Masonry Calculator
Estimate bricks, concrete blocks or pavers for a wall or patio. You also get the materials that go with them: mortar bags, core grout, paver base, bedding sand, polymeric sand and edging. Openings are subtracted and waste is included.
Everything is calculated in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or stored.
Units = wall or patio area × units per square foot × (1 + waste). A 20 × 4 ft wall is 80 sq ft. It takes 567 modular bricks (6.75 per sq ft + 5%) and 15 bags of mortar mix, or 95 standard blocks (1.125 per sq ft + 5%) and 8 bags of mortar.
How to use this masonry calculator
- Choose brick wall, block wall or pavers.
- Enter the wall length and height (or patio length and width). Subtract doors and windows in the openings field.
- Pick the unit size. Coverage per square foot comes from the nominal size, including the 3/8 in joint.
- Set waste. 5% for straight walls, 10% for pavers with cuts, curves or herringbone.
- Read the order: units, mortar bags, grout, base, sand and cost.
How many bricks per square foot?
| Brick | Actual size (in) | Per sq ft (single wythe) | Per 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modular | 7⅝ × 2¼ × 3⅝ | 6.75 | 675 |
| Standard | 8 × 2¼ × 3⅝ | 6.55 | 655 |
| Queen | 7⅝ × 2¾ × 3 | 5.76 | 576 |
| King | 9⅝ × 2⅝ × 3 | 4.80 | 480 |
| Utility | 11⅝ × 3⅝ × 3⅝ | 3.00 | 300 |
A solid double-wythe wall needs twice as many bricks. Brick veneer over framing needs about one brick tie for every 2.67 sq ft of wall. For chimneys, columns and piers, use the brick calculator and the chimney brick calculator.
How many concrete blocks do I need?
Standard concrete masonry units (CMU) are 15⅝ × 7⅝ in on the face, which is 16 × 8 in with joints. That works out to 1.125 blocks per square foot whatever the block thickness. Thickness changes the weight and how much grout fills the cores.
| Block | Typical use | Core grout per block (all cores) | Blocks per yd³ of grout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 in (6×8×16) | Garden and partition walls | ~0.17 ft³ | ~159 |
| 8 in (8×8×16) | Foundations, retaining walls | ~0.26 ft³ | ~105 |
| 10 in | Taller walls, more load | ~0.36 ft³ | ~75 |
| 12 in (12×8×16) | Basements, heavy retaining | ~0.42 ft³ | ~64 |
How much mortar do I need?
- Premixed mortar mix (80 lb)Roughly 40 bricks or 13 blocks per bag. The easiest option for small jobs.
- Masonry cement (70 lb) + sandMixed about 1 part cement to 3 parts sand, which lays roughly 125+ bricks per bag. Cheaper for large walls.
- Type N vs type SType N for above-grade, non-load-bearing walls. Type S for below-grade, retaining and load-bearing work.
Actual yield depends heavily on joint size and how much you drop, so buy one or two spare bags. The mortar calculator handles different joint widths.
Pavers: how many, plus base and sand
| Paver size | Per sq ft | 12 × 16 ft patio (+5%) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 8 in | 4.5 | 908 |
| 6 × 6 in | 4.0 | 807 |
| 6 × 9 in | 2.67 | 539 |
| 12 × 12 in | 1.0 | 202 |
| 16 × 16 in | 0.56 | 114 |
| 24 × 24 in | 0.25 | 51 |
Under every paver patio: 4–6 in of compacted crushed stone base (8–12 in for driveways), 1 in of bedding sand, an edge restraint all round and polymeric sand in the joints. The paver base calculator and polymeric sand calculator go deeper on each layer.
Worked examples
- Brick garden wall 20 × 4 ft, single wythe
- 80 sq ft × 6.75 × 1.05 = 567 bricks
- Mortar mix (40 bricks per bag)
- 15 × 80 lb bags
- Block wall 20 × 4 ft (6 courses)
- 80 × 1.125 × 1.05 = 95 blocks
- Mortar mix (13 blocks per bag)
- 8 × 80 lb bags
- All cores grouted (8 in block)
- 95 × 0.26 = 24.7 ft³ (0.91 yd³)
- Paver patio 12 × 16 ft, 4×8 pavers
- 908 pavers
- 4 in base (+15% compaction)
- 2.73 yd³ ≈ 4 tons
- 1 in bedding sand
- 16 ft³ (32 bags)
All 18 masonry & stone calculators
Specialist calculators for brick, block, stone and paver projects.
Brick & block
Pavers & patio
Stone & retaining walls
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks are in a square foot?
About 6.75 modular bricks per sq ft of single-wythe wall with 3/8 in joints. Queen is about 5.76 and king about 4.8.
How many concrete blocks do I need per square foot?
1.125 standard 8×8×16 blocks per sq ft of wall.
How many bricks does a bag of mortar lay?
An 80 lb bag of premixed mortar lays roughly 40 bricks or about 13 standard blocks.
How many pavers do I need?
Area × pavers per sq ft + 5–10%. A 12 × 16 ft patio in 4×8 pavers needs about 908.
How much base do I need under pavers?
4–6 in compacted crushed stone for patios and walks, 8–12 in for driveways, plus 1 in of bedding sand.
How much grout do I need to fill block cores?
About 0.26 ft³ per 8 in block with all cores filled, or roughly 105 blocks per cubic yard.
What this calculator assumes
- 3/8 in mortar joints for brick and block. Coverage is per square foot of wall face.
- Mortar yields are typical for premixed 80 lb bags and vary with joint size and waste.
- Paver base is crushed stone at about 1.45 tons per yd³ with 15% added for compaction. Bedding sand bags are 0.5 ft³. Polymeric sand is estimated at one 50 lb bag per 60 sq ft.
- Structural walls (retaining over 3–4 ft, foundations) need engineering and local code approval.