How this brick calculator works
Brick counts come from the nominal face — the brick plus its share of mortar joints. A modular brick's 8 × 2⅔ in face covers 21⅓ in², so 6.75 bricks fill a square foot; the rest is multiplication:
mortar = bricks ÷ 37 per 80 lb bag · courses = height ÷ 2⅔″
Worked example: how many bricks for a 20 × 8 wall
160 ft² × 6.75 = 1,080 bricks exactly — 36 courses of 30. Add 5% for cuts and breakage and you order 1,134 bricks with 31 bags of mortar: about $851 in brick and $225 in mortar at default prices.
How many bricks per square foot?
| Brick | Nominal face | Per ft² |
|---|---|---|
| Modular | 8″ × 2⅔″ | 6.75 |
| Engineer modular | 8″ × 3.2″ | 5.625 |
Mortar, ties, and what brick veneer needs
- Mortar: type N above grade, type S below; one 80 lb bag lays ~37 bricks. Mix small batches — an hour of pot life is all you get.
- Ties: veneer anchors to the backup wall with corrugated or wire ties, typically every 16 in vertically and horizontally (IRC R703.8).
- Weeps & flashing: open head joints every 33 in at the base over through-wall flashing — brick walls manage water, they don't stop it.
- Support: veneer bears on the foundation ledge or a lintel, never on studs — and openings need steel or masonry lintels sized to span.
Brick FAQ
How many bricks do I need per square foot?
About 7 with waste — exactly 6.75 for modular brick, from the nominal 8 × 2⅔ in face (brick plus its ⅜ in mortar joints). Engineer modular runs 5.625 per ft². Multiply wall area, subtract openings, add 5% for cuts and breakage.
How many bricks are in a 20 × 8 ft wall?
1,134 modular bricks with 5% waste (1,080 exact) — 36 courses of 30 bricks — laid with about 31 bags of mortar. At the calculator defaults that is roughly $851 in brick and $225 in mortar, materials only.
How many bricks does a bag of mortar lay?
About 37 standard bricks per 80 lb bag of mortar mix, per Quikrete’s published coverage — the same bag lays about 13 concrete blocks. Type N is the usual above-grade veneer mortar; type S below grade.
What size is a standard brick?
The US modular brick is 7⅝ × 3⅝ × 2¼ in actual, which becomes a clean nominal 8 × 4 × 2⅔ with its mortar joints — three courses stack to 8 in. "Queen" and "king" sizes are larger and cheaper per wall; check the face size your yard stocks.
How much does a brick wall cost?
Common brick runs $0.50–1.00 each in 2026, so the default wall is about $1,076 in materials. Laid by a mason, brick veneer typically prices at $25–45 per square foot installed — the labor is most of it, which is why estimates start with an accurate count.
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