Stone Veneer Calculator
A 20 by 8 foot wall, minus a 3 by 4 foot opening, with 16 feet of outside corners, orders 150 square feet of flats and 18 linear feet of corners at 10 percent waste, plus 18 bags of mortar.
Last updated . Corner coverage starts at 0.75 ft² per linear foot, a planning assumption. Waste starts at 10 percent and applies to stone only. Mortar starts at 1 inch on the net wall. The 80 lb yield of 0.71 ft³ is a planning figure, about 17 ft² at 1/2 inch, not a quoted Type S bag. No prices.
Enter the wall, one opening, and the outside corners in linear feet. Flats are the net area the corners do not already cover.
Pavers are the paver calculator. A percent of a masonry wall is the mortar calculator. Segmental wall blocks are the retaining wall calculator.
Stone veneer
One opening. For several, type a rectangle whose area is the sum. Use 0 if there is no opening. Inside corners are cut from flats.
Linear feet of outside corners. Two 8 foot corners are 16.
Planning assumption, not a brand figure. Common estimates are 0.50, about 0.67, and 0.75.
Applied to flats and corners. Not applied to the mortar.
Starts at 1 inch: a 1/2 inch scratch coat plus a 1/2 inch setting bed, on the net wall. Joint grout is not included.
0.71 ft³ per 80 lb is a planning yield, about 17 ft² at 1/2 inch. It is not a quoted Type S product. The 50 kg line scales that yield by mass.
Results
How the veneer is counted
Gross area is length × height. Net area is that rectangle minus the opening. Outside corners are measured in linear feet. Each linear foot is assumed to cover 0.75 square feet of flat wall, so flats = net − corners × 0.75. Sixteen feet of corner on this wall cover 12.00 square feet, and the flats before waste are 136.00.
Waste is a percent on the flats and on the corner length. Ten percent turns 136.00 into 149.60 square feet, which rounds up to an order of 150, and turns 16.00 feet of corner into 17.60, which rounds up to 18. Mortar is net area × thickness and does not take that waste. One inch on 148.00 square feet is 12.33 cubic feet.
Worked example
Leave every field as it opens: wall 20 ft by 8 ft, opening 3 ft by 4 ft, outside corners 16 ft, coverage 0.75, waste 10 percent, mortar thickness 1 in, bag 80 lb. Gross reads 160.00 ft² · 14.86 m². Opening reads 12.00 ft² · 1.11 m². Net reads 148.00 ft² · 13.75 m². Corners cover 12.00 ft² · 1.11 m². Flats read 136.00 ft² before waste. Flat order reads 149.60 ft² · order 150. Corners read 16.00 ft before waste. Corner order reads 17.60 ft · order 18. Mortar reads 0.46 yd³ · 12.33 ft³ · 0.35 m³. Bags read 18.
The same wall at three waste settings. Mortar stays on the 148.00 square foot net area, so the bag count does not move.
| Waste | Flats | Flat order | Corners | Corner order | 80 lb bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 136.00 ft² | 136 | 16.00 ft | 16 | 18 |
| 5% | 142.80 ft² | 143 | 16.80 ft | 17 | 18 |
| 10% | 149.60 ft² | 150 | 17.60 ft | 18 | 18 |
Corner coverage is the other assumption. Waste stays at 10 percent. The corner order stays 18.
| Coverage | Corners cover | Flats before waste | Flats with 10% | Flat order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.50 ft²/ft | 8.00 ft² | 140.00 ft² | 154.00 ft² | 154 |
| 0.67 ft²/ft | 10.72 ft² | 137.28 ft² | 151.01 ft² | 152 |
| 0.75 ft²/ft | 12.00 ft² | 136.00 ft² | 149.60 ft² | 150 |
Frequently asked questions
How much stone veneer do I need?
Leave the wall at 20 ft by 8 ft, the opening at 3 ft by 4 ft, the outside corners at 16 ft, the coverage at 0.75, and the waste at 10 percent. Gross area is 160.00 ft². The opening is 12.00 ft², so the net is 148.00 ft² and 13.75 m². Flats before waste are 136.00 ft². With waste that is 149.60 ft², and the order is 150. Corners are 17.60 ft with waste, and the order is 18.
How are flats and corners split?
Corners are sold by the linear foot, and each foot also covers flat wall. At 0.75 ft² per foot, 16 feet of corner cover 12.00 ft². Flats are the net area minus that cover: 148.00 − 12.00 = 136.00 ft². The 0.75 is a planning assumption, not a brand figure. Inside corners are cut from flats and are not part of the 16.
What if there is no opening?
Set the opening height to 0. Net area matches the gross wall, 160.00 ft² and 14.86 m². Corners still cover 12.00 ft², so flats before waste are 148.00 ft². At 10 percent the flat order is 163, from 162.80 ft². Corner order stays 18. Mortar rises to 0.49 yd³, 13.33 ft³, and 19 bags.
What does 5 percent waste change?
Set waste to 5 and leave the rest. Flats stay 136.00 ft² before waste, then 142.80 ft², and the order is 143. Corners are 16.80 ft, and the order is 17. At 0 percent the orders are 136 and 16, the areas before any extra. Mortar stays 18 bags at every waste setting, because waste is extra stone for cuts, not extra wall.
How many Type S bags does the veneer need?
Mortar is the net area times the thickness. The thickness starts at 1 inch, a 1/2 inch scratch coat plus a 1/2 inch setting bed. 148.00 ft² at 1 inch is 0.46 yd³, 12.33 ft³, and 0.35 m³. An 80 lb bag at the 0.71 ft³ planning yield is 18 bags. A 50 kg bag, the same yield scaled by mass, is 13 bags. At 1/2 inch the same net area is 9 bags of 80 lb, because 0.71 ft³ covers about 17 ft² at that thickness.
What if corner coverage is 0.50 or 0.67?
Type 0.50 and leave waste at 10 percent. Corners cover 8.00 ft², flats before waste are 140.00 ft², and the flat order is 154. Type 0.67 and the cover is 10.72 ft², flats before waste are 137.28 ft², and the flat order is 152. Corner order stays 18, because the coverage factor changes the flats, not the linear feet.
Does this include joint grout, lath, or pavers?
No. The mortar line is the scratch coat and the setting bed on the net wall. Grout in the joints, lath, weep screed, and flashing are not counted. A patio of pavers is the paver calculator. A percent of a brick or block wall is the mortar calculator. Segmental retaining-wall blocks are the retaining wall calculator.