Order too few bricks and work stops while you wait for the next truck. Order too many and you are left with a pile in the corner of the plot that nobody wants to pay for. A reasonable estimate before you place the order saves both money and time.

You do not need special software for this. A measuring tape, a calculator and the method below will get you a figure that is close enough to plan with. We will work through a real example so you can follow each step.

Step 1: Know your brick size

Everything depends on the size of the brick you are using. In North India, two sizes are common:

• Traditional brick: about 230 x 110 x 75 mm (roughly 9 x 4.5 x 3 inches).
• Modular brick: 190 x 90 x 90 mm, as per the Indian Standard.

Check the actual size with your supplier or measure a few bricks yourself. Even a few millimetres of difference adds up over thousands of bricks.

Step 2: Add the mortar joint

Bricks are not laid touching each other. There is a mortar joint, usually around 10 mm, on the bed and the vertical sides. So for estimating, we use the brick size plus the joint, called the nominal size.

• Traditional brick with 10 mm joints: 240 x 120 x 85 mm.
• Modular brick with 10 mm joints: 200 x 100 x 100 mm.

Step 3: Find bricks per cubic metre

Divide one cubic metre by the volume of one brick with mortar.

Traditional brick: 0.24 x 0.12 x 0.085 = 0.002448 cubic metres. So 1 / 0.002448 = about 408 bricks per cubic metre.

Modular brick: 0.20 x 0.10 x 0.10 = 0.002 cubic metres. So 1 / 0.002 = 500 bricks per cubic metre.

Keep these two numbers handy. They are the backbone of the whole estimate.

Step 4: Measure the walls

Now take the room. For our example, imagine a room with these inside dimensions:

• Length: 3.5 m
• Width: 3.0 m
• Wall height: 3.0 m
• Wall thickness: 230 mm (full brick, 9 inch wall)
• One door: 1.0 m x 2.1 m
• Two windows: 1.2 m x 1.2 m each

For a more accurate figure, measure along the centre line of the walls rather than the inside face, because the corners of a thick wall add brickwork. To keep this example simple, we will use the room perimeter: 2 x (3.5 + 3.0) = 13 m.

Step 5: Work out the wall area

Gross wall area = perimeter x height = 13 x 3.0 = 39 square metres.

Step 6: Deduct openings

Doors and windows are not built in brick, so take them out.

• Door: 1.0 x 2.1 = 2.1 square metres
• Windows: 2 x (1.2 x 1.2) = 2.88 square metres
• Total openings: 4.98 square metres

Net wall area = 39 – 4.98 = 34.02 square metres.

If there are RCC columns, beams or lintels within the wall, deduct their area as well. On framed buildings this can make a noticeable difference.

Step 7: Convert to volume

Volume of brickwork = net area x wall thickness = 34.02 x 0.23 = about 7.82 cubic metres.

Step 8: Calculate the number of bricks

Using traditional bricks: 7.82 x 408 = about 3,190 bricks.

If you were using modular bricks in a 200 mm wall, you would recalculate the volume with 0.20 m thickness and multiply by 500.

Step 9: Add wastage

Bricks break during unloading, handling and cutting at corners and openings. Add a wastage allowance, usually 5 percent for careful sites and up to 10 percent where handling is rough or there is a lot of cutting.

With 5 percent: 3,190 x 1.05 = about 3,350 bricks.

That is the number you would order for this room, rounded off.

A shortcut by area

For quick planning, many people use a per-square-metre figure instead of going through volume each time. Working it out from the numbers above:

• A 230 mm wall with traditional bricks needs roughly 94 bricks per square metre (0.23 x 408).
• A 115 mm half-brick wall needs roughly 47 bricks per square metre.

Multiply your net wall area by the right figure and add wastage. It is quick and good enough for an early budget.

Do not forget the mortar

Mortar takes up a fair share of the wall volume. As a thumb rule, wet mortar for brickwork is about 25 to 30 percent of the brickwork volume, and dry materials need to be bumped up further to account for voids and bulking. Your mason or engineer will work out the cement and sand for your chosen mix, but keep it in mind when budgeting.

Common mistakes in brick estimation

• Forgetting to deduct doors, windows, columns and beams.
• Using brick size without adding the mortar joint, which overestimates the count.
• Mixing up half-brick and full-brick walls in the same calculation.
• Skipping wastage and running short at the end.
• Measuring the inside face of thick walls and missing the corner brickwork.
• Assuming all bricks are the same size across suppliers.

Related reading: you may also find our guides on how many bricks you need for a full house and standard brick sizes in India useful.

Quick summary

Find your brick size, add the joint, work out bricks per cubic metre, measure the walls, deduct openings, convert to volume, multiply and add wastage. For a 3.5 x 3 m room with 3 m high, 9 inch walls, a door and two windows, that comes to around 3,350 traditional bricks. Use this as your planning figure and confirm with your contractor before ordering.

Order the Right Quantity from Mahaluxmi Bricks

Once you have your estimate, the next step is finding a supplier who delivers consistent bricks on time. Mahaluxmi Bricks is a trusted brick manufacturer in Punjab, located in Dera Bassi, supplying machine-made red bricks of uniform size for houses, boundary walls and commercial buildings. Uniform size means your estimate holds true on site. Whether you need a few thousand bricks for a single room or bulk supply for a full project, our team can help with rates and delivery.

Check our bricks and get a quote at Mahaluxmi Bricks – Bricks Supplier in Punjab.