This brick calculator works out how many bricks your wall needs from its length and height, using 48.5 bricks per m² for a single skin of standard bricks. It also gives the premix mortar bags or sand, and what a bricklayer charges per square metre or per 1,000 bricks in your city.
Enter the wall size, or tap a common wall to start.
Your measurements
Estimated cost, Australia
$990 to $2,160 typical $1,440
Your numbers
- Wall area
- 18 m²
- Bricks to order (with 3% extra)
- 900
- Premix mortar, 20 kg bags
- 33 to 45
- Or bricklaying sand, if mixing your own
- 0.54 m³
| Price row | Quantity | Rate | Low to high |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklaying (per sqm, standard) | 18 m² | $55 to $120 per m² | $990 to $2,160 |
Approvals and licences
Pick your city above to see the approval and licence rules in your state for this job.
Rates are the low, typical and high figures in our bricklaying price guide, prices verified October 2026. An estimate only: get quotes to price your job.
Type the total on your quote to see how it compares with this estimate.
This job in 15 cities: typical $1,296 in Hobart to $1,656 in Sydney
| City | Low to high | Typical |
|---|---|---|
| Hobart | $900 to $1,980 | $1,296 |
| Adelaide | $918 to $1,980 | $1,332 |
| Geelong | $918 to $1,980 | $1,332 |
| Newcastle | $936 to $2,070 | $1,368 |
| Gold Coast | $972 to $2,160 | $1,404 |
| Sunshine Coast | $954 to $2,070 | $1,404 |
| Brisbane | $990 to $2,160 | $1,440 |
| Darwin | $990 to $2,160 | $1,440 |
| Byron Bay | $1,044 to $2,250 | $1,512 |
| Melbourne | $1,044 to $2,250 | $1,512 |
| Perth | $1,044 to $2,250 | $1,512 |
| Townsville | $1,062 to $2,340 | $1,548 |
| Wollongong | $1,062 to $2,340 | $1,548 |
| Canberra | $1,098 to $2,340 | $1,584 |
| Sydney | $1,134 to $2,520 | $1,656 |
Each city is priced from the rows in its own guide, cheapest typical figure first.
Bricks per m2: how many bricks in a square metre
Midland Brick's technical manual gives approximately 48.5 standard bricks (230 × 110 × 76 mm) per square metre of single-skin wall, so a double-brick wall needs twice that, 97 per m². Littlehampton Bricks suggests ordering 3% extra for wastage, which the calculator adds.
| Wall | Bricks to order | Bricklayer cost |
|---|---|---|
| Garden wall, 6 m × 0.9 m | 270 | $297 to $648 |
| Boundary wall, 20 m × 1.8 m | 1,799 | $1,980 to $4,320 |
| Planter box wall, 4 m × 0.6 m | 120 | $132 to $288 |
How the calculation works
Bricks. Midland Brick puts a standard 230 x 110 x 76 mm brick at 48.5 bricks per square metre of wall, approximately, and Littlehampton Bricks and Pavers says to add 3% extra for wastage. A double brick wall has two skins, so it takes twice the bricks. The example 10 m × 1.8 m wall is 18 m²: 900 bricks.
Mortar. Cement Australia says a 20 kg bag of its Mortar Mix lays 20 house bricks, and Cockburn Cement's estimator allows 28 bricks per 20 kg bag, so the calculator gives the range. If you mix your own, Cockburn bases its figures on approximately 0.6 cubic metres of damp bricklaying sand for about 1,000 standard bricks.
Cost is the brickwork area multiplied by the per-square-metre row for the job you pick, or the bricks divided by 1,000 multiplied by the labour rate per 1,000 bricks.
Source for the figures that are not prices: Midland Brick (standard bricks per square metre of wall); Littlehampton Bricks and Pavers (the extra to order for wastage); Cement Australia (bricks laid per 20 kg bag of premix mortar); Cockburn Cement (bricks laid per 20 kg bag of premix mortar and cubic metres of bricklaying sand per 1,000 bricks), checked October 2026.
Bricks and mortar for common walls
Single skin, 48.5 bricks per square metre plus 3%.
| Wall | Bricks to order | 20 kg mortar bags |
|---|---|---|
| 3 m × 1.2 m | 180 | 7 to 9 |
| 5 m × 1.2 m | 300 | 11 to 15 |
| 10 m × 1.8 m | 900 | 33 to 45 |
| 20 m × 1.8 m | 1,799 | 65 to 90 |
| 10 m × 2.4 m | 1,199 | 43 to 60 |
Bricklaying rates the calculator uses
These are the national figures from our bricklaying price guide. Pick a city in the calculator and it switches to the same rows from that city's guide.
| Price row | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklaying (per sqm, standard) | $55 | $80 | $120 per m² |
| Garden feature wall, installed (per sqm) | $80 | $140 | $220 per m² |
| Brick retaining wall, installed (per sqm) | $250 | $450 | $650 per m² |
| Brick veneer (new home, per sqm) | $50 | $70 | $100 per m² |
| Bricklaying (per 1,000 bricks, labour) | $1,000 | $1,600 | $2,200 per 1000 bricks |
Bricklaying prices by city
SydneyMelbourneBrisbanePerthAdelaideGold CoastCanberraHobartDarwinNewcastleGeelongSunshine CoastTownsvilleWollongongByron Bay
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks are there per square metre?
Midland Brick puts it at 48.5 standard bricks per square metre of wall, approximately. Littlehampton Bricks and Pavers says that with a 10 mm mortar joint and 3% extra for wastage you should order 50 per square metre.
How many bricks in a double brick wall?
Twice as many as one skin: about 97 per square metre of wall before wastage. The example 10 m × 1.8 m wall needs 1,799 bricks as double brick.
How much mortar do I need for 1,000 bricks?
Cement Australia says a 20 kg bag of Mortar Mix lays 20 bricks and Cockburn Cement allows 28, so 1,000 bricks takes about 36 to 50 bags. Mixing your own, Cockburn bases its figures on approximately 0.6 cubic metres of damp bricklaying sand per 1,000 bricks.
How much does bricklaying cost per square metre?
Our national bricklaying guide puts standard bricklaying at $55 to $120 per square metre, with $80 typical. A garden feature wall is $80 to $220 and a brick retaining wall $250 to $650 per square metre.
How much do bricklayers charge per 1,000 bricks?
Our national guide lists bricklaying labour at $1,000 to $2,200 per 1,000 bricks, with $1,600 typical. Bricks and mortar are extra.
How many bricks per m2 for a double brick wall?
About 97 standard bricks per square metre: 48.5 for each skin, from Midland Brick's figure. Order 3% extra for breakages.
An estimate is a starting point. Get quotes from local bricklaying businesses to price your job.
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