Where bricks-per-square-foot comes from — the nominal brick-plus-joint cell

A brick plus its ⅜″ joint is a nominal 8″ × 2⅝″ cell (21 in²), so 144 ÷ 21 = 6.75 bricks per sq ft. Tighter joints mean more bricks (¼″ → 7.34, ½″ → 6.40); bigger units mean fewer.

A modular brick with its mortar joint, showing how the bricks-per-square-foot figure is derived. A modular brick measures 7⅝ inches long by 2¼ inches tall; adding a ⅜-inch mortar joint makes a nominal cell of 8 inches by 2⅝ inches, which is 21 square inches. Dividing 144 square inches by 21 gives 6.75 bricks per square foot. A tighter joint shrinks the cell and raises the count: a ¼-inch joint gives 7.34 per square foot and a ½-inch joint gives 6.40. Larger brick units cover more wall — a Norman brick drops to about 4.5 per square foot. — Source: BIA Technical Notes 10, Table 4 (modular brick coursing)

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A modular brick with its mortar joint, showing how the bricks-per-square-foot figure is derived. A modular brick measures 7⅝ inches long by 2¼ inches tall; adding a ⅜-inch mortar joint makes a nominal cell of 8 inches by 2⅝ inches, which is 21 square inches. Dividing 144 square inches by 21 gives 6.75 bricks per square foot. A tighter joint shrinks the cell and raises the count: a ¼-inch joint gives 7.34 per square foot and a ½-inch joint gives 6.40. Larger brick units cover more wall — a Norman brick drops to about 4.5 per square foot.

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