Masonry calculators
Masonry calculators for block, brick, mortar, and retaining walls.
Estimate wall units, openings, mortar, cap blocks, base gravel, and planning cost before buying block or comparing a masonry quote.
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Quick answers
Block vs brick for the same 100 sq ft wall
The same 25 ft x 4 ft wall with no openings, estimated by each calculator with its default 5% waste. Brick takes about six times as many units as block, and more mortar, because every unit is smaller.
| Wall unit | Units | Mortar |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete block (8x8x16 CMU) About 1.125 blocks per sq ft with 3/8 in joints. | 119 blocks | 4 bags |
| Modular brick About 7 bricks per sq ft with 3/8 in joints. | 735 bricks | 6 bags |
Retaining wall example
A 25 ft long, 3 ft high segmental wall with 12 x 6 in blocks is 6 courses of 25 blocks: about 158 wall blocks, 25 caps, and 0.6 tons of base gravel. Walls over about 4 ft usually need engineering — check locally.
Retaining wall calculatorMethod
Masonry estimates start with wall area, then subtract openings
Wall area
length ft x height ft - openings
Units
ceil(adjusted area / unit coverage)
Mortar and base
round up bags, base gravel, and cap pieces separately
Sources
- QUIKRETE masonry mortar data — mortar product and yield reference context
- Mutual Materials retaining wall guidance — retaining wall block and base planning context
- The Home Depot brick project guide — brick wall planning and material context
Sources checked
Checked against
Bag yields checked against Quikrete and Sakrete product specs; price ranges against published concrete cost guides.
How we check our numbersLast updated: October 4, 2026
FAQ
Masonry calculator questions
Quick answers for block, brick, mortar, openings, and retaining wall materials.
How many blocks or bricks do I need for 100 square feet of wall? + -
A 100 sq ft wall takes about 119 standard 8x8x16 concrete blocks or about 735 modular bricks, each including a 5% waste allowance. Block needs roughly 4 bags of mortar and brick roughly 6.
Why is concrete block under masonry? + -
Concrete block walls are masonry work. The calculator estimates CMU blocks, mortar, wall area, openings, and material cost.
What is different between brick and block estimating? + -
Brick estimating is usually based on bricks per square foot, while block estimating counts larger CMU units and mortar bags after openings are removed.
Do retaining walls need base gravel? + -
Most segmental retaining wall projects need a compacted base layer and often drainage aggregate. Verify wall height and engineering requirements locally.