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Masonry Estimating Guide

Guidelines for Masonry Estimating:
This guide is a "rule of thumb" calculator intended to assist users in planning for the correct amount of materials required on masonry projects. It is presented in table format below. NOTE: Approximately 5% to 10% should be added to all quantities for breakage, spillage and errors.

E Stone Supply LLC makes no guarantees to the accuracy of any estimates based on the information provided in this guide, and takes no responsibility for its use.

To help you better understand the use of this guide, we have provided the following example: If a mason needs to know how many block, mortar and sand must be purchased to erect a 200' long x 10' high wall, the Estimating Guide reveals that there are 1-1/8 blocks per square foot of wall area. The area is 2000 SF, which requires 2250 blocks (1-1/8 x 2000 = 2250 blocks). Three bags of mortar are estimated for every 100 blocks, therefore 67-1/2 bags of mortar are needed ((2250 block x 3 bags mortar) / 100 block = 6-1/2 bags of mortar). One cubic yard of sand is required for every 7 bags of mortar, therefore, the mason must also purchase 9.6 yards of sand ((1 cubic yard of sand x 67-1/2 bags of mortar) / 7 bags mortar = 9.6 yards of sand).

Masonry Estimating Guide
(Intended for "Rule of Thumb" use only.)

Guide for Masonry Estimating:

Measurements:

One ton
One Cubic Yard
1 cubic yard of sand
Square Feet
Dimensional Stone
Thin Stone Veneer
Dimensional Stone Weight
Thin Stone veneer weight
2000 lbs.
3’ x 3’ x 3’ = 27 Cubic Feet
1.25 Tons
Length x Width (10 ‘ x 10’ = 100 Square Feet)
3” to 5” bed depth
¾” to 1-1/2” bed depth
45-50 Lbs. per square foot
15-19 Lbs. per square foot

Brick, Stone and Block Unit Quantities

Half High Block (4" x 4" x 16)
Standard Block (4", 6”, 8", 12")
Modular Size 3-5/8”d x 2-1/4”h x 7-5/8″L
Standard Size 3-1/2″d x 2-1/4” x 8″L
Queen Size 2-3/4″d x 2-3/4″h x 8″L
King Size 3″d x 2-5/8″h x 9-5/8″L
Engineer Size 3-1/2″d x 2-3/4″h x 8″L
Executive or 3×10 Size– 3″d x 3″h x 10″L
Dimensional Stone
Thin Stone Veneer Flats
Thin Stone Veneer Corners
2.25 block per SF of wall area
1.125 block per SF of wall area
Approx. 6.86 per SF of wall area
Approx. 6.55 per SF of wall area
Approx. 5.5 per SF of wall area
Approx. 4.8 per SF of wall area
Approx. 5.5 per SF of wall area
Approx. 4.1 per SF of wall area
38-45 SF per ton
Square foot
Linear foot

Mortar Quantities

Block
Face Brick Modular
Dimensional Stone
Face Brick King Size
3 bags per 100 blocks +-
7 bags per 1000 bricks +-
7 bags per 175 square feet +-
7 bags per 1000 bricks +-

Sand Quantities:

Sand 1 CY per
1 yard sand=
1 yard sand per
1 yard sand per
1 yard sand per
7 bags mortar +-
1.25 tons +-
1,000 bricks +-
200 blocks +-
3-4 tons of Dimensional Stone +-

Wall Reinforcing Quantities:
Horizontal Wall Reinforcing for block SF/1.33 (Check Local Code or Specs.)
Every other course or every 16” (Check Local Code or Specs.)
Wall Tie s 1 per 10 bricks 1 every 1.5 Square feet (Check Local Code or Specs.)

Masonry to masonry: (Check Local Code or Specs.)
Nine-gage wire ties are spaced one anchor every 2.67 square feet.
3/16-inch wire ties are spaced one anchor every 4.5 square feet.
The maximum spacing is 36 inches horizontally and 24 inches vertically.

Estimated Volume Required To Fill Core Voids in Block

8" x 4" x 16"
8" x 6" x 16"
8" x 8" x 16"
8" x 12" x 16"
2 core
2 core
2 core
2 core
0.09 CF/block
0.18 CF/block
0.28 CF/block
0.50 CF/block

Approximate Concrete Required to Fill Bond Beam Lintels (BBL)

8" x 8" x 16"
8" x 8" x 16"
8" x 12" x 16"
8" x 12" x 16"
BBL
BBL Split-Face
BBL
BBL Split-Face
0.15 CF concrete per LF
0.12 CF concrete per LF
0.25 CF concrete per LF
0.25 CF concrete per LF

Typical CMU Dimensions

Nominal Dimensions (Inches)	Actual Dimensions (Inches)	Minimum Faceshell Thickness (Inches)	Minimum Web Thickness (Inches)
8 x 4 x 16	7-5/8 x 3-5/8 x 15-5/8	1-5/16	1-5/16
8 x 6 x 16	7-5/8 x 5-5/8 x 15-5/8	1-1/8	1-1/8
8 x 8 x 16	7-5/8 x 7-5/8 x 15-5/8	1-1/4	1-1/4
8 x 12 x 16	7-5/8 x 11-5/8 x 15-5/8	1-1/4	1-1/4

The mix calculations use densities set out by the ASTM. These are:

Portland cement
Hydrated lime
Sand
94 lbs./cu. Ft.
40 lbs./cu. Ft.
80 lbs./cu. Ft.

The purchased items are by these:

Portland cement
Hydrated lime
Sand
94 lb bags
50 lb bags
by the ton

Component amounts:

Mix Design: (Proportions by volume)

Typical, Non-load bearing masonry
1) Type: ASTM C270, Type “N.”
2) Proportions: 1 part cement, 1 part hydrated lime and 6 parts sand to provide a compressive strength of 750 psi in 28 days. Do not use calcium chloride.

Load bearing structural masonry
1) Type: ASTM C270, Type “S.”
2) Proportions: 1 part cement, 1/2 part hydrated lime and 4-1/2 parts sand to provide a compressive strength of 1800 psi in 28 days. Do not use calcium chloride.

Portland Cement, Lime and Sand
This is the “old school” method, the standard for the industry that all other methods are compared to. In order to make a Type S masonry mortar one would proportion the materials into the mixer in this manner;

1 bag 94# of Portland cement
½ bag 50# Hydrated Type S Lime
28 “Shovels” Masonry Sand
7 to 8 Gallons Clean Water

Mixing Procedure:

Put 2/3 to 3/4 of the water into the mixer
Add the Portland Cement and Hydrated Lime to the batch
Add the sand into the mixer, adding water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency
Mix for 5 minutes in a mechanical paddle type mixer

Amount of water required to make good mortar will vary depending on the desired consistency of the mortar. For stiff mortar use less water, for wet mortar use more water. If you do not add enough water the mortar is so stiff that it is unworkable and very difficult to use, if you add too much water the mortar turns to “soup” and you will be unable to use it.

Masonry Cement
Masonry Cement is simply a product that has Portland Cement and Hydrated Lime already blended together in the proper proportions. In order to make mortar with Masonry Cement one would proportion the materials into the mixer in this manner:

1 bag 70# Type N Masonry Cement or 1 bag 75#Type S Masonry Cement
18 to 20 “Shovels” Masonry Sand
4-5 Gallons Clean Water

Mixing Procedure:

Put 2/3 to 3/4 of the water into the mixer
Add the Masonry Cement to the batch
Add the sand into the mixer, adding water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency
Mix for 5 minutes in a mechanical paddle type mixer

Add water to achieve desired consistency of mortar, less water for stiff mortar, more water for wet mortar.

Concrete Mixtures:

3000 Psi. Concrete
1 part Portland Cement
3 parts sand
3 parts aggregate
1 part water +-
3500 Psi. Concrete
1 Part Portland
2 Parts Sand
4 Parts Aggregate
1 Part Water +-
4000 Psi. Concrete
1 Part Portland
2 Parts Sand
3 Parts Aggregate
.75 Part Water +-