How Do I Calculate Brick Sand and Cement in Brick Masonry?

Calculating the quantities of brick sand and cement needed for brick masonry involves several steps. This article provides a detailed guide to help you with the calculation process. Whether you're a professional mason or a DIY enthusiast, understanding this process can save you both time and materials.

Step 1: Determine the Volume of the Wall

First, you need to calculate the volume of the wall you want to build. The formula for this is:

Volume of the wall Length times; Height times; Thickness

Where:

Length: Length of the wall in meters Height: Height of the wall in meters Thickness: Thickness of the wall in meters

Step 2: Calculate the Volume of Bricks

Next, determine the volume of a single brick including mortar. A standard brick size is typically about 190 mm x 90 mm x 90 mm (0.19 m x 0.09 m x 0.09 m).

Volume of a single brick: Volume of one brick Length times; Width times; Height Add mortar thickness: If you assume a mortar thickness of about 10 mm (0.01 m), the effective dimensions become:

Length: 0.19 m 0.01 m 0.20 m
Width: 0.09 m 0.01 m 0.10 m
Height: 0.09 m 0.01 m 0.10 m

Volume of one brick with mortar: Volume of one brick with mortar 0.20 m times; 0.10 m times; 0.10 m 0.002 m3

To find the total number of bricks needed:

Number of bricks Volume of the wall div; Volume of one brick with mortar

Step 3: Calculate the Quantities of Cement and Sand

The ratio of cement to sand in brick masonry is typically 1:6 (cement: sand) for a standard mortar mix. Here are the steps to calculate the required quantities:

1. Calculate the Volume of Mortar:

The volume of mortar can be estimated by calculating the total volume of the wall and subtracting the volume occupied by the bricks.

Volume of mortar Volume of the wall - Number of bricks times; Volume of one brick

2. Calculate the Total Volume of Mortar:

Assuming a 1:6 ratio:

Total parts 1 cement 6 sand 7 parts

3. Calculate the Volumes of Cement and Sand:

Volume of cement (1/7) times; Volume of mortar

Volume of sand (6/7) times; Volume of mortar

Step 4: Convert Volumes to Weight

To convert the volumes of cement and sand to weight, use the following approximate densities:

Cement: 1440 kg/m3 Sand: 1600 kg/m3

1. Weight of cement:

Weight of cement Volume of cement times; 1440 kg/m3

2. Weight of sand:

Weight of sand Volume of sand times; 1600 kg/m3

Example Calculation

Let's say you want to build a wall that is 5 m long, 2.5 m high, and 0.1 m thick.

Volume of the wall:

5 m times; 2.5 m times; 0.1 m 1.25 m3

Volume of one brick with mortar:

0.002 m3

Number of bricks:

1.25 m3 div; 0.002 m3 625 bricks

Volume of mortar:

Volume of mortar 1.25 m3 - 625 times; 0.001 m3 1.25 m3 - 0.625 m3 0.625 m3

Volumes of cement and sand:

Volume of cement (1/7) times; 0.625 m3 0.0893 m3

Volume of sand (6/7) times; 0.625 m3 0.5357 m3

Weights:

Weight of cement 0.0893 m3 times; 1440 kg/m3 128.8 kg

Weight of sand 0.5357 m3 times; 1600 kg/m3 857.1 kg

Summary

For a wall of 5 m x 2.5 m x 0.1 m:

Approximately 625 bricks 128.8 kg of cement 857.1 kg of sand

Adjust the dimensions and ratios as necessary for your specific project!