How this calculation works
Estimate brick units from the solid masonry volume after deducting door and window openings. The model expands each brick dimension by the mortar joint to approximate a repeating masonry module, then adds waste before rounding up. Measure net masonry thickness carefully; using a wall finish thickness or ignoring cavity construction can materially change the estimate.
Worked example
This example uses illustrative inputs. Your current result is shown above.
A 10 m × 3 m wall, 0.20 m thick, with 2 m² of openings contains (30 − 2) × 0.20 = 5.6 m³ masonry. Bricks 190 × 90 × 90 mm with 10 mm joints form 0.002 m³ modules: 2,800 bricks before waste and 2,940 with 5% waste.
Assumptions and limits
- Opening area is deducted through the full entered wall thickness and cannot exceed the gross wall area.
- Uniform modules approximate the bond. Hollow units, cavities, lintels, reinforced columns and unusual joints need separate allowances; mortar volume itself is not output.
Questions people ask
Should brick dimensions already include mortar?
No. Enter actual brick dimensions and let the joint input add mortar allowance once.
Why is waste applied before rounding?
The model applies the percentage to the unrounded module count, then orders a whole number of bricks. Rounding the base first can overstate the final count near a boundary.