Estimate how many modular bricks you need for a wall from its length and height, with a waste factor for cuts and breakage.
bricks = wall_area_ft² × 6.86 × (1 + waste)
A single-wythe modular brick wall with a 3/8″ mortar joint needs about 6.86 bricks per square foot — commonly rounded to 7.
Brick is hard to match across dye lots and is cut frequently, so a 10% waste factor is sensible.
For a single-wythe brick wall 20 ft long and 8 ft high: the face area is 160 square feet. At 6.86 modular bricks per square foot, that's about 1,098 bricks before waste. Brick is cut constantly and breaks in handling, so add 10% — you'd order about 1,210 bricks.
If the wall has a 3 ft x 3 ft opening for a gate, subtract that 9 square feet first: 151 square feet x 6.86 = 1,036 bricks, then add waste. Always subtract large openings but keep the full waste factor, because the cut bricks around an opening can't usually be reused.
The 6.86 bricks/ft² figure assumes a standard modular brick and a 3/8″ joint. Other brick sizes change the count — this is an industry convention, not a single-source standard.
The standard estimate uses about 6.9 modular bricks per square foot with a ⅜-in mortar joint, but the bond pattern shifts it. Running bond is the baseline; patterns with more headers or a Flemish bond expose more brick faces and change the count, and decorative coursing at corners adds cutting waste. For anything beyond a plain running bond, add a little extra.
Mortar volume depends on joint thickness and brick size — a thicker joint or a smaller brick means more mortar per square foot. As a planning figure, budget roughly 7 bags of mortar per 1,000 bricks for a standard ⅜-in joint, more for wider joints. Sand is ordered alongside in the mortar mix ratio.
About 6.86 for a single-wythe modular brick wall with a 3/8″ mortar joint.
About 6.9 modular bricks per square foot of wall with a standard ⅜-inch mortar joint. Other brick sizes and joint widths change this figure.
Budget roughly 7 bags of mortar per 1,000 standard bricks at a ⅜-inch joint, with more for wider joints or smaller bricks, plus sand in the mix ratio.
Deduct large openings, but leave small ones in. Bricks are cut around openings and the offcuts are largely unusable, so the waste factor absorbs the small deductions.