Brick & Mortar Calculator — Bricks, Cement & Sand

Calculate the number of bricks, cement bags and sand for any brick wall.

About this calculator

A brick & mortar calculator estimates the number of bricks needed for a wall, plus the cement and sand required to lay them. Brick walls are built to standard thicknesses (half-brick, full-brick, one-and-a-half brick) and using standard mortar joint widths of 10 mm both vertically and horizontally.

In India the standard brick size is 190 × 90 × 90 mm (modular brick) or 230 × 110 × 75 mm (traditional brick). With a 10 mm mortar joint added, the effective laid dimension becomes 200 × 100 × 100 mm (modular) — 50 bricks per cubic foot or about 500 bricks per cubic metre of half-brick wall.

Formula

N = \frac{V_{wall}}{V_{brick + mortar}}

  • V_wall — Wall volume = length × height × thickness
  • V_brick+mortar — Effective brick volume including mortar joints

Worked example

Inputs: Wall: 4 m long × 3 m high × 230 mm thick (one-brick wall, traditional bricks 230 × 110 × 75 mm)

  1. Wall volume = 4 × 3 × 0.23 = 2.76 m³
  2. Effective brick + mortar size = 240 × 120 × 85 mm = 0.002448 m³
  3. Bricks needed = 2.76 ÷ 0.002448 = 1,128 bricks
  4. Add 5% wastage: ≈ 1,185 bricks
  5. Mortar required = ≈ 0.3 m³ (1:6 cement:sand mix needs ≈ 60 kg cement + 0.4 m³ sand)

Frequently asked questions

What mortar mix should I use?

For load-bearing walls and exterior work: 1:4 cement:sand mortar. For non-load-bearing interior partitions: 1:6. For below-DPC and water-exposed areas: 1:3 with waterproofing additive. Always use clean, sieved river sand and fresh OPC 53 grade cement. The mortar should be workable but not too wet — squeeze a handful; it should hold shape but not drip water.

How many bricks per square foot of wall?

For a half-brick (4.5 inch / 115 mm) wall using traditional 230 × 110 × 75 mm bricks: about 7 bricks per ft². For a one-brick (9 inch / 230 mm) wall: about 14 bricks per ft². Multiply by wall area in ft², add 5% wastage, and round up to the nearest 100.

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