How Many Bricks Can A Bricklayer Lay In An Hour?

How Many Bricks Can A Bricklayer Lay In An Hour?

If you are on the lookout for a good bricklayer to build you a wall or other structure then you will probably be wondering how many bricks a bricklayer can lay in an hour. Oftentimes, professionals will charge by the number of bricks that are laid; for example $500 per 1000 bricks. 

How many bricks each bricklayer can lay each hour will vary but on average, you can expect an experienced bricklayer to lay between 600 and 1000 bricks each day which works out at around 100-125 bricks every hour. 

Of course, there are some serious variables to think about when it comes to bricklaying. There are some very experienced bricklayers that are able to put down as many as 4-5 bricks every minute which is far above average and would mean that the same person could lay up to 240 bricks per hour!

How Many Bricks Can A Bricklayer Lay In One Day?

One of the most important questions to ask a potential bricklayer is how many bricks they will realistically be able to lay in a day. As we mentioned earlier, many bricklayers charge per brick and you’ll usually be given a total based on every 1000 bricks. 

The problem with this is that some bricklayers will rush through the work in order to lay more bricks every day and charge a higher price. But this can result in shoddy work that might not even be accepted by building regulations. 

On average, a bricklayer will put down anywhere between 600 and 1000 bricks a day. There are some claims that very experienced professionals will be able to achieve almost double this and that, by laying 5 bricks a minute, could in theory, lay up to 1900 bricks in a day. But again, you must be careful that this type of speed doesn’t come at the sacrifice of quality workmanship. 

A good bricklayer will know that the number of bricks they can lay over the course of a day will vary greatly depending on several factors. 

For starters, the type of wall that they are creating will determine how many bricks they can realistically put down over the course of any given time. When building a straight wall with a single type of brick, the bricklayer will be able to achieve much more in a single day than if he or she were constructing a bespoke wall or one that features corners or is much higher.

In addition to this, the bricklayer must consider the weather. When the temperature is colder, this can affect how well the mortar sets, therefore affecting the bond between bricks. Naturally, this will slow down the progress of construction and means that fewer bricks will be laid each day. Many expert bricklayers will suggest only working once temperatures exceed 2ºc.

The level of experience that a bricklayer has will determine how many bricks he or she is able to lay in a day. As with anything, bricklaying takes time to perfect and while an individual may have undergone training, it can take some time for them to build speed while maintaining the same excellent quality. 

One of the things that might slow down a newcomer to the trade is having to do more intricate work. It is not uncommon for a new bricklayer to take much longer to create corners which will eat into how much work they can produce in a day. 

For a very inexperienced bricklayer, you might only expect them to be able to put down between 200 and 300 bricks a day. Of course, you may be quoted a cheaper price for this. 

On the other hand, those with years of experience under their belts will work at a much quicker pace and will deliver greater results over the course of a day. But you must also take into consideration whether the bricklayer is working alone or as part of a team. 

Related Article: Long Term Effects Of Being A Bricklayer

What Is The Most Bricks Laid In An Hour?

There are world records for just about everything and when it comes to brick laying, you can be sure that there are people out there competing to be the best. Did you know that there are several races and competitions held all over the world to see who is the fastest bricklayer?

The fastest brickie in the world had laid an astonishing 914 bricks in a single hour. And that was back in 1987! This record was achieved by a man called Bob Boil from the USA.

The latest to try, a guy named Paul Baker, from Wadalba, Australia, wanted to beat this by attempting to lay a whopping 1000 bricks in an hour. He got off to a flying start and put down 400 bricks within the first half an hour of the challenge. However, owing to being the grand old age of 85 and not in the best of health, Mr Baker only ended up laying 756 bricks; but that’s still quite the achievement!

A notable video has done its rounds on the internet of a British man laying 154 bricks in just a minute and forty seconds. However, this doesn’t really count since these were paving bricks as opposed to laying in a vertical formation. Still, it’s a pretty impressive achievement.

Conclusion

Bricklaying is, without a doubt, skilled work so getting up to a good speed without compromising on quality is essential. While beginner bricklayers will typically lay fewer bricks than someone with many years of experience, the key is to keep in mind that no two jobs are the same and where a person may be able to lay 1000 bricks for one project, he or she might only manage half of that for others.