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Concrete block calculator.

Wall length and height in, block count and core fill out. Take off the doors and windows and pick your block width.

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How to figure block for a wall

A standard 8 by 8 by 16 block covers 16 inches by 8 inches of wall, mortar joint included. That is 0.889 square feet, so it takes 1.125 blocks to cover one square foot. Six and twelve inch block have the same face size, so the count works the same way.

Blocks = (length × height − doors and windows) × 1.125

Worked example. A 40 foot wall, 8 feet tall, with one 3 by 7 door. That is 320 square feet, less 21 for the door, or 299 square feet. 299 × 1.125 = 336.4, so 337 blocks. Add 5% for broken and cut block and order 354.

Eight feet of wall is 12 courses. Each foot of wall length takes 0.75 of a block per course, so an 8 foot wall takes 9 blocks for every foot of length. Handy for a quick check on site.

Filling the cores

Fully grouted 8 inch block takes roughly 0.26 cubic feet of grout per square foot of wall. The 299 square foot wall above is about 78 cubic feet, or 2.9 yards before waste. Twelve inch block takes a little under twice that. Many walls only fill the cores with rebar in them, so set the fill percent to match the plan.

The footing under the wall is its own pour. Figure it with the footing calculator.

Common questions

About 1.125 standard 8 by 8 by 16 blocks per square foot of wall. Multiply your wall area, less doors and windows, by 1.125 and add about 5% for waste.
A 40 by 8 foot wall is 320 square feet, which is 360 blocks with no openings. Take 21 square feet out for a 3 by 7 door and it drops to 337, or about 354 with 5% waste.
Fully grouted 8 inch block takes about 0.26 cubic feet per square foot of wall, roughly one yard for every 100 square feet. Twelve inch block takes about 0.45 cubic feet per square foot. Check your block maker for exact numbers.
No. Mortar use depends on the joint and the mix, so ask your supply yard. The footing is a separate pour; use the footing calculator for it.

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