Outdoor Fireplace Brick Calculator

Outdoor Fireplace Brick Calculator: Plan Your Backyard Fireplace Like a Pro

Building a beautiful backyard fireplace can transform your outdoor space into a cozy retreat. But one of the most common challenges homeowners face is figuring out exactly how many bricks they need to complete the project. Ordering too few can halt construction mid-way, while overbuying wastes money and materials. That’s where the Outdoor Fireplace Brick Calculator comes in — a simple, precise tool designed to help you plan every brick and every layer of your fireplace with confidence.

Whether you’re planning a rustic patio fireplace, a modern fire pit, or a classic masonry design, this tool saves time, reduces waste, and ensures your project stays on budget.

Why Use an Outdoor Fireplace Brick Estimator?

Building a fireplace involves more than just stacking bricks. You need to account for:

• Multiple surfaces: side walls, back wall, top surface, and front openings.

• Standard brick sizes: most international bricks are ~21.5 × 10 × 6.5 cm, plus mortar joints.

• Material waste: cutting bricks to fit openings or edges can lead to 5–15% extra usage.

• Brick patterns: running bond vs. stack bond affects the number of bricks per layer.

Manually calculating these factors is time-consuming and prone to errors. The fire pit brick quantity calculator eliminates guesswork, giving you exact numbers in seconds.

How the Outdoor Fireplace Brick Calculator Works

The calculator is designed with a clear, step-by-step approach:

Inputs You Need:

1. Fireplace Dimensions: Width, height, and depth in centimeters.

2. Opening Size (Optional): Width and height of the firebox or opening. If there’s no opening, set it to zero.

3. Brick Layout Pattern: Choose between Running Bond (staggered) or Stack Bond (straight aligned).

Calculation Logic:

The tool uses a standard international brick size with 10mm mortar joints and calculates:

1. Surface Areas:

   Side walls = 2 × (depth × height)
Back wall = width × height
Top surface = width × depth
Opening area = openingWidth × openingHeight
Total area = side walls + back wall + top surface - opening area


2. Bricks Per Square Meter:

   bricksPerSqM = 10000 / (brickLength × brickHeight)


   • Here, brickLength = 22.5 cm (including mortar)

   • brickHeight = 8.5 cm (including mortar)

3. Total Bricks:

   totalBricks = (totalArea / 10000) × bricksPerSqM
bricksWithWaste = totalBricks × 1.10


   • Adds a 10% waste factor for cuts, breakage, and alignment adjustments.

The result gives both the exact number of bricks and the recommended number including extra.

Step-by-Step Examples

Example 1: Standard Backyard Fireplace

• Width: 120 cm

• Height: 90 cm

• Depth: 60 cm

• Opening: 80 × 60 cm

• Pattern: Running Bond

Calculation:

1. Side walls = 2 × (60 × 90) = 10800 cm²

2. Back wall = 120 × 90 = 10800 cm²

3. Top surface = 120 × 60 = 7200 cm²

4. Opening area = 80 × 60 = 4800 cm²

5. Total surface area = 10800 + 10800 + 7200 – 4800 = 24000 cm² = 2.4 m²

6. Bricks per m² ≈ 52.29 → Total bricks = 2.4 × 52.29 ≈ 126 bricks

7. Including 10% waste → 139 bricks

✅ Recommended order: 139 bricks

Example 2: Small Patio Fire Pit

• Width: 80 cm

• Height: 70 cm

• Depth: 50 cm

• No opening

• Pattern: Stack Bond

Calculation:

1. Side walls = 2 × (50 × 70) = 7000 cm²

2. Back wall = 80 × 70 = 5600 cm²

3. Top surface = 80 × 50 = 4000 cm²

4. Opening area = 0

5. Total area = 7000 + 5600 + 4000 = 16600 cm² = 1.66 m²

6. Bricks per m² ≈ 52.29 → Total bricks = 1.66 × 52.29 ≈ 87 bricks

7. Including 10% waste → 96 bricks

✅ Recommended order: 96 bricks

Example 3: Large Outdoor Fireplace

• Width: 150 cm

• Height: 110 cm

• Depth: 80 cm

• Opening: 100 × 70 cm

• Pattern: Running Bond

Calculation:

1. Side walls = 2 × (80 × 110) = 17600 cm²

2. Back wall = 150 × 110 = 16500 cm²

3. Top surface = 150 × 80 = 12000 cm²

4. Opening area = 100 × 70 = 7000 cm²

5. Total surface area = 17600 + 16500 + 12000 – 7000 = 39100 cm² = 3.91 m²

6. Bricks per m² ≈ 52.29 → Total bricks = 3.91 × 52.29 ≈ 205 bricks

7. Including 10% waste → 226 bricks

✅ Recommended order: 226 bricks

Practical Tips for Your Fireplace Project

• Always round up when ordering bricks. Even a few extra ensures you won’t run short mid-build.

• Consider your layout pattern: Running bond is stronger structurally, stack bond is more aesthetic.

• Double-check your opening dimensions to prevent miscalculations.

• Experiment with different depths and widths in the calculator to see how material needs change.

FAQs About Outdoor Fireplace Brick Calculator

Q1: Can I use this calculator for custom brick sizes?
A: Yes. While the default uses standard international bricks, you can adjust the brick length and height in the formula to match your materials.

Q2: Does the calculator include mortar?
A: Yes, it accounts for 10mm mortar joints, which is standard practice.

Q3: What if my fireplace has an unusual shape?
A: For irregular designs, break the surface into rectangles or squares, calculate each separately, and sum them up for total bricks.

Related Tools for Your Outdoor Project

• Grill Island Counter Estimator – Perfect for planning an outdoor cooking area alongside your fireplace.

• Low Water Landscaping Calculator – Ideal if you’re planning a drought-friendly backyard garden near your fireplace.

• Bee-Friendly Plant Layout Estimator – Add pollinator-friendly plants around your patio for a lively, sustainable backyard.

Conclusion

The Outdoor Fireplace Brick Calculator simplifies what used to be a tricky part of masonry planning. By calculating exact brick requirements, including waste, and considering the layout pattern, you can:

• Save money

• Avoid material shortages

• Plan projects faster

Whether you’re building a small patio fire pit or a grand backyard fireplace, using this tool ensures your project stays on track. Try different dimensions and patterns to see how it affects your material needs and confidently order the right number of bricks for your outdoor dream space.