This document provides instructions for calculating the quantity of bricks needed for wall construction. It explains that the standard brick size is 65mm high plus a 10mm bed joint, for a total of 75mm per course. It also details that a wall that is 1 brick thick will contain 120 bricks per square meter. The document walks through an example of calculating the bricks required for a 10m by 2m wall that is 1 brick thick, which equals 2,400 bricks. It concludes by providing a multi-step process and asking the reader to calculate the bricks for another sample wall.

1. Key skills resource sheet
Calculating Quantities of Brick
This material was developed by the KSSP and HMP Liverpool as part of their Key Skills
Support Programme development project.
If we know how to obtain dimensions / sizes to calculate the area (m2) of a wall (rectangle)
- we need to be able to convert the ‘m and the m2’ into a quantity of bricks.
The size of a standard brick is shown below, as you can see the height of the brick is
65mm.
65mm
102.5mm
215mm
So, each brick has a height of 65mm. Then when you bed the brick onto mortar, the
height of the brick is raised to 75mm. Go and ask to see a GAUGE STAFF and have it
explained.
Brick 65mm
Bed joint 10mm
That means that the bed joint is 10mm.
Brick & Bed = 75mm
4 course of bricks (4 x 65mm) + 4 bed joints (10mm) = 300mm
Bricks
300mm
Beds
©Crown Copyright 2000 Produced with assistance from the DfEE Key Skills Support Programme

2. I’ve got it – I can follow that – what next?
Well, try to solve the following. How many course of bricks would there be in the wall
below?
900mm
Answer =
Okay – let’s move on a little bit further. Let’s have a look at how many bricks are
required to build a wall.
What things do I need to remember?
Or, what things do I need to know?
Well if you have got this far – you are doing exceptionally well!
I’ll show you now what you need to know – and how to work it all out
Let’s start with the wall thickness
What do you mean THICKNESS?
It’s just a term used by Bricklayers – for example you may be building a wall 1 brick
thick or a ½ brick thick. Let me show you.
½ brick thick 1 brick thick 1½ brick thick
©Crown Copyright 2000 Produced with assistance from the DfEE Key Skills Support Programme

3. Got the idea? Let me explain it.
To explain it further – forget about the dimensions / sizes of a brick for a moment. Look at
the diagram below
1 brick thick
½ brick thick
A ½ brick thick wall, with an area of 1m2 - has 60 bricks
A 1 brick thick wall (twice as thick) with an area of 1m2 - has 120 bricks
A 1½ brick thick wall with an area of 1m2 - has 180 bricks
How many would a 2 brick thick wall have?
Here’s an example, to help explain it further.
Answer =
2000mm
10000mm 1 Brick thick
Front elevation End elevation
Step 1 Convert MILLIMETRES into METRES
Length = 10000mm ¸ 1000 = 10m
Height = 2000mm ¸ 1000 = 2m
©Crown Copyright 2000 Produced with assistance from the DfEE Key Skills Support Programme

4. Step 2
Find the area of the wall.
USING THE FORMULA - Length x Height = Area
So, 10.000m x 2.000m = 20m2
Step 3
Walling thickness = 1 Brick thick
How many bricks are there in 1m2 - for a 1 brick thick wall? = 120
Step 4
Multiply the area of the wall by the amount of bricks in 1m2
Area of wall = 20m2
Bricks per/m2 = 120 bricks
20m2 x 120 bricks = 2,400 bricks needed.
Now, it’s your turn. Calculate the bricks required for the wall. Remember the FOUR steps.
3500mm
12400mm 1½ brick
Answer Step 1 = Answer Step 2 =
Answer Step 3 = Answer Step 4 =
©Crown Copyright 2000 Produced with assistance from the DfEE Key Skills Support Programme

5. ©Crown Copyright 2000 Produced with assistance from the DfEE Key Skills Support Programme

6. ©Crown Copyright 2000 Produced with assistance from the DfEE Key Skills Support Programme