How to Calculate How Many Bricks You Need

Estimating the number of bricks for a wall requires accounting for the wall dimensions, brick size, mortar joint thickness, and a waste factor. Getting this right prevents costly over-ordering or mid-project shortages.

The Formula

Bricks = Wall Volume ÷ (Brick Volume including mortar joints) × (1 + Waste %)

For example, a wall 10 m × 3 m × 0.23 m with standard UK bricks (215×65×102 mm) and 10 mm mortar joints:

  • Wall volume = 10 × 3 × 0.23 = 6.9 m³
  • Brick + mortar volume = 0.225 × 0.075 × 0.112 = 0.001890 m³
  • Raw brick count = 6.9 ÷ 0.001890 = 3,651
  • With 10% waste: 4,016 bricks

Waste Factor Explained

Always add a waste factor to your brick estimate. The industry standard is 10% for straight walls, and up to 15–20% for walls with many cuts (corners, arches, openings). Broken bricks, cutting waste, and slight over-ordering is normal practice.

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Types of Brick Bonds

  • Stretcher bond — most common, half-brick wall, bricks laid lengthways
  • English bond — alternating rows of headers and stretchers, very strong
  • Flemish bond — alternating headers and stretchers in every course
  • Header bond — all bricks laid as headers, for curved walls