MATERIALFOREMAN · SHEET B-001 · EXTERIOR WORKS
CALC-001 · DRAWING NO. B-001 · REV A

Brick calculator.

Drafted to scale · cited sources · honest numbers

Enter wall dimensions and openings. The calculator returns brick count by size, mortar bags, and expansion joint spacing. Deducts doors, windows, and garage doors from gross wall area. Seven brick sizes, four bond patterns.

◈ DRAFTING PANEL · BRICK TAKEOFF · N.T.S. SHEET B-001 · REV A
Redline · scope notice Veneer takeoff only. Does not calculate structural brick walls, lintels, reinforcement, shelf angles, or wall ties. Does not evaluate seismic design categories. Assumes flat rectangular walls with 3/8 in. mortar joints.
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Note 01 · Field Procedure

How to measure the wall

  1. Measure total wall length in feet. For a full-perimeter veneer job, walk all four sides and sum. Round up to the nearest foot.
  2. Measure wall height from the top of the foundation ledge to the soffit or bond beam. Brick veneer starts at the foundation shelf angle, not grade.
  3. Count doors (standard 3x7 ft = 21 sqft each), windows (standard 3x4 ft = 12 sqft each), and garage doors (standard 16x7 ft = 112 sqft each). The calculator deducts these from gross wall area.
  4. Note the bond pattern. Running bond is standard residential. Flemish and English bonds waste 15-20% more brick from header cuts. Stack bond is structurally weak and often code-restricted.
Note 02 · Equation

The formula

bricks  =  net sf × bricks/sf × (1 + waste)
net sfgross wall area minus door, window, and garage openings
bricks/sfbrick count per square foot at 3/8 in. mortar joint (varies by brick size)
wastecutting waste by bond pattern (running 7.5%, flemish/english 17.5%, stack 5%)
Mortar: one 80 lb pre-mixed bag covers 35 bricks at 3/8 in. joints (Sakrete and Quikrete mortar TDS).
Note 03 · Sanity Ranges

Brick by project size

T Use case Notes
~50 sfAccent wall / mailbox surround~370 modular bricks. Single weekend project.
~800 sfSingle-story exterior~5,900 modular bricks. Scaffold not required for most of the wall.
~1,600 sfTwo-story exterior~11,800 modular bricks. Budget for scaffold rental and mortar mixer.
~2,500 sfLarge home~18,400+ modular bricks. Multiple expansion joints. Consider bulk pallet pricing.
Note 04 · References

Sources

Authorities cited on this sheet
  1. BIA Technical Note 10: Dimensioning and Estimating Brick Masonry · Bricks-per-square-foot tables by unit size at standard 3/8 in. mortar joints. Basis for the Queen, King, Norman, Roman, and Utility coursing constants.
  2. BIA Technical Note 8B: Mortars for Brickwork · Selection and quality assurance for Type N, S, M masonry mortars. Bag coverage (~35 bricks per 80 lb bag at a 3/8 in. joint) comes from Sakrete and Quikrete pre-mixed mortar data sheets; BIA TN 8B does not quantify it.
  3. BIA Technical Note 18A: Accommodating Expansion of Brickwork · Vertical expansion joints at 20-25 ft intervals. The 20 ft default is the conservative end and is what the calculator uses.
  4. BIA Technical Note 30: Bonds and Patterns in Brickwork · Running, stack, Flemish, and English bonds. Basis for the waste percentages by bond pattern in the calculator.
  5. ASTM C216: Standard Specification for Facing Brick · Defines Grade SW (severe weathering) and Grade MW (moderate weathering) classifications for facing brick. Grade SW required in weathering index 50 or greater. Current edition: C216-26.
  6. The Masonry Society (TMS 402/602) · Building code requirements and specification for masonry structures. Referenced by IBC for structural masonry design. This calculator covers veneer only.
Note 05 · Field Manual

What the sheet count does not tell you

A 40-foot wall, worked out

Take a single-story front elevation: 40 feet of wall, 9 feet tall, with one entry door and three windows. Gross area is 360 square feet. Subtract 21 square feet for the door and 12 each for the windows and the net brick face is 303 square feet. Modular brick lays up at 6.86 bricks per square foot at a 3/8 inch joint, so the raw count is about 2,079 bricks. Add the 7.5 percent waste a running bond carries from cuts and corners and the order is 2,235 bricks.

Mortar follows the brick. One 80 pound bag of pre-mixed mortar sets about 35 bricks at a 3/8 inch joint, so 2,235 bricks need 64 bags. The 40 foot run crosses one expansion joint: BIA TN 18A spaces vertical joints every 20 feet, and a wall this long needs one to absorb thermal movement without cracking. Materials land between roughly 1,100 and 2,700 dollars depending on the brick, before mortar and sand.

Pick the bond before you pick the brick

Bond pattern is a waste decision before it is an aesthetic one. Running bond, the standard residential layout where each course offsets the one below by half a brick, wastes about 7.5 percent to cuts at openings and corners. Stack bond, where bricks align in straight vertical columns, wastes the least at 5 percent, but the aligned head joints make it structurally weak and many codes restrict it to non-loadbearing veneer. Flemish and English bonds alternate headers and stretchers for a traditional face and pay for it: 17.5 percent waste from all the header cuts. Pick the pattern first, because the same wall in English bond orders roughly 9 percent more brick than in running bond.

Veneer, not structure

This calculator counts veneer: the single wythe of face brick that hangs on a wall for looks and weather, tied back to the structure behind it. It does not size loadbearing brick, chimneys, retaining walls, lintels, shelf angles, or wall ties. Those carry load and need a licensed structural engineer and the masonry provisions of TMS 402. Veneer also needs a few things the brick count does not show: a foundation ledge or shelf angle to bear on, a drainage cavity with weep holes behind it, and corrosion-resistant ties to the backup wall. Get those from the wall section on your drawings, then come back here for the brick and mortar quantity.

Note 06 · Common Questions

Common questions

How many bricks do I need per square foot?
Between 3 and 6.9 standard-size bricks per square foot of wall at a 3/8 inch mortar joint, depending on the brick. Modular runs 6.86, standard 6.55, queen 5.76, and the longer norman and utility sizes run 3 to 4.5. The calculator uses the count for the size you pick and adds bond-pattern waste on top.
How much mortar do I need for brick?
One 80 pound bag of pre-mixed mortar sets about 35 bricks at a 3/8 inch joint, per Sakrete and Quikrete data sheets. A 300 square foot wall of modular brick is roughly 2,200 bricks and about 64 bags of mortar. A site-mixed sand-and-lime mortar costs less per dollar but takes a mixer and a tender.
What is the difference between running bond and Flemish bond?
Running bond offsets each course by half a brick and is the standard residential veneer; it wastes about 7.5 percent to cuts. Flemish bond alternates a header and a stretcher in every course for a traditional face and wastes about 17.5 percent from all the cutting. On the same wall, Flemish orders roughly 9 percent more brick.
How far apart should brick expansion joints be?
Vertical expansion joints every 20 to 25 feet of wall, per BIA Technical Note 18A. The calculator uses the conservative 20 foot spacing, so a 40 foot wall gets one joint and an 80 foot wall gets three. The joints let the brick grow and shrink with temperature and moisture without cracking; fired clay brick expands over its life, unlike the block behind it.
PROJ MATERIALFOREMAN
SHT B-001 / 014
REV A · 2026-06-07
DRAWN MF