Brick calculator: how many bricks, mortar bags and wall cost
One square foot of wall takes 6.75 standard modular bricks with 3/8 inch mortar joints, and each brick costs $0.63 to $0.98 at the yard in 2026. This brick calculator multiplies your wall area by that coverage, adds 5 percent for breakage and cuts, counts 80 pound mortar bags at one per 35 bricks, and adds mason labor at $19 to $29 per square foot. A 500 square foot brick veneer wall needs 3,544 bricks and 97 bags of mortar and runs $12,734 to $19,548.
Worked example: 500 sq ft wall area, 6.75 bricks per sq ft coverage
That takes 3,375 bricks (Bricks in the wall before waste). National-average costs:
| Line | Quantity | Cost range |
|---|---|---|
| Modular brick | 3,544 bricks | $2,233 to $3,473 |
| Mortar mix, 80 lb bags | 97 bags | $800 to $1,261 |
| Veneer wall ties | 188 ties | $47 to $73 |
| Mason labor | 500 sq ft | $9,500 to $14,500 |
| Base flashing, weep vents and wash-down supplies | 5% | $154 to $240 |
| Estimated total | $12,734 to $19,548 |
Enter the wall face area in square feet. Leave coverage at 6.75 for standard modular brick, or change it for another brick size. The interactive calculator on this page recomputes these numbers for your dimensions and adjusts for any US state.
How to measure for masonry work
Measure the face, not the footprint
Brick is figured on the face of the wall: length times height. A 40 foot front elevation 9 feet tall is 360 square feet before any openings come out.
Subtract every opening in full
A 3 by 5 window removes 15 square feet, about 101 bricks, and a 3 by 7 entry door removes 21 square feet, about 142. Measure the rough opening the brick will return to, not the glass.
Count detail courses as their own runs
Soldier courses over windows and rowlock sills under them set the brick on end or on edge, about 4.5 bricks per foot of run. Take those off in linear feet and add them to the field count.
Check the ledge before you bid
Veneer sits on a brick ledge in the foundation or on steel angle bolted to it. No ledge means loose angle at $11 to $17 a foot plus the time to set it, so look before you price.
What this calculator assumes
- Brick, mortar and ties are 2026 national-average yard prices, and labor is for a one-story veneer wall in running bond.
- Coverage of 6.75 per square foot assumes standard modular brick with 3/8 inch joints. Changing coverage changes the count, not the price per brick.
- Bricks carry 5 percent waste for chips, culls and cuts. Mortar is figured on the bricks actually laid.
- The 5 percent allowance covers base flashing, weep vents and wash-down supplies.
- Steel lintels over openings, scaffold rental past one story, footings, demolition and permits are not in the total.
- Wall ties are spaced for brick veneer over a framed wall. Zero them out in your head for a freestanding garden wall.
Cost factors in masonry work
Brick choice and size
Common modular face brick runs $0.63 to $0.98 apiece. Tumbled, handmade and specialty colors can cost several times that, and bigger units change the count: engineer modular lays 5.63 per square foot, Norman 4.5 and utility 3.
Openings and details
Every window and door wants a lintel, $11 to $17 a foot in steel, and every arch, soldier course and rowlock sill slows the mason far more than open field brick does.
Height and scaffold
Up to about 4 feet a mason works from the ground or a plank. Past that, scaffold gets set, planked, moved and torn down around the laying days, and a two-story gable means several lifts of frame.
Weather
Mortar placed below about 40 degrees needs heated materials and blankets, and hot, dry wind flash-sets the joints. Northern crews price winter work higher or pass on it.
Veneer code details
Residential code wants a tie for every 2.67 square feet of brick veneer, flashing at the base, and weep holes no more than 33 inches apart. Skipped weeps trap water behind the brick, and nobody sees it until the sheathing rots.
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks are in a square foot of wall?
6.75 standard modular bricks with 3/8 inch mortar joints: three courses to every 8 inches of height and 1.5 bricks per foot of length. A 10 by 8 garden wall face is 80 square feet, so 540 bricks, or 567 to order with 5 percent waste. That count is for one brick thick, and a two-wythe wall takes double.
How many bags of mortar do I need for 1,000 bricks?
About 29 bags of 80 pound mortar mix, figuring one bag for every 35 bricks. In practice a bag lays 35 to 40 bricks, so plan on 25 to 29 bags per thousand, more if the head joints run wide. The 500 square foot wall at this calculator's default lays 3,375 bricks on 97 bags.
What does a brick wall cost per square foot?
At the default 500 square feet of veneer, this calculator lands at $25.47 to $39.10 per square foot of wall in 2026. Brick, mortar, ties and the flashing allowance come to $6.47 to $10.10 of that, and mason labor is the other $19 to $29. Small, tall or detailed walls run past the top of the range.
What if my brick is not standard modular?
Change the coverage input. With 3/8 inch joints, engineer modular brick lays 5.63 per square foot, Norman 4.5 and utility 3. Bigger units cost more apiece than the modular price used here, so swap in your yard's per-brick quote before you trust the dollar total.
How much is Staxen for a masonry crew?
It is $59 per month per AI employee, $149 per month for all three, month to month. Tell Eddie the Estimator the wall size, brick and openings and it drafts the priced estimate, or upload the plan PDF and it drafts the takeoff from that. The client signs from a text link, and the first 7 days are free in the app.