worldofcalcsBrick Calculator
Bricks
957
911 plus 5% for breakage
Cement
3 bags
2.75 bags of 50 kg
Sand
20.2 cft
0.57 m³
- Brickwork volume: 2.23 m³ (78.7 cft), 240 mm
- Wet mortar: 0.501 m³
- Subtract the area of doors and windows from the wall before you enter it.
How do you calculate bricks for a wall?
Divide the volume of the wall by the volume of one brick including its mortar joint. The mortar is the rest of the wall's volume: its dry volume decides how many cement bags and how much sand you need. This calculator does that for the two common brick sizes in India and for 4½-inch and 9-inch walls, and adds a little extra for broken bricks.
Brick and mortar formulas
Bricks = wall volume ÷ (brick + 10 mm joint) volume · Wet mortar = wall volume − bricks × brick volume · Dry mortar = wet × 1.33 · Cement = dry ÷ (1 + sand parts) ÷ 0.0347 m³ per bag
Mortar shrinks by about a quarter when water is added, so 1.33 times the wet volume of dry material is needed. A 50 kg cement bag holds 0.0347 m³ at 1,440 kg/m³.
Tips for estimating brickwork
- A cubic metre of brickwork takes about 500 modular bricks or 410 traditional bricks.
- 1:6 cement-sand mortar is usual for 9-inch walls; 1:4 is used for 4½-inch partition walls, which need more strength.
- Order 5–10% extra bricks: some break in transport and some are cut at corners and openings.
- Soak bricks in water before laying so they don't suck water out of the mortar.
- Sand is usually sold by the cubic foot (cft) or by the truck. One m³ is 35.3 cft.
Worked example: a 10 × 10 ft, 9-inch wall
- Wall 10 ft long and 10 ft high (3.048 × 3.048 m), one brick thick, with traditional 230 × 110 × 75 mm bricks
- Wall volume: 3.048 × 3.048 × 0.24 = 2.23 m³ (78.7 cft)
- One brick with mortar: 0.24 × 0.12 × 0.085 = 0.002448 m³, so 2.23 ÷ 0.002448 = 911 bricks
- Adding 5% for breakage: 957 bricks
- Wet mortar 0.50 m³, dry 0.67 m³; at 1:6 that is 2.75 cement bags and 20.2 cft of sand
Bricks and cement per 100 sq ft of wall
For a wall area of 100 sq ft (9.29 m²) in 1:6 mortar, before wastage.
| Brick | Wall | Bricks | Cement bags | Sand (cft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional, 230 × 110 × 75 mm (9 × 4½ × 3 in) | One-brick wall (9 inch) | 911 | 2.75 | 20.2 |
| Traditional, 230 × 110 × 75 mm (9 × 4½ × 3 in) | Half-brick wall (4½ inch) | 456 | 1.37 | 10.1 |
| Modular, 190 × 90 × 90 mm | One-brick wall (9 inch) | 930 | 2.35 | 17.2 |
| Modular, 190 × 90 × 90 mm | Half-brick wall (4½ inch) | 465 | 1.17 | 8.6 |
Add 5–10% to the bricks for breakage.