By the MassBid Estimation team · Reviewed by a senior estimator with 10+ years of experience · Published · Updated
In short
A masonry takeoff measures each wall's net area from the elevations and plans, with openings deducted, and converts it to units: 1.125 concrete blocks per square foot for standard 8 by 16 inch block, and about 6.86 modular bricks per square foot with a 3/8 inch joint. Mortar, grout, vertical bars, joint reinforcement, bond beams and lintels are then measured from the structural drawings, and a waste factor of about 5 to 10 percent is added before pricing.
- Concrete block
- 1.125 blocks per sq ft (8 × 16 in. face)
- Modular brick
- 6.86 bricks per sq ft with a 3/8 in. joint
- Brick formula
- 144 ÷ ((unit length + joint) × (unit height + joint))
- Mortar, rule of thumb
- About 3 bags of masonry cement per 100 blocks, 7 per 1,000 bricks
- Joint reinforcement
- 0.75 lin ft per sq ft of wall at 16 in. vertical spacing
- Waste
- Typically 5 to 10%
- CSI division
- 04 Masonry: 04 05 mortar and grout, 04 21 brick, 04 22 block
What a masonry takeoff measures
Masonry is drawn in two places. Brick shows up as a hatch on the elevations, with the brick type, bond and special courses in the legend. Block shows up as a line on the plans, with its height, grouting and reinforcing in the structural notes and wall sections. A takeoff reads both and measures:
- Brick veneer by brick type and bond, in square feet, net of openings.
- Special courses such as rowlocks, soldiers and stacked bond, in linear feet.
- Concrete block (CMU) walls by thickness and height, in square feet, converted to block counts.
- Grout for the grouted cells and bond beams, in cubic yards.
- Vertical bars in pounds, from their size and spacing, and horizontal joint reinforcement in linear feet.
- Bond beams, lintels, cast stone sills and headers, in linear feet.
- Brick ties and anchors, control joints, flashing and weeps.
- Scaffolding and hoisting where the walls are tall.
How to do a masonry takeoff, step by step
- Read the legend, the structural notes and the specification. Division 04 says which units, mortar type, grout strength and reinforcing apply. A wall measured before the notes are read is measured wrong.
- Measure each wall type separately. Every brick tag, bond and block thickness is its own line, because each has its own unit count and labor rate.
- Deduct openings, then add what the openings create. Windows, doors and storefronts come out of the area; lintels, sills and returns at those openings go in as their own lines.
- Convert area to units with the factor for the unit size, below.
- Measure grout and reinforcing from the spacing in the structural drawings, not from a rule of thumb.
- Add waste and keep heights separate. A wall at the fifth floor is laid more slowly than one at grade and needs scaffolding.
Bricks per square foot, by brick size
The number of bricks in a square foot of wall is 144 square inches divided by the face area of one brick plus its mortar joint: 144 ÷ ((length + joint) × (height + joint)). For a modular brick, 7-5/8 by 2-1/4 inches, with a 3/8 inch joint, that is 144 ÷ (8 × 2.625) = 6.86 bricks per square foot.
| Brick | Face size (length × height) | Bricks per sq ft | Per 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modular | 7-5/8 × 2-1/4 in. | 6.86 | 686 |
| Queen | 7-5/8 × 2-3/4 in. | 5.76 | 576 |
| Engineer modular | 7-5/8 × 2-13/16 in. | 5.65 | 565 |
| King | 9-5/8 × 2-5/8 in. | 4.80 | 480 |
| Norman | 11-5/8 × 2-1/4 in. | 4.57 | 457 |
| Closure modular | 7-5/8 × 3-5/8 in. | 4.50 | 450 |
| Utility | 11-5/8 × 3-5/8 in. | 3.00 | 300 |
Blocks per square foot, and why wall thickness does not change it
A standard concrete block has a nominal face of 8 by 16 inches, which includes the 3/8 inch joint. That is 128 square inches, or 0.889 square feet, so a square foot of wall takes 1.125 blocks. The face is the same for 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 inch block, so the count per square foot is the same; only the price, the weight and the grout per block change with the thickness.
| Wall area | Blocks | With 5% waste | With 10% waste |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 113 | 119 | 124 |
| 500 sq ft | 563 | 591 | 619 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 1,125 | 1,182 | 1,238 |
| 5,000 sq ft | 5,625 | 5,907 | 6,188 |
Corners, ends and bond beams use special units: corner and end blocks, bond beam blocks and lintel blocks. They are counted in linear feet or each from the plans and taken out of the plain block count.
Mortar, grout and reinforcing
| Item | How it is calculated | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Mortar | Rule of thumb: about 3 bags of masonry cement per 100 blocks and about 7 per 1,000 bricks, mixed with sand on site. Pre-blended mortar mix yields far fewer units per bag; use the bag's printed yield. | Bags or cu yd |
| Grout | Volume of one cell × number of grouted cells, plus bond beams. Fully grouted walls fill every cell; partially grouted walls fill only the cells with bars, at the spacing in the structural notes. | Cubic yards |
| Vertical bars | Number of bars (wall length ÷ spacing, plus one) × bar length including laps and dowels × weight per foot: #4 = 0.668 lb, #5 = 1.043 lb, #6 = 1.502 lb. | Pounds |
| Joint reinforcement | Wall length × number of reinforced courses. At every second course, 16 inches apart, that is 0.75 lin ft per sq ft of wall. | Linear feet |
| Bond beams and lintels | Measured along the wall from the plans and sections, each with its own grout and bars. | Linear feet |
Grout is where masonry estimates most often go wrong. A fully grouted 8 inch wall takes several times the grout of one grouted only at the bars, so the takeoff has to follow the structural drawings. Use the cell volume published by the block manufacturer for the unit specified.
Masonry quantity calculator
Enter a wall to get the net area, the brick or block count, an order quantity with waste, an approximate mortar quantity and, for block, the joint reinforcement. It is meant for checking a takeoff or pricing a single wall; a building needs every wall type measured from the drawings.
Masonry quantity calculator
- Net wall area
- 800 sq ft
- Blocks, before waste
- 900
- Blocks to order
- 945 (with 5% waste)
- Masonry cement, approx.
- 29 bags
- Joint reinforcement at 16 in.
- 600 lin ft
Units per square foot assume a 3/8 in. mortar joint. Mortar uses the rule of thumb of about 3 bags of masonry cement per 100 blocks or 7 per 1,000 bricks, mixed with sand on site; pre-blended mortar mix yields far fewer units per bag, so use the yield printed on the bag. Grout, bars, bond beams and lintels come from the structural drawings and are not included.
A real masonry estimate, line by line
This is a masonry estimate we prepared for an outdoor structure in Ohio: two 8 inch reinforced CMU stem walls, with block, joint reinforcement, #5 vertical bars at 16 inches, grout and 2 inch rigid insulation on separate lines. The full page is on the samples page.
| Item | Stem wall 1 (63 lin ft) | Stem wall 2 (87 lin ft) |
|---|---|---|
| Wall area | 169 sq ft | 406 sq ft |
| Area with 10% waste | 186 sq ft | 447 sq ft |
| 8 × 8 × 16 in. block (× 1.125) | 209 blocks | 502 blocks |
| #5 vertical bars at 16 in. | 133 lb | 319 lb |
| Grout, cells at the bars | 1.10 cu yd | 2.64 cu yd |
| 2 in. rigid insulation | 169 sq ft | 406 sq ft |
The block wall was priced at $14.25 per square foot, $9.60 of labor and $4.65 of material, with grout at $270 per cubic yard in place. Masonry came to $14,383; with $6,800 of general requirements the trade cost was $21,183, and after overhead and profit of 18%, insurance of 3%, contingency of 5% and tax the suggested bid was $27,092.
On a larger brick-and-block building in New York, brick veneer worked out at about $34.60 per square foot in place and 8 inch reinforced block at about $20.90, with labor about three quarters of the direct cost. The line items are on the masonry estimating page.
Common masonry takeoff mistakes
- Pricing gross wall area without deducting windows, doors and storefronts.
- Pricing two brick types, or several bonds, as one brick.
- Leaving out grout and bars in reinforced CMU, or grouting every cell when the notes grout only at the bars.
- Missing return walls and parapets that only the wall sections show.
- Counting a shaft or stair wall once instead of floor by floor.
- Forgetting lintels, ties, control joints and flashing at openings.
- Pricing a tall wall at the ground-level labor rate, with no scaffolding or hoisting.
Getting a masonry takeoff done for you
We prepare masonry takeoffs and estimates for masonry contractors, general contractors and suppliers in every state, including Utah and Arizona, usually in 24 to 48 hours, with marked-up elevations and an editable Excel workbook. Send the drawings for a free quote.
Common questions
About 6.86 standard modular bricks (7-5/8 by 2-1/4 inches) with a 3/8 inch joint, before waste. Larger units need fewer: about 4.57 Norman bricks and 3.0 utility bricks per square foot.
1.125 standard 8 by 16 inch blocks, before waste, whatever the wall thickness. A 1,000 square foot wall takes 1,125 blocks, or about 1,182 with 5 percent waste.
As a rule of thumb, about 3 bags of masonry cement per 100 blocks, mixed with sand on site. Pre-blended mortar mix with the sand already in it yields far fewer blocks per bag, so use the yield printed on the bag.
Multiply the volume of one cell by the number of grouted cells, add the bond beams, and convert to cubic yards. Fully grouted walls fill every cell; partially grouted walls fill only the cells with bars, at the spacing in the structural drawings.
At every second course, 16 inches apart vertically, it is 0.75 linear feet per square foot of wall. At every course it is 1.5.
Typically 5 to 10 percent, more on walls with many openings, corners or cuts. The Ohio estimate in this guide used 10 percent.
Yes. This guide works through a real block wall estimate line by line, and the samples page has the full page with general requirements, markups and the suggested bid.
Division 04 Masonry. Mortar and grout are 04 05, clay unit masonry (brick) 04 21, concrete unit masonry (block) 04 22 and cast stone 04 72.