Masonry is estimated by wall area. Each brick or block, together with its share of the mortar joint, covers a fixed patch of wall face. Count the area, multiply by the units per area, add waste, and you have the core of the estimate. The rest of the job is everything that turns a pile of bricks into a finished wall: mortar, ties, lintels, damp protection, footings and access.
Measure the wall
Measure each wall's length and height and multiply. Measure the length along the centre of the wall for thick walls, so corners aren't counted twice. Subtract windows and doors larger than about 1 m²; smaller openings take nearly as many cut bricks as they save. Gable ends are triangles: ½ × width × height.
Counts per area
| Unit | Face size with joint | Per area |
|---|---|---|
| Standard brick 230 × 76 | 240 × 86 mm | 48.4 per m² (often quoted as 48–50) |
| Double-height brick 230 × 162 | 240 × 172 mm | 24.2 per m² |
| Modular brick 290 × 90 | 300 × 100 mm | 33.3 per m² |
| Block 390 × 190 | 400 × 200 mm | 12.5 per m² |
A double-thickness wall doubles the brick count. Brick veneer (one skin of brick tied to a timber or steel frame) needs about 48–50 bricks per square metre of wall. Double brick needs about 96–100.
Waste
Add 5% for new bricks and blocks on straightforward walls, and up to 10% for reclaimed bricks, lots of cutting, piers, arches or decorative bonds. Buy all the bricks for one job at the same time. Batches vary in colour, and a patch of slightly different bricks halfway up a wall stands out for good.
Mortar
A practical rule: for every 1,000 bricks in a 1:1:6 cement:lime:sand mix, allow about 0.6 m³ of brickies sand, 7 bags of 20 kg cement and 3 bags of hydrated lime. For every 100 blocks (190 mm), allow roughly 0.2 m³ of sand and 2–3 bags of cement. Real use is higher than geometry suggests, because of droppings, full beds and the mortar left on the board at the end of the day.
Choose the mix for the job: M3 (1:1:6) for most general brickwork, and the stronger M4 (about 1:0.5:4.5) where AS 3700 calls for it, such as below the damp-proof course, in damp ground or near the coast.
Don't forget
- Brick ties to the frame (brick veneer) or between the skins (double brick), spaced as AS 3700 and the tie maker require
- Lintels over every opening, with the right bearing at each end
- DPC, flashings over openings and weep holes
- Movement joints and fillers on long walls
- Sarking or wall wrap on the frame behind brick veneer
- Scaffolding or staging above about 1.5 m
- Footings, from the footing calculator
- Cleaning: brick cleaner and the labour to wash down
Productivity and labour
A bricklayer on plain work typically lays 300–500 bricks a day, with far fewer on face work with detailing, piers and openings. Block goes faster per square metre, but 190 mm blocks are heavy and slow things down. A labourer supporting each bricklayer is normal. The best rates are your own. Track bricks laid per day on every job and use the average.
A worked example
A garden wall 8 m long and 1.2 m high in standard brick, double brick: 9.6 m² × 96.8 = 929 bricks, plus 5% = 976. Mortar at 1:1:6: about 0.6 m³ of brickies sand, 7 bags of cement and 3 bags of lime. Add a footing, capping and a day of cleaning.
The brick and block calculators work out counts and mortar together, and the mortar calculator handles any number of units you already know.
Measuring from drawings
When you're pricing from plans, take wall lengths from the dimensions, not by scaling the drawing. Note the wall type for each run (single skin, cavity, block, feature brick), because each has a different count and labour rate. Work through openings systematically: list every door and window with its size, then total the deductions per wall. Use the same order every time so nothing gets skipped.
Pricing the work
Once you have quantities, a masonry price has four parts: the materials at your cost, the labour at a realistic rate per thousand bricks or per square metre, plant and access (mixer, scaffold, lifting), and the extras listed above. Keep cleaning and protection as separate lines. They're easy to forget, and clients understand them when they see them written down.
Checklist before you send the price
- Every wall measured and every opening deducted
- Waste added, and the brick type and colour confirmed with the client
- Mortar, ties, lintels and damp protection listed
- Footings priced or excluded in writing
- Scaffold, skip and clean-down included
This guide is general information for estimating. It is not engineering, legal or tax advice. Check the NCC, Australian Standards and your building surveyor or certifier for your project.