Page 141 - Masonry and Concrete

Masonry Construction Techniques
140 CHAPTER FIVE

5.1.2 Estimating Materials

Estimate the number of bricks needed by
ALTERNATE multiplying the number of units in the
COURSES wall length times the number of courses in
4 8 16 BLOCK
CUT IN HALF the wall height, or figure 7 modular bricks
AS FILLER for every square foot of wall area. For brick
1
paving, estimate 4- 2 modular bricks for
every square foot when the units are laid
flat on their broadest face and will be set
1
8 8 16 TO 12 8 16 BLOCK with mortar joints, 5- 2 units per square
WALL CORNER INTERSECTION
foot if laid tightly abutted without mortar
joints. Estimate the number of concrete
blocks needed by multiplying the number
of units in the wall length times the num-
ALTERNATE ber of courses in the wall height, or figure
1
COURSES 1- 4 units per square foot of wall area.
Stone is sold by the ton or by the cubic
yard at quarries and stone suppliers. Cut
stone will naturally be more expensive
than rubble stone. To estimate how much
STANDARD 8 8 16 BLOCK stone will be needed, multiply the length
WALL CORNER INTERSECTION
the height the width of the wall in feet
FIGURE 5-4
to get cubic feet, then divide by 27 to get
Corner coursing. (from Beall, Christine, Masonry cubic yards. To translate from cubic feet to
Design and Detailing, 4th edition, McGraw-Hill, New
tons, figure limestone and sandstone at
York).
about 140 lbs./cu. ft. and granite at 160
lbs./cu. ft. A stone supplier should be able
to provide accurate conversions for each type of stone they sell. If the
stone is sold by the ton, estimate 45–50 square feet of wall area from
each ton for most types of stone. For cut ashlar stone, add about 10%
extra for breakage and waste, and for rubble stone, add at least 25%
extra. For flagstone to build a patio or walk, figure the square footage by
multiplying length width. The stone supplier will be able to estimate
the amount of stone based on this figure and the type of stone selected.
Mortar should be estimated by the cubic yard for large projects. The
amount of mortar required will depend on the type of masonry unit or
stone. Figure 5-9 shows the approximate cubic yardage of mortar

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