Brick masonry is an art. A wall built by an experienced mason is a beauty in itself. Brick wall are strong and very durable. There are many types of brick masonry, but because that topic is vast enough to be a whole blog topic, this blog will enlighten you about how to calculate bricks or other blocks that you might use for constructions. And the basics that one engineer must know while calculating the quantity of materials and building a wall.
Brick masonry is an art. A wall built by an experienced mason is a beauty in itself.
Burnt Bricks
Burnt bricks are the most commonly used construction material and are made in many different ways and in many different sizes. Most books that I have referred to say that 500 brunt bricks would go into 1 cubic meter of wall, but from my experience the size of brick that is locally available around my area would require around 722 bricks. That is a difference of around 31%. That difference, if not accounted for would blow your construction budget after you commence your construction and no engineer would really want to admit to his client that he could not count the number of bricks needed. So I say, always measure the products that you want to used before starting you estimation and quantity analysis.
Below I am writing down the method in which I have calculated the quantities in the table.
Volume of brick (V )= w x d x h
Volume of brick with mortar (Vm) = wm x dm x hm
Bricks needed for 1 cubic meter = 1/Vm = Num
(Note: Brunt bricks and cement blocks require mortar 1.5 to 2 cm thick in practise and AAC blocks required adhesive around 3mm to 4mm)
To find the volume of mortar
Volume of brick in 1 cubic meter = Num x V
Volume of mortar = 1-(NxV)
In practice add 10% for wastage and always convert wet mortar volume to dry mortar volume. The reason and calculations for which you will find in my blog Wet and Dry concrete.
Brick Calculation Table
Always soak your bricks in water before you use them for construction. Brick absorbs water when dry, and when mortar is placed on dry brick the water in the mortar is absorbed by the brick and there would not be enough water for the hydration of cement, thus giving weak substandard mortar which will affect the strength and quality of your work.
The only exception is AAC blocks. They should be dry when used and only brushed by a wet brush. AAC blocks after construction do not need curing as the adhesive used is usually self curing. But take care to add correct quantity of water while mixing.