Counting bricks is area work: find the wall’s face area, subtract the doors and windows, multiply by how many bricks cover a square foot, double it for a two-leaf wall, and add a bit for waste. The only number that changes with the job is the bricks per square foot — and that depends on the unit size and the joint.
Bricks per square foot
For a standard 8¾ × 2⅝ in (222 × 73 mm) brick face with a ⅛ in (10 mm) mortar joint, a single skin works out at about 4.7 bricks per square foot (50–52 per m²). A standard 15⅞ × 7½ in (390 × 190 mm) block is bigger, so only about 1.2 per square foot (12.5 per m²).
| Unit | Per sq ft (single skin) | Per m² |
|---|---|---|
| Standard brick | ~4.7 | 50–52 |
| Standard block | ~1.2 | 12.5 |
Single or double skin?
A single skin (half-brick) wall is one brick thick — common for boundary walls and internal partitions — and uses one layer per square foot. A double skin (one-brick) wall is two leaves thick for strength or load-bearing work, so it needs twice the bricks. Pick the one that matches your wall before you count.
Worked example
A 30 ft long, 6 ft high single-skin brick wall is 180 sq ft. Take out a 3 × 7 ft gate opening (21 sq ft) and you have 159 sq ft of brickwork. At 4.7 bricks per square foot that is 159 × 4.7 ≈ 747 bricks; add 10% for a face-brick wall with cuts and you order about 820.
Brick & Block Calculator
Enter the wall size, deduct openings and pick single or double skin — it returns the unit count with waste, plus the mortar (cement and sand).
Mortar, cement and sand
Estimate the mortar volume from the joint size and wall thickness, then split it into cement bags and sand for your mix — 1:3 strong, 1:4 general or 1:6 lean. Treat it as a guide: real usage swings with joint thickness, how much the units suck up water, and wastage, so keep a little spare cement on hand.
How much waste to allow
Around 5% for plain block walls with few cuts, and up to 10% for face brick or walls with lots of openings and corners, where cutting and breakage run higher. Order the waste in — being one brick short mid-course means a second trip and a colour-batch mismatch on face brick.