Mortar calculator: how many bags of mortar do I need?
14 bags
500 bricks at up to 37 per 80 lb bag · 13.5 bags before rounding up · for 500 bricks
Run your own numbers
Enter it the way you measured it: 4.5, 4 1/2,
3/8 or 10' 6".
14 bags
500 bricks at up to 37 per 80 lb bag · 13.5 bags before rounding up
Source: QUIKRETE Mortar Mix No. 1102 data sheet, yield of an 80 lb bag, read October 14, 2026. Data sheet (PDF)
500 standard bricks take 14 bags of 80 lb mortar mix, because QUIKRETE rates each 80 lb bag of its Mortar Mix to lay up to 37 standard bricks or 13 standard 8 by 8 by 16 in blocks.
A worked example
A garden wall of 287 concrete blocks needs 23 bags. 287 blocks at up to 13 per 80 lb bag is 22.08 bags, rounded up to 23. Since 13 is the most a bag will lay, 23 bags is the least the wall will use.
How many bricks does a bag of mortar lay?
An 80 lb bag of QUIKRETE Mortar Mix lays up to 37 standard bricks or 13 standard 8 by 8 by 16 in concrete blocks, according to its data sheet. That puts 1,000 bricks at 28 bags or more, and 100 blocks at 8 bags or more. Enter your count above to get your own number of bags.
What else it is called
Mortar mix is sold as mortar mix, masonry mortar or Type N mortar. QUIKRETE Mortar Mix meets ASTM C270 and C1714 as a Type N mortar, according to its data sheet. Mortar is the bed between bricks and blocks; it is not concrete mix and not grout, so a concrete bag yield does not apply to it.
Common sizes
| Bricks or blocks | Bags for standard bricks | Bags for 8 × 8 × 16 in blocks |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 3 | 8 |
| 250 | 7 | 20 |
| 500 | 14 | 39 |
| 750 | 21 | 58 |
| 1,000 | 28 | 77 |
| 2,000 | 55 | 154 |
| 5,000 | 136 | 385 |
80 lb bags, rounded up, at the QUIKRETE Mortar Mix data sheet yield of up to 37 standard bricks or 13 standard blocks per bag.
Where the numbers come from
- Bags are the bricks or blocks divided by what one bag lays, rounded up: a part bag still has to be bought.
- Yield: QUIKRETE Mortar Mix No. 1102 data sheet, each 80 lb bag lays up to 37 standard bricks or 13 standard 8 by 8 by 16 in blocks. The same sheet lists 10, 40 and 60 lb bags but gives no yield for them. Read October 14, 2026. Data sheet (PDF)
The data sheet gives the yield as up to 37 bricks or 13 blocks, the most one bag will lay, so the count here is the least you will use. It covers the 80 lb bag only, because that is the only size the sheet gives a yield for. Count your bricks or blocks first, with the brick or concrete block calculator.
By Javier Miralles · Last updated . How this site is made.
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