How Many Bricks in 1 Sq Ft and 1 m³ (With Table)
How many bricks in 1 sq ft and 1 m³? With the common non-modular brick (230 × 115 × 75 mm) and 10 mm mortar joints, a 9-inch (one-brick) wall needs about 9 bricks per sq ft of wall face, and a 4.5-inch (half-brick) wall about 4.5–5 bricks per sq ft. One cubic metre of brickwork needs about 390–400 bricks of this size, or 500 modular bricks (190 × 90 × 90 mm). Add about 5% for breakage and cutting.
Brick counts are needed for ordering, checking a supplier’s bill and estimating a wall’s cost. The numbers depend on the brick size and the mortar joint, which is why different sources quote different figures. This guide shows the quick answers in a table, explains how they are worked out, and adds the mortar you need with them.
Last updated: 25 October 2026
Bricks per sq ft, m² and m³: quick table
| Measure | Non-modular brick (230 × 115 × 75 mm) | Modular brick (190 × 90 × 90 mm) |
|---|---|---|
| Per m³ of brickwork | About 392 | 500 |
| Per cubic foot of brickwork | About 11 | About 14 |
| Half-brick wall, per m² of face | About 49 | 50 |
| Half-brick wall, per sq ft of face | About 4.5–5 | About 4.6 |
| One-brick wall, per m² of face | About 98 | 100 |
| One-brick wall, per sq ft of face | About 9 | About 9.3 |
| One-brick wall, per 100 sq ft | About 910 | About 930 |
All figures assume 10 mm joints and no openings, and exclude wastage. Add about 5% for breakage and cut bricks; more if bricks are of poor quality or carried a long way.
A half-brick wall is the thin partition, about 115 mm (4.5 inches) with non-modular bricks. A one-brick wall is the standard external wall, about 230 mm (9 inches).
How the numbers are worked out
Per cubic metre
Each brick, with half a joint on every side, takes up one “unit cell”. For a 230 × 115 × 75 mm brick with 10 mm joints, that cell is 240 × 125 × 85 mm = 0.00255 m³. So 1 ÷ 0.00255 ≈ 392 bricks per m³. For the modular brick, the cell is 200 × 100 × 100 mm = 0.002 m³, so exactly 500 per m³.
Per square foot of wall face
Count by face area. One non-modular brick, laid as a stretcher with its joint, covers 240 × 85 mm = 0.0204 m² of face. So a half-brick wall needs 1 ÷ 0.0204 ≈ 49 bricks per m², and since 1 sq ft is 0.0929 m², about 4.5 bricks per sq ft. A one-brick wall is two bricks thick, so about 98 per m², or 9 per sq ft.
Example: a 10 ft × 10 ft room wall
A one-brick wall 10 ft long and 10 ft high has 100 sq ft of face. With a 3 × 4 ft window (12 sq ft), the net area is 88 sq ft. Bricks = 88 × 9 ≈ 792, plus 5% wastage ≈ 830 bricks. Remember to deduct doors and windows, and the RCC columns, beams and lintels in a framed house.
Mortar needed per m³ of brickwork
Roughly 22–25% of brickwork volume is mortar. For non-modular bricks:
- Wet mortar ≈ 1 − (392 × 0.230 × 0.115 × 0.075) ≈ 0.22 m³ per m³ of brickwork.
- Dry volume ≈ 0.22 × 1.33 ≈ 0.30 m³ (allowing for voids and bulking).
| Mortar mix (cement : sand) | Cement per m³ of brickwork | Sand per m³ of brickwork |
|---|---|---|
| 1:6 (common for walls) | About 61 kg (≈ 1.2 bags) | About 0.25 m³ (≈ 9 cft) |
| 1:4 (richer, for thin or exposed walls) | About 85 kg (≈ 1.7 bags) | About 0.24 m³ (≈ 8.3 cft) |
Bricks with frogs (the hollow on top) laid frog-up use more mortar; add about 10–15% for that and wastage. The brick quantity calculator does all of this for a wall you enter, and the cement-sand calculator works out mortar for any mix.
Per sq ft of wall vs per sq ft of house
These are two different numbers. The figures above are per square foot of wall face. Whole-house thumb rules, such as about 8 bricks per sq ft of built-up area for a house with brick walls, spread all the walls over the floor area; see cement, sand and steel for a 1000 sq ft house. Use the wall-face figures when you have measured the walls.
What changes the count
- Brick size: local bricks vary from kiln to kiln. Measure a few and recalculate if they differ much from the standard sizes.
- Joint thickness: thicker joints mean fewer bricks and more mortar.
- Openings and RCC members: deduct doors, windows, columns, beams and lintels.
- Bond and wall thickness: a 13.5-inch (one-and-a-half-brick) wall needs about 1.5 times the one-brick figure.
- Other walling: fly ash bricks and AAC blocks have different sizes; see fly ash bricks and AAC blocks vs red bricks.
Hindi terms used on site
A brick is ईंट (eent), brickwork is चिनाई (chinai), and mortar is मसाला (masala). A 9-inch wall is called “nau inch ki deewar” and a 4.5-inch wall “saadhe chaar inch ki deewar”. Bricks are often sold by the thousand (“hazaar”).
FAQ
How many bricks are in 1 sq ft of a 9-inch wall?
About 9 bricks of 230 × 115 × 75 mm with 10 mm joints, before wastage.
How many bricks are in 1 sq ft of a 4.5-inch wall?
About 4.5 to 5 bricks.
How many bricks are in 1 cubic metre?
About 392 non-modular bricks (230 × 115 × 75 mm) or 500 modular bricks (190 × 90 × 90 mm) with 10 mm joints.
How many bricks are in 1 cubic foot?
About 11 non-modular bricks or 14 modular bricks.
How much cement is needed for 1 m³ of brickwork?
About 1.2 bags of cement in 1:6 mortar, or about 1.7 bags in 1:4 mortar, plus extra for frogs and wastage.
Related guides: Brick quantity calculator · Materials for a 1000 sq ft house · AAC blocks vs red bricks · Plaster quantity calculator · All construction guides
Disclaimer: Educational only. Quantities are approximate and depend on actual brick sizes, joints and design. Use measured drawings and allow for wastage when ordering. Disclaimer
Tanmay Arora, is an Architect with an experience of 13+ years. He is a Management Grad with a post Graduate Diploma in Building Construction and Materials. Tanmay has worked with renowned firms. He has graduated in Bachelor of Architecture. His deep interest in Architecture and Civil Engineering and his experience has made him one of the best architects a client can think of.
