Brick, Block & Mortar Material Takeoff Calculator

Check masonry units and mortar together

Wall area alone does not describe a complete material order for a garden wall or non-loadbearing partition.
Actual unit dimensions, mortar joints and the number of parallel wythes affect unit quantities.
Even a correct brick order can leave a mortar shortage if the assumed bag yield belongs to a different product or application.

This calculator reviews quantities for an approved wall detail.
It subtracts openings, estimates units from repeating modules that include joints, then applies your waste allowance and pack size.
Mortar joint volume is calculated separately and converted to whole bags using the mixed yield you enter.
Save the takeoff and compare it with the contractor and supplier before ordering.
The same metric formulas power both language versions; KRW and USD are alternative quote currencies with no exchange conversion.

Prepare the drawing and product information

The initial dimensions and example buttons do not recommend a product or specify a national standard size.
A fence contractor’s price per metre also differs from the price per individual masonry unit requested here.
If product data is incomplete, review the theoretical quantities and joint volume first and add yield and prices later.

Enter openings and reconcile wall thickness

1. Enter length and height, then increase the copy count for identical walls.
   Use separate rows when dimensions differ so the takeoff stays easy to reconcile with the drawing.
   
2. Add all door, window and overlap deductions for the entire row.
   For two identical walls, enter the combined deduction for both walls once.
   The deduction is not multiplied by the copy count again.
   
3. Choose a stretcher face, header face or hollow face-shell model, the number of parallel wythes and any fully filled collar joint.
   One wythe has no collar joint.
   Hollow blocks support one wythe only.
   
4. Enter drawing thickness for a consistency check.
   Thickness = wythes × unit depth + (wythes − 1) × collar thickness.
   Unit depth is width for stretcher faces and length for header faces.
   

The collar input represents a continuous mortar-filled joint between wythes.
It cannot represent an air cavity or insulation.
Mixed header/stretcher courses, traditional mixed 1B or 1.5B bonds, corner bonding and special units are outside this simple model.
If the approved detail does not match, obtain a separate takeoff rather than adjusting dimensions just to remove the error.

Convert modules into a unit order

The wall table reports continuous columns and courses before opening deductions.
These values may be fractional and are not counts of whole laid units or cutting pieces.
Opening positions, bond offsets, corner connections and reuse of offcuts change the detailed layout.
Multiplying rounded columns by rounded courses is not a verified installation plan.

Solid units and hollow blocks need different mortar models

Subtracting only the concrete material inside a hollow unit from the wall envelope would count the empty cores as mortar.
Core grout is a separate material item.
Grouted proportions, reinforcement, bond beams, lintels and other special units need their own approved details.
Tapered shells, actual contact depth, leakage and uneven bedding can also change site consumption.
This simplified geometry is a quantity review, not a guarantee of construction yield.

Interpret mixed mortar yield and bag quantities

Target mixed mortar L = joint volume m³ × 1,000 × (1 + mortar waste percent ÷ 100).
Bags = ceil(target L ÷ product yield L/bag).
Bag surplus = bags × yield − target L.
Unit waste and mortar waste are independent assumptions entered by you.
The calculator does not prescribe a statutory or universally suitable waste percentage.

A changed waste allowance can reduce the remaining volume without changing the whole bag count.
A small increase across a bag boundary can instead require one more bag.
Reported surplus is a comparison based on stated yield, not a measurement of reusable leftover mortar or a promise that unused material can be returned.

Worked brick order and material cost example

These are synthetic verification inputs.
A 4 m × 2.1 m wall has 8.4 m² of gross area; deducting 0.36 m² gives 8.04 m² net.
Use a 190 × 90 × 57 mm unit, 10 mm head and bed joints, and a single 90 mm wythe.

With two parallel wythes and a fully filled 10 mm collar, total thickness becomes 190 mm and theoretical quantity becomes 1,200 units.
Joint volume is twice the single-wythe amount plus 0.0804 m³ for the collar, giving 0.35796 m³.
Simply doubling the original mortar estimate would omit that filled joint.

Hollow block example and scope limits

Consider a 4 m × 2 m wall with no deductions, a 390 × 190 × 190 mm block, 10 mm joints and one 30 mm shell on each side.
Wall thickness is 190 mm and theoretical quantity is 100 units.
With face-shell bedding and no waste allowance, joint mortar is 35.4 L.
A hypothetical 20 L/bag yield gives 2 bags and 4.6 L of surplus.

Treating the same block as a solid rectangular unit instead gives 112.1 L, which describes a different bedding condition.
If the actual shells taper or contact depths differ, confirm the input with the supplier.
The calculator does not check wall stability, permissible height, footings, wind loads or seismic performance.
An accepted input and a successful arithmetic result do not constitute construction approval.

Three practical ways to use the takeoff

Frequently asked questions