How much sand and cement do you need for bricklaying?

2 min read

Order too little mortar and the job stops; order too much and it goes off before you can use it. Here’s how to get the quantities right for a standard bricklaying job.

The standard mix

For most above-ground brickwork, a 1:5 or 1:6 cement-to-sand mix (with a plasticiser) is the usual choice. For exposed or below-DPC work, tighten it to 1:4 for extra strength and weather resistance.

How much mortar per brick?

As a rule of thumb, allow roughly 1 tonne of building sand per 1,000 bricks, plus cement to suit your ratio. For a typical 1:5 mix that’s about 6–7 bags of cement per tonne of sand.

Working per square metre: a single-skin wall uses around 60 bricks per m² (see how many bricks you need per m²), which needs roughly 0.06 tonnes — about 60kg — of mortar once mixed.

A worked example

• Wall area: 20 m²
• Bricks: 20 × 60 = 1,200 (order 1,260 with 5% wastage)
• Sand: about 1.2 tonnes
• Cement: about 8 bags at a 1:5 mix

Use our Brick Calculator to firm up the brick count first, then scale the sand and cement from there.

Don’t forget the extras

A mortar plasticiser makes the mix more workable and frost-resistant, and a coloured additive lets you match existing joints. You’ll find cement, sand, plasticisers and additives in our building materials section.

Building in the colder months? Read our guide to bricklaying in winter before you start mixing.