Construction Calculator - Walls and Finishes

Brick Calculator

Estimate bricks for walls, veneers, columns, and garden features.

Reviewed: August 26, 2026

Calculate Brick

For the Brick Calculator, enter wall length, wall height, nominal brick module length, nominal brick module height, waste allowance, and unit price. It divides wall face area by the installed unit-face module, applies allowance, and rounds up to whole masonry units with optional unit cost.

Construction measuring tools arranged beside a residential building project

Formula used

Units = ceil([wall area ÷ installed unit-face module] × [1 + waste ÷ 100])

Default-module source: The example uses an 8-in by 2⅔-in nominal modular-brick face. Other brick formats need their own module and joint. Brick Industry Association Technical Note 10.

Brick Calculator measurement plan showing Wall length feet, Wall height feet, Waste allowance percent

Worked brick example

Brick Calculator example: 35.1 ft × 3.63 ft = 127.41 ft². A 8-in × 2.667-in face module occupies 0.1482 ft², producing 929 units after 8% allowance and whole-unit rounding.

Reading the unit or bag result

Round to whole bricks and then to cubes or straps sold by the supplier, keeping special shapes and matching lots in the takeoff.

Details the area formula cannot see

Openings, corners, bond pattern, soldier courses, arches, cuts, and the blend or lot requirements can change the number of bricks to order.

Questions specific to this calculation

Should brick dimensions include the mortar-joint module?

Use wall area and the nominal brick module, including the intended mortar joint. The default represents a modular face and should be replaced for queen, engineer, utility, thin brick, or other formats.