A 9 inch brick wall needs about 9.1 bricks per sq ft of wall face with standard 9 x 4.5 x 3 inch bricks and 3/8 inch mortar joints, before wastage. A 4.5 inch wall needs half that, about 4.6, and a 13.5 inch wall about 13.7. So a wall 20 ft long and 10 ft high, 9 inch thick, takes about 1,912 bricks with 5% wastage.
Enter the wall size and thickness, and the doors and windows to leave out. The calculator also gives the cement and sand for the mortar and the cost at your brick, cement and sand rates.
Bricks per 100 sq ft of wall
Standard 9 x 4.5 x 3 inch bricks, 3/8 inch joints.
| Wall | Bricks (no wastage) | With 5% wastage | Mortar mix | Cement bags | Sand (cft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 inch | 456 | 478 | 1:4 | 1.2 | 5.9 |
| 9 inch | 911 | 956 | 1:6 | 2.2 | 16.1 |
| 13.5 inch | 1,366 | 1,434 | 1:6 | 3.5 | 25.9 |
Mortar for a half brick (4.5 inch) wall is usually richer, 1:4, because the wall is thin. One brick (9 inch) walls are commonly laid in 1:6. Follow your engineer's drawings where they say otherwise.
How to calculate bricks for a wall
Walls are built in whole brick widths: a 4.5 inch wall is one brick wide, a 9 inch wall is two and a 13.5 inch wall is three. The working is:
- Face area of the wall: length x height, less doors and windows. A 20 x 10 ft wall is 200 sq ft.
- Face of one brick with its joint: (9 + 0.375) x (3 + 0.375) = 31.64 sq in.
- Bricks in one layer: 200 x 144 / 31.64 = 910.2.
- Number of layers: 2 for a 9 inch wall, so 1,820.4 bricks.
- Wastage: add 5% for broken and cut bricks, giving 1,912 bricks.
For the mortar, take the wall's volume and subtract the bricks. The wall is 9.375 inch thick with the middle joint, so 200 x 9.375 / 12 = 156.25 cft. The bricks fill 1,820.4 x 121.5 / 1,728 = 128 cft, leaving 28.25 cft of wet mortar. Dry materials take up about a third more space, so multiply by 1.33 to get 37.57 cft. In a 1:6 mix, cement is one seventh: 5.37 cft, or 4.4 bags at 1.226 cft a bag. Sand is six sevenths: 32.2 cft.
Brick size in Pakistan
The standard size is 9 x 4.5 x 3 inches. In practice many kilns make bricks a little smaller, around 8.75 x 4.25 x 2.75 inches, and the size varies from kiln to kiln. Smaller bricks mean more bricks for the same wall.
With 8.75 x 4.25 x 2.75 inch bricks, a 9 inch wall needs about 10.1 bricks per sq ft instead of 9.1, which is 13.7 bricks per cft of wall. That is where the common builders' rule of "13.5 bricks per cft" comes from. Measure three or four bricks from your supplier and enter the average under "Brick size, joint and wastage" for a count that matches your bricks.
Bricks rate in Pakistan, September 2026
Kiln rates in Lahore on 25 September 2026, per 1,000 bricks:
| Class | Rate per 1,000 |
|---|---|
| Awwal (A class, first class) | Rs 19,000 to Rs 22,000 |
| A minus | Rs 16,000 to Rs 20,000 |
| Doem (second class) | Rs 12,000 to Rs 14,000 |
| Khangar (over burnt) | Rs 9,000 to Rs 12,000 |
Transport to site is often extra and depends on distance. Rates change with coal prices and the season, and kilns in smog months may be shut, which pushes prices up. The calculator starts at Rs 20,000; type your own quote.
Brick questions
How many bricks are in 1 sq ft of a 9 inch wall?
About 9.1 standard bricks (9 x 4.5 x 3 inch) with 3/8 inch joints, or 9.6 with 5% wastage. With the slightly smaller bricks many kilns sell, it is about 10 to 10.6. A 4.5 inch wall needs half as many.
How many bricks are in 1,000 sq ft of 9 inch wall?
About 9,103 bricks before wastage and 9,558 with 5% wastage, using standard bricks and 3/8 inch joints. For a whole house, the builders' rule is about 20 bricks per sq ft of covered area, which the house construction cost calculator uses.
How much cement is needed for 1,000 bricks?
In a 9 inch wall laid in 1:6 mortar, about 2.4 bags of cement and 17.7 cft of sand per 1,000 bricks. A richer 1:4 mix needs about 3.4 bags. Plastering the wall afterwards needs more cement on top.
What is the price of 1,000 bricks in Pakistan today?
In Lahore on 25 September 2026, first class (awwal) bricks cost Rs 19,000 to Rs 22,000 per 1,000 at the kiln, and second class Rs 12,000 to Rs 14,000. Prices differ by city and season, so ask two or three kilns near your site.
How much wastage should I add for bricks?
5% is usual for careful work with good bricks. Use 7% to 10% where bricks are handled several times, cut a lot around openings, or are of mixed quality. Broken bricks are often used for soling or filling, so little is lost.
Last reviewed 30 September 2026. Results are estimates; official notices always take precedence.