Brickwork Calculator
Enter a brickwork volume, or a wall length, height and thickness, and the calculator gives the number of bricks, the mortar, the cement bags and the sand for your mortar mix. Add your own prices to see a material, labour and total cost.
Brickwork calculator
Quantities and costs are estimates. Brick sizes, joint thickness and site wastage change them. Check against your own measurements.
Millimetres in metric, inches in imperial.
Your price, any currency. Leave blank to skip.
Your price, any currency. Leave blank to skip.
Your price, any currency. Leave blank to skip.
Your price, any currency. Leave blank to skip.
Your price, any currency. Leave blank to skip.
Your price, any currency. Leave blank to skip.
Assumptions
Change any value to match your product or local rules.
Basis: The toolkit sheet adds none. Add your own site allowance for breakage and spillage.
Basis: Typical value from the InsightHub estimating toolkit (Brick Work Qty. & RA sheet). Adjust to your local practice.
Basis: Typical value from the InsightHub estimating toolkit (Brick Work Qty. & RA sheet). Adjust to your local practice.
Basis: Typical value from the InsightHub estimating toolkit (Brick Work Qty. & RA sheet). Adjust to your local practice.
Basis: Typical value from the InsightHub estimating toolkit (Brick Work Qty. & RA sheet). Adjust to your local practice.
Basis: Typical value from the InsightHub estimating toolkit (Brick Work Qty. & RA sheet). Adjust to your local practice.
Basis: Typical value from the InsightHub estimating toolkit (Brick Work Qty. & RA sheet). Adjust to your local practice.
- Brickwork volume
- 1.000 m³
- 35.3 cu ft
- Bricks
- 500 bricks
- Wet mortar
- 0.231 m³
- 8.1 cu ft
- Dry mortar
- 0.307 m³
- 10.8 cu ft
- Cement
- 2 bags (50 kg)
- Sand
- 0.245 m³
- 8.7 cu ft
- Sand
- 8.66 cft
- Mason
- 0.94 days
- Labour
- 1.80 days
- Bhisti
- 0.20 days
- Material cost
- Add prices to see the cost
- Labour cost
- Add prices to see the cost
- Total with equipment and profit
- Add prices to see the cost
500 bricks, 2 bags of cement and 8.66 cft of sand for 1.000 m³ of brickwork in 1:4 mortar.
How this was calculated
- Bricks = volume ÷ (brick size with mortar), rounded up
- Wet mortar = volume − bricks × (brick size without mortar)
- Dry mortar = wet mortar × 1.33
- Cement bags = dry mortar × cement ÷ (cement + sand) × 1440 ÷ 50, rounded up
- Sand = dry mortar × sand ÷ (cement + sand)
- Total = (materials + labour) + equipment %, then + profit % on that
- Brickwork volume = As entered = 1.000 m³
- Bricks = 1.000 m³ ÷ 200 × 100 × 100 mm, rounded up = 500 bricks
- Wet mortar = 1.000 m³ − bricks × 190 × 90 × 90 mm = 0.231 m³
- Dry mortar = 0.231 m³ × 1.33 = 0.307 m³
- Cement = 0.307 m³ × 1/5 × 1440 ÷ 50, rounded up = 2 bags
- Sand = 0.307 m³ × 4/5 = 0.245 m³ (8.66 cft)
- Labour = 1.000 m³ × 0.94 / 1.80 / 0.20 days per m³ = mason 0.94, labour 1.80, bhisti 0.20 days
How to use the brickwork calculator
Choose whether to enter the brickwork volume directly or the wall length, height and thickness. In wall mode, enter the total area of doors and windows in that wall and the calculator takes their volume out. Then enter the brick size with mortar (the brick plus one joint, 200 × 100 × 100 mm by default) and without mortar (the brick itself, 190 × 90 × 90 mm by default), and pick the cement : sand mortar mix.
The number of bricks is the volume divided by the brick-with-mortar volume, rounded up. The wet mortar is what is left once the bricks themselves are taken out. That is multiplied by 1.33 to get the dry mortar, which is split into cement (1440 kg per m³, 50 kg bags, rounded up to whole bags) and sand in m³ and cubic feet.
What you need to measure
For a wall, measure its length along the centre line, its height from the top of the plinth or slab to the underside of the beam or slab above, and its thickness (230 mm for a full-brick wall, 115 mm for a half-brick partition, with the usual Indian brick). Add up the openings: each door and window is width × height. Measure one brick with a tape for the size without mortar, and add the joint thickness you use to each side for the size with mortar.
Accuracy and limitations
The result is an estimate. The 1.33 dry factor and the labour days per m³ (mason 0.94, labour 1.8, bhisti 0.2) are typical values from an estimating spreadsheet; change them under Assumptions to match your practice. No wastage is added by default, so add your own allowance for broken bricks and spilt mortar. Lintels, bands and beams inside the wall are not deducted unless you reduce the volume or openings yourself.
Next steps
Enter your own brick, cement, sand and daily wage prices to see the material cost, the labour cost and a total that adds 1.5% for equipment and 10% contractor profit (both editable). Use the rate analysis calculator for other items of work and the BOQ calculator to bring every item together into one bill of quantities.
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks are there in 1 m³ of brickwork?
With a 200 × 100 × 100 mm brick including mortar, 1 m³ ÷ 0.002 m³ gives 500 bricks. A different brick or joint size changes the count, so enter your own sizes.
How much cement and sand is needed for 1 m³ of brickwork in 1:4 mortar?
With the default brick sizes, 500 bricks leave 0.2305 m³ of wet mortar. Times 1.33 that is 0.3066 m³ dry, which in 1:4 gives 2 bags of cement (1.77 rounded up) and about 8.66 cft (0.245 m³) of sand.
Why is the dry mortar 1.33 times the wet mortar?
Dry cement and sand shrink in volume once water is added, because the fine particles fill the voids. The 1.33 factor is the allowance the estimating sheet uses; some estimators use a different figure, which you can set under Assumptions.
Does the calculator include wastage?
Not by default. Set a wastage percentage under Assumptions and it is added to the bricks, cement and sand, but not to the labour.
Ready to plan your space?
It is free, runs in your browser and needs no account. Projects are saved privately on this device.