The short answer most builders work to is 60 bricks per square metre for a single-skin (half-brick) wall and 120 bricks per square metre for a one-brick (double-skin) wall. Those figures assume standard UK metric bricks laid in stretcher bond with 10mm mortar joints, and they are the numbers builders’ merchants and brick manufacturers use for estimating.
That covers the wall itself. Before you place an order you still need to add a wastage allowance for cuts and breakages, and take off any door and window openings. This guide walks through where the 60 and 120 come from, how to estimate a real wall, and a few things that change the count.
If you would rather skip the maths, work out exact quantities for your wall with our brick calculator, which subtracts openings and adds wastage for you.
Where 60 bricks per square metre comes from
A standard UK brick measures 215mm long, 102.5mm wide and 65mm high. This is the metric size adopted in the 1970s and it is still the dimension nearly every clay facing brick is made to today.
You never lay a brick on its own though. Each one sits in mortar, and the standard bed and perpend (vertical) joint is 10mm. Add that 10mm joint to the brick and you get the coordinating size: 225mm long by 75mm high. This is the footprint one brick actually takes up in a wall.
To find the bricks per square metre, divide one square metre by the face area of a single coordinating brick:
- Brick face including joints: 0.225m x 0.075m = 0.016875 m2
- 1 m2 / 0.016875 m2 = 59.3 bricks
Rounded up, that is 60 bricks per square metre for a wall that is one brick thick on the face, which is a single-skin or half-brick wall. The “half-brick” name refers to the wall thickness: it is 102.5mm thick, which is half the length of a brick.
One-brick (double-skin) walls
A one-brick wall is a full brick length thick (215mm) and is effectively two skins of brickwork. You are laying two bricks for every position in the wall face, so the rate doubles to 120 bricks per square metre.
| Wall type | Thickness | Bricks per m2 |
|---|---|---|
| Single-skin (half-brick) | 102.5mm | 60 |
| One-brick (double-skin) | 215mm | 120 |
These rates are the trade standard quoted by UK brick suppliers and merchants. They are face-area figures, so they apply whether the wall is 1m2 or 50m2.
How to estimate a wall step by step
Use this for any straight wall. The same method scales to a whole extension if you add the wall areas together.
1. Measure the wall area
Multiply the wall length by its height, both in metres, to get the area in square metres.
For example, a wall 6m long and 2.4m high is 6 x 2.4 = 14.4 m2.
2. Subtract openings
Measure each door and window, work out its area, and take it off the total. A door at 0.9m x 2.1m is 1.89 m2; a window at 1.2m x 1.2m is 1.44 m2. Subtract both and the net wall area is 14.4 - 1.89 - 1.44 = 11.07 m2.
3. Multiply by the bricks per m2 rate
For a single-skin wall, 11.07 m2 x 60 = 664 bricks. For a one-brick wall, 11.07 x 120 = 1,328 bricks.
4. Add wastage
Bricks get cut at reveals and corners, and some arrive or end up broken. Most suppliers recommend adding 5 to 10 percent for wastage. On the single-skin example, 664 bricks plus 5 percent is about 697, and plus 10 percent is about 730.
A sensible rule is 5 percent for a simple straight wall and closer to 10 percent if there are lots of cuts, returns, piers or detailing. Bricks are usually sold by the pack or per 1,000, so round up to the next full pack rather than ordering a precise count.
What changes the brick count
A few things shift the numbers above, so it is worth knowing them before you order.
- Joint thickness. The 60 and 120 rates assume 10mm joints. Thinner joints (say 6mm to 8mm) pack more bricks into the same area and push the count up slightly. Wider joints reduce it.
- Brick size. Imperial, handmade and some reclaimed bricks are not 65mm high, so they do not give exactly 60 per m2. Check the maker’s stated coverage if you are using anything other than a standard metric brick.
- Bond pattern. Stretcher bond is the assumption. Decorative bonds such as Flemish or English use headers as well as stretchers, which can change the count and almost always increases the cutting, so allow more wastage.
- Piers and returns. Corners, pillars and thickened sections use more bricks than the flat wall area suggests. Estimate them separately or lean towards the 10 percent wastage figure.
What bricks cost
Prices vary by region, supplier and brick type, so treat these as a guide and get a live quote from your merchant. As a rough 2026 picture, standard clay facing bricks are commonly quoted in the region of £650 to £850 per 1,000 (around 65p to 85p a brick) from trade merchants, with budget commons cheaper and premium, handmade or heritage bricks running well above £1,200 per 1,000. (Checkatrade, Imperial Bricks)
Remember you are also buying mortar. As a planning figure, allow roughly 0.6 bags of cement and around 0.05 to 0.06 m3 of building sand per square metre of single-skin brickwork at a standard 1:5 to 1:6 mix, though this depends on joint size and how full the joints are.
FAQ
How many bricks in a square metre of wall?
60 standard UK bricks per square metre for a single-skin (half-brick) wall, and 120 per square metre for a one-brick (double-skin) wall, both assuming 10mm mortar joints and stretcher bond.
How many bricks do I need for a wall?
Multiply the wall area in square metres by 60 (single-skin) or 120 (one-brick), subtract the area of any openings, then add 5 to 10 percent for wastage. For a worked answer that handles openings and wastage, use our brick calculator.
Why 60 and not exactly 59?
The exact figure is 59.3 bricks per m2. It is rounded up to 60 because you cannot buy part of a brick, and rounding down would leave you short.
How much wastage should I allow?
Add 5 percent for a simple straight wall and up to 10 percent where there are lots of cuts, corners, piers or decorative detailing.
Does the brick size affect the answer?
Yes. The 60 per m2 figure is for the standard 215 x 102.5 x 65mm metric brick. Imperial, handmade and reclaimed bricks have different heights, so check the supplier’s stated coverage.
Work out your exact quantity
The 60 and 120 rates get you a quick estimate, but a real wall has openings and needs a wastage margin. Enter your wall dimensions, take off the doors and windows, and get an exact brick count plus a mortar estimate with our brick calculator.