How Much Does A Brick Weigh In Pounds? (Find Out Now!)

Ossiana Tepfenhart
by Ossiana Tepfenhart
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how much does a brick weigh in pounds find out now

When you’re building a home or just doing an exterior touch-up, it’s important to know what to expect in terms of delivering materials. Bricks, for example, are pretty heavy. That heaviness can impact how many bricks you can feasibly load up in a truck before the truck fails. In order to calculate your moving, you need to know how much a brick weighs.

The average brick weighs 4 ½ pounds and measures 3-5/8″ x 2-1/4″ x 8″. Larger quad bricks weigh 14 pounds, and engineering bricks weigh an average of 5.1 pounds. Heavier bricks are generally able to hold heavier loads and can handle more weight impact.

Understanding how much a brick weighs can help you plan out your project with ease and also save you some money. To understand how this can impact you, we’re going to talk about the weight of bricks and how it will impact you.

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Before We Begin: What Bricks Are You Using?

Did you know that there are over 100 different types of bricks? This statistic doesn’t even include the different rocks or materials that bricks can be made from, either. Each brick type has a different weight capacity, purpose, and effect on your home’s look. Before you begin any project, talk with a masonry expert on which brick is right for you.

For the sake of this article, we’re going to discuss some of the most popular bricks on the market as well as a chart that shows their weight. We will also explain a little bit more about the kinds of bricks you can choose and when it’s best to use certain brick genres. (Yeah, we’re cool like that.)

Things To Know When Selecting Bricks

While selecting your bricks is best left to a masonry expert, the truth is that there are some guidelines that can help you get a better idea of what you should grab when you’re at the hardware store. These tips below can help you get a better grip on brick use:

  • General building purposes do best with common burnt clay bricks. These are the bricks that don’t have holes in them, by the way. You can use these to build a fire pit or just make a cool brick sculpture for your backyard.
  • If you want to have a higher load-bearing, opt for engineering bricks. These have holes in the center and are specially designed to bear more weight while wearing less. Engineering bricks are often specially-treated with ingredients or brick-making techniques that bolster their strength.
  • As the name suggests, pavers are used for paving purposes. They have a higher iron content than most other bricks, making them a good flooring option. These are easier to remove tar from, by the way. When choosing a paver, make sure that you get paver bricks that have a size you want to work with.
  • Both Roman and Norman bricks are designed to help emphasize the long, lean look of certain homes. In the past, they were also used to emphasize the lines of archways. They are more expensive, but the stylistic look they offer is one of the best you’ll see.
  • Local building codes and HOAs will be able to offer guidance on the brick types that you should use. In some cases, this is an aesthetic reason. Other times, it’s safety-related. Heed their warnings, and you’ll be glad you did.

How Many Bricks Will You Need To Buy?

The number of bricks that you need to buy will vary greatly regarding the project that you’re making. Most paving jobs will require five bricks per square foot. On the other hand, building a wall will require seven bricks per square foot, which means that every wall you build will likely require more bricks.

A typical square (or pallet) of bricks will be 500 different bricks. This will be enough for most minor projects, but you’re still going to have to calculate things out to make sure that you get the number you need. When calculating things out, remember to get a few extra bricks for your supply. Since matching bricks can be difficult, it’s good to have a couple extra on hand to account for mishaps.

How Much Does A Brick Weigh?

A brick can weigh anywhere from 4.1 to 42 pounds, all depending on how large it is as well as the material that you’ve been choosing. This table will give you an idea of the top bricks and their corresponding weights…

Brick NameMeasurementsTypical Weight (in pounds)
Modular3-5/8″ x 2-1/4″ x 7-5/8″4.2
Standard3-5/8″ x 2-1/4″ x 8″4.5
Engineering Modular3-5/8″ x 2-3/4″ x 7-5/8″5.1
Engineering Standard3-5/8″ x 2-3/4″ x 8″5.9
Queen3-1/8″ x 2-3/4″ x 9-5/8″5.6
Roman3-5/8″ x 1-5/8″ x 11-5/8″4.7
Norman3-5/8″ x 2-1/4″ x 11-5/8″6.4
Engineering Norman3-5/8″ x 2-3/4″ x 11-5/8″7.8
Modular Closure3-5/8″ x 3-5/8″ x 7-5/8″6.8
Paver3-5/8″ x 3-5/8″ x 5-5/8″5.6
8″ x 8″ x 16″ Through-Walls7-5/8″ x 7-5/8″ x 15-5/8″42.0
Utility 3-5/8″ x 3-5/8″ x 11-5/8″10.2
Monarch3-5/8″ x 3-5/8″ x 15-5/8″12.5
Quad3-5/8″ x 7-5/8″ x 7-5/8″14.1

Note: For the sake of this article, we primarily stuck to brick weights for bricks that are typically made with brick clay or fire clay rather than concrete. Moreover, there are many different sizes of pavers. We chose to use the most common on the market for this chart.

Does Brick Weight Matter?

Yes and no. Bricks that are heavier can often bear more loads and can work well for more solid foundations. However, the bigger concern here is the logistics of the bricks. Carrying bricks around is serious business and can be difficult to do, even if you have an upscale truck to help you cart them around.

The best way to describe the impact of weight is that it tends to be more about the “how” than the why. It’s worth noting that a brick’s weight doesn’t always correlate with its load-bearing abilities. If you are unsure of how much weight your bricks can bear, the best thing you can do is talk to someone who knows and can help you pick out the right composure.

How Long Do Typical Bricks Last?

While all that heft comes with a lot of work, the truth is that people prefer bricks for a wide variety of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is durability. Bricks are some of the most durable materials on the market. Pavers can last for 50 years or longer. If you’re using brick to construct a home, then you can expect them to last for as much as 100 years or longer.

Eventually, you will need to update or patch up your brick walls. However, if you properly install them, you can rest assured that it won’t need to happen for decades.

Is It Cheaper To Lay Concrete Or Bricks?

If you’re in a situation where you can choose to use concrete or bricks (such as a path, a street, or even certain types of walls), there are several factors that can come into play. The two most common factors are aesthetics and pricing.

With aesthetics, it’s a personal decision. Some people prefer to have a concrete look since it’s industrial, while others like the stately vibe that traditional brick can offer. This is up to you, but what might influence your decision is the other factor, price.

When you take a deeper look at the price of labor and supplies, it becomes clear that brick is a more expensive option. That’s why concrete is the material of choice for industrial sites and why concrete has started to gain popularity with real estate developers.

How Much Does It Cost To Install Bricks?

This all depends on how many bricks you need to have laid, what you’re doing with them, and the size of the bricks. Installing brick siding, for example, costs anywhere from $10 to $26 per square foot with an average price of $15. Laying a brick paver sidewalk, on the other hand, can cost anywhere from $8 to $25 per square foot.

If you want to get bricks that have intricate designs or unique features, then the price tag can shoot up even higher depending on the project. The basic gist is that you can expect to spend a pretty penny whenever bricks are involved, especially if you have a specialty project in mind.

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Related Questions

How much do 1000 bricks weigh?

It all depends on the type of bricks that you’re discussing, but for the sake of this reply, we’re going to ignore bricks on either extreme end of the spectrum. Typical bricks will weigh between 4,000 to 7,000 pounds. That’s the equivalent of two to four tons!


Why are bricks red?

Bricks traditionally are red (or brown) due to the high clay content inside the brick. The clay inside bricks initially turns a reddish hue when it’s fired up in the oven. As the bricks stay in there and get more heat, the clay starts to burn. This gives certain bricks that rusty brown color that we all know and love.While bricks traditionally gained that ruddiness from clay content, the current batches of bricks that we see don’t necessarily derive their color from clay. Sometimes, manufacturers will add a red dye to give the bricks in question a more traditional look.


Can you stain a brick a different color?

Of course, but you would need to get the right tools. Several manufacturers now sell brick tinting kits that can help you get the bricks you have to reach the color that you want. With that said, bricks cannot be stained an entirely different color (like blue). Stains are a subtle change from the color you want.If you want to get an extreme color on your bricks, then you will need to paint it in order to get the exact color that you want.

Ossiana Tepfenhart
Ossiana Tepfenhart

Ossiana Tepfenhart is an expert writer, focusing on interior design and general home tips. Writing is her life, and it's what she does best. Her interests include art and real estate investments.

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