Building a garden wall, barbecue or raised bed? Our free Brick Calculator works out how many bricks you need from the wall size, brick dimensions and mortar joint — with a wastage allowance for cuts and breakages built in.
A standard UK brick is 215 × 65 mm with a 10 mm mortar joint — about 60 bricks per square metre for a single-skin wall.
How to Use
- Measure the wall length and height in metres.
- Enter your brick length and height in millimetres (a standard UK brick is 215 × 65 mm).
- Enter the mortar joint thickness — 10 mm is standard.
- Set a wastage allowance of around 5% for cuts and breakages.
- Click Calculate bricks to see how many bricks to order.
Key Features
- Works with any brick size, including imperial and engineering bricks.
- Accounts for the mortar joint, which many rough estimates ignore.
- Adjustable wastage allowance for cuts and breakages.
- Shows bricks per square metre for quick sanity checks.
- Free to use with no sign-up, on any device.
FAQs
How many bricks are there per square metre?
A standard UK brick (215 × 65 mm) laid with 10 mm mortar joints needs about 60 bricks per square metre for a single-skin (half-brick) wall. Double the figure for a double-skin (one-brick) wall.
How much wastage should I allow for bricks?
Allow 5% for a straightforward wall, or 10% if there are lots of cuts around openings, piers or curves. It is far cheaper to have a few bricks left over than to run short.
Does the calculator include the mortar joint?
Yes. Each brick plus its share of mortar is treated as one unit, which is why the estimate is more accurate than simply dividing the wall area by the brick face area.
How do I estimate for a double-skin wall?
Run the calculator for the wall size, then double the result — a one-brick-thick wall uses twice as many bricks as a half-brick garden wall of the same face area.
What size is a standard UK brick?
A standard UK brick measures 215 mm long, 102.5 mm wide and 65 mm high, and is normally laid with 10 mm mortar joints.
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