Building material cost calculator, South Africa
Enter the floor area, wall perimeter, height and openings, and this returns the bricks, the cement for mortar and the roof area, with a rand total. Every unit rate is editable, because the default is a dated retail listing and your quote will differ.
Why the prices are inputs and not built in
There is no free live feed of South African material prices. Cement and stock brick have retail listings you can date and attribute. River sand, stone and readymix are quote only, and the price depends on how far the truck has to drive to your site.
So this calculator ships defaults that are dated and attributed, and makes every one of them editable. A calculator that hard codes a price is wrong the week after it is built and gives no sign of it. One that shows you the number it is using and lets you replace it stays useful.
Bricks per square metre
The wall build-up drives the brick count more than anything else. A single skin of stock brick runs about 50 bricks per square metre, a double skin about 100, and maxi bricks about 35 because each unit is larger. The calculator adds 5 per cent for waste on top, which is a working allowance rather than a rule. Breakage on a rough site runs higher.
Openings come off the gross wall area, which is why the doors and windows field matters. On a small building with a lot of glazing, forgetting to deduct them can overstate the brick order by ten per cent or more.
Cement for mortar is a range, not a constant
Cement per thousand bricks is an input rather than a fixed figure because it moves with the mortar mix and the joint thickness. Five bags per thousand is a common working figure. A richer mix or a thicker joint pushes it up. If you have a mix design, use its number rather than the default.
What this deliberately does not estimate
This is a shell materials estimate. It covers brickwork, mortar cement and the roof covering area. It excludes the foundations, the floor slab, sand and stone, roof timber and trusses, doors and windows, plumbing, electrical, finishes, labour, plant, NHBRC enrolment and VAT.
That is not a limitation to apologise for. Sand, stone and readymix genuinely cannot be estimated to a price without a quote, and a calculator that invents one is worse than one that says so. Use this to size the brick and cement order and to sanity check a quote, not to price a contract.
Cost per square metre is a comparison tool, not a budget
The calculator returns a rand per square metre of floor figure because it is the number everyone asks for. Treat it as a way of comparing two options in the same exercise rather than a build cost. A full build cost per square metre includes everything in the exclusion list above, and it varies enormously with finish level, site access and province.
Turn the material list into a quote you can send
Built Simple takes quantities through to a priced estimate, then runs the programme and the crew from the same job. Free to start.
Start free with Built SimpleFrequently Asked Questions
How many bricks per square metre in South Africa? About 50 stock bricks per square metre for a single skin wall, about 100 for a double skin, and about 35 for maxi bricks. Add around 5 per cent for waste.
How much does it cost to build per square metre in South Africa? It varies too much with finish level, location and site access for a single honest figure. Use the calculator above to compare options on the same basis, and get quotes for the items it excludes, which includes foundations, labour and finishes.
How many bags of cement per 1000 bricks? Around five 50kg bags is a common working figure for mortar, but it moves with the mix and the joint thickness. The calculator leaves it editable for that reason.
Does this include labour and foundations? No. It covers brickwork, mortar cement and roof covering area only. Foundations, slab, sand and stone, roof timber, doors, windows, services, finishes, labour, NHBRC enrolment and VAT are all excluded.
Why does the calculator not price sand and stone? Because they are quote only in South Africa and the price depends on delivery distance. Inventing a figure would make the total look more complete while making it less accurate.
Related calculators and guides
Sources
- Cashbuild published retail listing for stock brick, 12 September 2026.
- Retail cement pricing survey across major South African building merchants, 12 September 2026.
