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Brick Mortar Calculator

Buy the right amount of mortar for your brickwork the first time.

How it is calculated

The tool divides the brick count by the yield of one 80 lb bag of mortar mix: bags = ceil(bricks ÷ 37). The 37 is the QUIKRETE Mortar Mix data sheet figure, "up to 37 standard bricks" per 80 lb bag. The only input is the number of bricks, and the answer is rounded up to a whole bag because bags cannot be bought in parts. The yield does not change with the brick size, joint thickness or the mortar type, and the tool adds no waste allowance of its own, so it is a planning estimate for ordinary brickwork and not a precise volume calculation. The brick count must be above zero. Because the yield is the manufacturer's best case, add a margin yourself for thick joints, rough brick surfaces or mortar that sets before you can use it.

Worked example

A garden wall and a small planter need 2,500 bricks in total. Divide by the bag yield: 2500 ÷ 37 = 67.6 bags. You cannot buy part of a bag, so the tool rounds up and the answer is 68 bags of 80 lb mortar mix. With a 10% waste margin you would order about 75 (67.6 × 1.1 = 74.3, rounded up), because mortar that is a few bags short stops the job.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Entering the wall area instead of the brick count. The tool needs a number of bricks, so work that out from the wall size first.
  • Forgetting the bricks that will be cut or broken. Order the brick count with the same waste in mind, or the mortar estimate will be low.
  • Applying the 37-bricks-per-bag yield to unusually large bricks or wide joints, where each brick uses more mortar than the standard case.
  • Treating the result as exact. It is rounded up from the manufacturer's best-case yield, so a job with 10 mm joints and a lot of cutting may still need an extra bag.

Sources

About this calculator

Mortar for brickwork is easiest to estimate from the yield the manufacturer prints for one bag. QUIKRETE's data sheet for its Mortar Mix says each 80 lb bag lays up to 37 standard bricks (or 13 standard 8 × 8 × 16 in blocks), so 1,000 bricks need about 28 bags before any waste. The real figure varies with joint thickness, brick size and how much mortar is dropped or left to harden, which is why the result is an estimate and not a volume calculation. Smaller 60 lb bags lay proportionally fewer bricks, roughly 28 each.

Masons and DIY builders use this estimate when quoting or budgeting brick walls, veneers, walkways and chimneys, since underbuying mortar means an inconvenient mid-job supply run (and potential color/batch mismatch between mortar mixes), while overbuying wastes money on unused, quickly-hardening material. The manufacturer's yield is a best case, so professional jobs typically add a waste margin of 5-10% on top of the raw estimate.

Enter how many bricks the job uses and you get the number of 80 lb bags of mortar mix to buy. If your product states a different yield, the Mortar Calculator lets you enter bricks per bag.

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