How to Use the Brick Calculator
- Choose your units. UK mode uses metres and UK brick sizes; USA mode uses feet and US brick sizes.
- Enter the wall's length and height. Add more walls if needed, or enter a known area.
- Subtract openings such as windows and doors.
- Choose the wall type: single skin (half brick), double skin (one brick), or a UK cavity wall with brick outside and blocks inside.
- Pick the brick or block size, or enter your own.
- Set wastage (5% is typical; 10% for lots of cuts or decorative work) and the mortar mix.
- Add prices (optional) to estimate the cost.
How Many Bricks Do I Need?
The number of bricks per square metre (or square foot) depends on the brick's face size plus the mortar joint:
UK: a standard brick is 215 × 102.5 × 65mm. With a 10mm joint, each brick covers 225 × 75mm, so a single skin (half-brick) wall needs about 60 bricks per m² (59.3 exactly). A double skin (one-brick) wall, 215mm thick, needs about 120 per m².
USA: with a 3/8-inch joint:
| Brick | Nominal face size | Bricks per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Modular | 8 × 2⅔ in | 6.86 |
| Queen | about 8 × 3⅕ in (9⅝ actual length) | 5.76 |
| King | about 10 × 3⅕ in | 4.61 |
| Utility | 12 × 4 in | 3.0 |
Blocks: a UK concrete block (440 × 215mm face) needs about 10 per m². A US 8 × 8 × 16-inch concrete block needs 1.125 per sq ft.
Worked example (UK): garden wall
A 10m long, 1.2m high garden wall built double skin (one brick thick):
- Area: 10 × 1.2 = 12 m²
- Bricks: 12 × 118.5 = 1,422, plus 5% = 1,494 bricks
- Mortar: about 0.62 m³ of mortar including the centre joint and 15% wastage
- At 1:4 cement to sand: about 1.04 tonnes of building sand and 10 bags of 25kg cement
- Supplied and laid at about £900–£1,700 per 1,000 bricks: roughly £1,350–£2,540, plus foundations and coping
The same wall in single skin would need about 747 bricks, 0.4 tonnes of sand and 4 bags of cement, but at 1.2m high a single skin wall needs piers for stability.
Worked example (USA): brick wall
A 20 × 8 ft wall in modular brick:
- Area: 160 sq ft
- Bricks: 160 × 6.86 = 1,098, plus 5% = 1,153 bricks
- Mortar: about 7 bags per 1,000 bricks, so about 9 bags (check your bag's yield)
- In 8 × 8 × 16 concrete block instead: 160 × 1.125 = 180, plus 5% = 189 blocks and about 6 bags of mortar (3 per 100 blocks)
How Much Mortar, Sand and Cement?
In the UK, each brick with a 10mm bed and end joint uses about 0.0003 m³ of mortar, which works out at about 0.018 m³ per m² of half-brick wall before waste. Frogged bricks laid frog-up, thicker joints and wastage all increase this, so the calculator adds 15% by default.
To turn mortar into sand and cement, the calculator allows for the fact that dry materials shrink by about a quarter when mixed with water:
| Mix (cement : sand) | Typical use | Per 1 m³ of mortar |
|---|---|---|
| 1:3 | Below ground, engineering bricks, copings | about 1.6 tonnes sand, 19 bags cement |
| 1:4 | General brickwork, exposed garden walls | about 1.7 tonnes sand, 15 bags cement |
| 1:5 or 1:6 (with plasticiser or lime) | Sheltered walls and blockwork | about 1.7–1.8 tonnes sand, 11–13 bags cement |
As a rough guide, builders often allow about 8–10 bags of cement per tonne of building sand for a 1:4 or 1:5 mix. Ready-mixed mortar in bags or silos is an alternative for small jobs.
In the USA, masons usually buy pre-blended mortar mix (Type N for most above-grade walls, Type S for below grade and higher strength). A brick manufacturer's rule of thumb is about 7 bags per 1,000 modular bricks, more for larger bricks.
Cavity Walls, Wall Ties and Blocks (UK)
A modern UK external wall is usually a cavity wall: an outer leaf of facing brick, a cavity with insulation, and an inner leaf of concrete blocks. The calculator's "Cavity wall" option works out:
- Bricks for the outer leaf: about 60 per m²
- Blocks for the inner leaf: about 10 per m²
- Wall ties: typically about 2.5 per m² (at 900mm horizontally and 450mm vertically), plus extra ties around openings
For a 10 × 2.4m wall (24 m²), that's about 1,494 bricks, 249 blocks and 60 wall ties.
Brick Bonds and How They Change Quantities
The bond is the pattern bricks are laid in. It affects how many bricks show on each face and how many you need to cut:
- Stretcher bond: every brick laid lengthways, each course offset by half a brick. Used for single skin and cavity walls; it's the most economical bond.
- English bond: alternate courses of stretchers and headers (bricks laid end-on). Very strong, used for one-brick walls.
- Flemish bond: stretchers and headers alternate within each course. Traditional and decorative, used for one-brick walls.
- English garden wall bond: three to five courses of stretchers between each course of headers; cheaper than English bond for garden walls.
For a one-brick (double skin) wall, the total number of bricks is about the same whichever bond you use, roughly 120 per m², because the wall's volume is the same. Decorative bonds and half-bricks at ends and openings mean more cutting, so allow 7–10% waste instead of 5%.
Soldier courses (bricks standing on end), piers and corners add bricks too. Count piers separately: with 13⅓ courses per metre, a one-brick square pier (215 × 215mm, 2 bricks per course) uses about 27 bricks per metre of height, and a 1½-brick pier (about 330 × 330mm, roughly 4½ bricks per course) about 60.
Brick and Bricklaying Costs
UK (2026)
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Common bricks | £300–£600 per 1,000 |
| Machine-made facing bricks | £400–£900 per 1,000 |
| Engineering bricks | £650–£1,200 per 1,000 |
| Labour per 1,000 bricks laid | £400–£700 (£550–£900 in London and the South East) |
| Supplied and laid per 1,000 bricks | £900–£1,700 |
| Single skin wall, supplied and laid | £120–£200 per m² |
| Double skin wall, supplied and laid | £180–£300 per m² |
| Bricklayer day rate | £200–£300 |
Prices for bricks alone usually exclude delivery, sand, cement and wall ties. Handmade and reclaimed bricks cost far more.
USA
An installed brick wall typically costs about $15–$30 per sq ft, including materials and labor, and masons often charge $50–$100 per hour. A 160 sq ft wall would cost roughly $2,400–$4,800.
Building a Garden Wall: Rules of Thumb
- Foundations: a concrete strip footing below frost depth, typically at least 2–3 times the wall's width. The Concrete Calculator works out the volume.
- Single skin walls need piers (thicker columns) at intervals, and shouldn't be built very high without them.
- Double skin walls are stronger and look good from both sides.
- Copings or capping protect the top of the wall from rain and frost.
- Damp-proof course: use engineering bricks or a DPC near ground level.
- Movement joints are needed in long walls to stop cracking.
- Retaining walls hold back soil and need proper structural design.
Walls on a boundary may need your neighbour's agreement (and in England, a Party Wall Act notice if on the line). Front walls next to a road over 1m high, or other walls over 2m, usually need planning permission in England.
Rendering the wall afterwards? See the Render Cost Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bricks are in a square metre?
About 60 for a single skin (half-brick) wall with UK bricks and 10mm joints, and about 120 for a double skin wall.
How many bricks per square foot?
About 6.86 for US modular bricks with 3/8-inch joints. Queen bricks need about 5.76 and king bricks about 4.61.
How much sand and cement do I need for 1,000 bricks?
For a single skin wall at 1:4, roughly 0.57 tonnes of building sand and 5–6 bags of 25kg cement, plus extra for waste and frogged bricks.
How many blocks per m²?
About 10 standard 440 × 215mm concrete blocks per m².
How many wall ties per m²?
About 2.5 per m² in a typical cavity wall, plus extra around openings.
How much wastage should I allow for bricks?
5% for straightforward walls and 10% for walls with lots of cuts, curves or decorative bonds.
How much does it cost to build a brick wall?
In the UK, about £120–£200 per m² for a single skin wall and £180–£300 for a double skin wall, supplied and laid. In the USA, about $15–$30 per sq ft installed.
Get quotes from local bricklayers
Ask for a price per 1,000 bricks laid and whether foundations and materials are included.