★ REFERENCE TABLE · CONSTRUCTION · MASONRY
A brick's nominal size includes its mortar joint — the brick itself is smaller, and that is why counts go wrong. A modular brick actually measures 7-5/8 × 3-5/8 × 2-1/4 inches but is nominally 8 × 4 × 2-2/3 inches, because a 3/8-inch mortar joint makes up the difference. With mortar, one square foot of wall needs 6.75 modular bricks — often rounded to 7 per square foot for a quick estimate. A 10 by 8 foot wall is 80 square feet, which needs 540 bricks exactly and 567 bricks to buy with 5% waste. Enter your wall below to count yours.
Bricks are sold by nominal size — the brick plus its mortar joint — but they are made smaller so the joint fits. Once you know the coverage rate, counting a wall is simple: measure the wall, multiply by bricks per square foot, and add waste for cuts and breakage. The chart below gives every standard brick type, and the calculator does the counting, including the waste you would otherwise forget until you are one course short on a Saturday.
A standard mortar joint is 3/8 of an inch, so a brick's nominal size is its actual size plus one joint in each dimension: nominal = actual + 3/8 inch, per dimension, in the usual trade rounding. A modular brick's nominal face is 8 × 2-2/3 inches = 21.33 square inches = 0.148 square feet, so the coverage rate is 1 ÷ 0.148 = 6.75 modular bricks per square foot with mortar. The common shorthand of 7 bricks per square foot rounds that rate up, which is why it always slightly overestimates: at the defaults it gives 560 bricks instead of 540 exact. Wall area = wall length × wall height (in feet). Exact bricks = wall area × 6.75. Buy count = exact bricks × (1 + waste ÷ 100), rounded up to the next whole brick — you cannot buy a fraction of a brick, and rounding down would leave you short. This rate assumes modular faces throughout; other brick types have different faces and therefore different rates, as noted in the chart.
Dimensions are length × depth × height in inches. Actual size is what the brick measures; nominal size adds the 3/8-inch mortar joint, rounded in the usual trade way. Coverage rates below are for a single-wythe wall face with 3/8-inch joints. Confirm sizes with your supplier before ordering — brick dimensions vary by manufacturer and by region, and some types are made to metric or regional standards.
| Brick type | Actual size (in) | Nominal size (in) | Common uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modular | 7-5/8 × 3-5/8 × 2-1/4 | 8 × 4 × 2-2/3 | The standard facing brick; 6.75 per sq ft with mortar |
| Standard | 8 × 3-5/8 × 2-1/4 | 8 × 4 × 2-2/3 | Common building brick; similar face to modular, full 8-inch length |
| Queen | 7-5/8 × 3-1/8 × 2-3/4 | 8 × 3-1/2 × 3 | Thinner, taller brick; used where a slimmer wall or taller course is wanted |
| King | 9-5/8 × 2-3/4 × 2-3/4 | 10 × 3 × 3 | Longer brick; fewer units per square foot, faster laying |
| Utility | 11-5/8 × 3-5/8 × 3-5/8 | 12 × 4 × 4 | Large brick for structural walls; about 3 per sq ft with mortar |
| Norman | 11-5/8 × 3-5/8 × 2-1/4 | 12 × 4 × 2-2/3 | Long, low brick; distinctive horizontal look for facing work |
About the 7-per-square-foot rounding: the exact modular rate is 6.75 bricks per square foot, and rounding it to 7 is a handy site estimate — but it adds 20 bricks to an 80-square-foot wall (560 instead of 540). That is not waste; it is rounding error, and it grows with the wall. Use 6.75 for ordering and keep waste as a separate, honest allowance.
Setup: wall 10 feet long, 8 feet high, waste 5%, modular rate 6.75 per square foot.
Line 1 — wall area. 10 × 8 = 80 square feet.
Line 2 — exact bricks. 80 × 6.75 = 540 bricks.
Line 3 — with waste. 540 × 1.05 = 567 bricks exactly, so the buy count is 567.
Long wall: 20 by 8 feet. Area is 160 square feet, exact bricks are 1,080, and 5% waste gives 1,134 bricks exactly (1,080 × 1.05 = 1,134, no rounding needed).
More waste: 10 by 8 feet at 10%. Area is still 80 square feet and exact bricks still 540, but 10% waste gives 540 × 1.10 = 594 bricks to buy. Walls with many openings, corners, or short runs deserve the higher allowance.
Smaller wall: 12 by 8 feet at 5%. Area is 96 square feet, exact bricks are 648 (96 × 6.75), and 5% waste gives 648 × 1.05 = 680.4, rounded up to 681 bricks to buy.
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Wall area | Length × height | 80 sq ft at the defaults — the face of wall to cover. |
| Bricks per sq ft | 1 ÷ (8 × 2-2/3 ÷ 144) | 6.75 — one modular nominal face covers 0.148 sq ft, so each square foot needs 6.75 bricks. |
| Exact bricks | Wall area × 6.75 | 540 at the defaults — the perfect-world count, before cuts and breakage. |
| Bricks to buy | Exact bricks × (1 + waste ÷ 100), rounded up | 567 at the defaults — the order quantity, with 5% waste and rounding up. |
The count is exact for a plain rectangular wall of modular faces at the waste rate you enter, using the standard 6.75 bricks per square foot with 3/8-inch joints. Dimensions in the chart are nominal and typical: real bricks vary by manufacturer, by region, and by firing, so confirm the actual size of the brick you are buying with your supplier before ordering — a brick even 1/8 of an inch off changes the course count over a tall wall. The count does not subtract doors, windows, or other openings — measure each opening's area, multiply by 6.75, and subtract that from the exact count before applying waste, or let the waste allowance absorb small openings. It does not count mortar, reinforcement, lintels, caps, or footings, and other brick types have different coverage rates: a utility brick, for example, covers far more face per unit than a modular brick, so do not apply the 6.75 rate to non-modular types. Error policy: missing, non-numeric, or out-of-range inputs are reported as errors rather than calculated.
Bright Side Kit. "Brick Size Chart & Wall Calculator." https://brightoolbox.com/brick-size-chart/ Accessed October 24, 2026.7-5/8 × 3-5/8 × 2-1/4 inches. Its nominal size is 8 × 4 × 2-2/3 inches, which adds one 3/8-inch mortar joint in each dimension — the brick plus its joint equals the nominal size.
6.75 modular bricks per square foot with 3/8-inch mortar joints, before waste. The common shorthand of 7 per square foot rounds this up, which overestimates by 20 bricks on an 80-square-foot wall.
540 bricks exactly, 567 to buy with 5% waste. The wall is 80 square feet, and 80 × 6.75 = 540; with 5% waste that is 567.
Because the nominal size includes the mortar joint. A brick is made 3/8 of an inch smaller than nominal in each dimension so that brick plus one joint equals the nominal size, and courses and lengths come out even.
Yes, for large openings. Measure the opening's area, multiply by 6.75, and subtract that from the exact brick count before applying waste. Small openings can simply be absorbed by the waste allowance.
Length. A modular brick measures 7-5/8 inches long and a standard brick measures a full 8 inches, while both are 3-5/8 inches deep and 2-1/4 inches tall. Their nominal sizes are the same, 8 × 4 × 2-2/3 inches.
5% for straight walls, 10% for walls with many openings, corners, or short runs. Cuts, breakage, and the odd mistake are normal; running short mid-wall costs far more in time than a few extra bricks cost in money.
Yes — use the print button on the calculator, or your browser's print command. The print view hides the header, footer, and ad slots so the chart and your result print cleanly.