How it is worked out
Each brick takes up its own face plus one mortar joint along and one up. For a 230 × 76 mm brick with a 10 mm joint that is 240 × 86 mm, which works out to 48.4 bricks in a square metre. Brick makers quote the same figure as 48.5.
The wall area (length × height, less openings) is multiplied by that figure, doubled for double brick, and the extra is added on top.
Only the long face and the height of the brick matter for the count. The 110 mm depth is the thickness of the wall.
Worked example
The numbers this page opens with: wall length 6 m, wall height 2.4 m, doors and windows to take out 0 m², Wall type: single skin, brick length 230 mm, brick height 76 mm, mortar joint 10 mm, extra for breakages and cuts 5 %.
The answer: wall area after openings 14.40 m²; bricks per square metre, one skin 48.4 bricks; bricks, exact 698 bricks; bricks with 5% extra 733 bricks.
Questions
Why do people say 50 bricks per square metre?
It is 48.5 with a few per cent added for breakages, rounded to an easy number. This page keeps the two steps separate so you can choose your own extra.
Does this cover mortar, ties or lintels?
No. It counts bricks only.