Brick calculator

Standard modular brick works out to 6.75 bricks per square foot of wall face. That comes from the nominal size, 8 inches long by 2 and 2/3 inches per course: 144 divided by 8 times 2.667 is 6.75. A 10 by 8 foot wall is 80 square feet, so 540 bricks before any extra for cuts.

Nominal size includes one mortar joint, normally 3/8 inch. A modular brick measures about 7 5/8 by 2 1/4 inches in your hand, and is counted as 8 by 2 2/3 inches in the wall. That is why three courses of modular brick come out to exactly 8 inches.

Queen brick runs about 6.55 per square foot and utility brick about 3, because it is a taller, longer unit. Enter the nominal length and course height your supplier lists and the count follows from the same math.

Five percent covers cuts and breakage on a plain rectangular wall. Ten percent is closer for corners, openings, arches or a pattern with lots of cut pieces. Brick from a later batch can differ in color, so it is worth ordering the cushion with the job rather than after it.

It depends on the mortar type, whether you mix from masonry cement and sand or buy premixed, the joint thickness and how much ends up on the board. Use the yield printed on the bag or your supplier's figure for your mix rather than a single rule of thumb.