueMeasure
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks do I need per square foot of wall?
About 7 per square foot for standard modular brick with ⅜″ mortar joints (6.86 exactly). Across common brick sizes the planning range is roughly 6.5 to 7 per square foot.
How many bricks come on a pallet?
Typically 500 to 550 modular bricks per pallet, though it varies by manufacturer. A 1,232-brick order is about two and a half pallets — order 3 to be safe.
How much mortar do I need per 1,000 bricks?
Roughly 25 to 34 bags of 60-lb mortar — a rough planning estimate based on about 30 to 40 bricks laid per bag. Joint width and brick absorption swing the number, so treat it as a planning figure.
Do I subtract windows and doors from the brick count?
For small openings, no — the cuts around windows and doors consume the apparent savings. For large openings like garage doors, subtract the opening area from the wall square footage before multiplying.
What is a double-wythe brick wall?
A wall two bricks thick, used for structural load-bearing walls. Double the brick count; mortar rises roughly 80 to 90 percent since the two wythes share some joints.
Should I buy extra bricks beyond the count?
Yes — 10 percent is the standard allowance, and buy them all from the same lot at once. Brick color can shift between batches, and a shortfall later means a visible shade change.