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A backyard fire pit not only offers a great place to make memories with your family and friends, but it also increases your property value. Building your own fire pit will save you money, but how many bricks should you buy? Find out below how many brick pavers you need to build a fire pit in your backyard.

Bricks Needed for a Fire Pit

A palette of paver brick

This table shows bricks needed for a fire pit made of the common 8″ x 4″ x 2.25″ brick paver 4 rings high with bricks laid long-side down and an additional ring of bricks on top, radiating inward. The top row serves as capstones to give it a clean look. A .375″ gap has been included in these calculations to account for space for mortar between bricks.

Common Sizes for Fire Pits and Number of Brick Pavers Needed

Interior DiameterNumber of Bricks Needed
27″61
30″67
32″71
33″74
36″80
39″87
42″94
45″101
48″107
51″114
54″120
57″127
60″134

Extend the life of your brick paver fire pit

Brick pavers make a great looking fire pit, but a larger pit can cost a few hundred dollars as well as many hours of labor. The high heat of campfires can take its toll on most fire pit materials, but if you want to extend its life, you have a couple of options.

Fire Brick

Fire bricks are designed to hold up to high heat. The benefits of using fire brick are that it is the more inexpensive way to line a fire pit and extend its life. Also, it offers a nice, rustic appearance to your pit which some people are more drawn to.

The disadvantages of a fire brick liner are that you have to also buy refractory cement to use between them as mortar. There is also more work for you as you have to cut the fire brick to fit the inside diameter and mortar them in.

Fire brick is commonly laid with the long side going up and down. Below is a table showing how many fire bricks you will need to line a 5 ring masonry brick fire pit, like the one described at the beginning of the post.

The fire brick would be laid 2 bricks high, long side going up and down. A .375″ gap is included in the measurements to allow for mortar. What is nice about this design of fire pit is that fire brick won’t need to be cut to length and two rows will line it perfectly. The top row of brick paver capstones of the fire pit will be laid over the top edges of the fire brick.

There are two thicknesses of firebrick available, 1.25″ and 2.5″. Either will work.

Interior DiameterNumber of Fire Bricks Needed
27″36
30″40
32″42
33″44
36″48
39″52
42″56
45″58
48″62
51″66
54″70
57″74
60″78

If you’re struggling to find fire brick in your area, you can have them shipped right to your door. Find them here.

Fire Pit Liner

When looking to make your brick paver fire pit long-lasting, your other option is to use a fire pit liner, also called a fire pit insert. Fire pit liners are made from steel with a finish that can hold up to high heat. The rings have a lip on top that overlaps the top of your ring slightly.

The benefits of using a fire pit liner are that they are much easy to install as you build your pit to fit so that it can fit inside. Also, some like the clean look that a fire pit insert offers.

A disadvantage of a fire pit liner is that you are limited to the size of pit you can build. You would want to find a liner first before you start your pit to make sure it fits properly. Another option is to have one custom built to a specific size, but that is more expensive.

Titan Great Outdoors offers 3 sizes of steel fire pit liners. They are 10″ tall and would work with the dimensions given in the table above for the masonry brick pits with inner dimensions of 27″, 32″, or 42″. To use these for the design shown above, limit the pit to 2 rings high and 1 ring of capstones, making 3 rings of brick pavers total.

Click here to see their current selection on Amazon.

Additional Questions

How much mortar will I need?

For all sizes of the brick paver fire pits in the table above, only one 60 pound bag of mortar mix is needed. The easiest way to mix up your mortar is in a wheelbarrow. A hoe or shovel will be needed to mix your mortar and you will also need a masonry trowel for spreading it on your bricks.

What do I put in the bottom of my firepit?

There are several materials that can be used in the bottom of a firepit. The materials need to be able to hold up to extreme heat. Commonly used materials are fire brick, a layer of refractory cement, sand, lava rock, gravel, and dirt.

If you can’t find refractory cement in your area, you can have it shipped right to you here.

What if I want to build it from something other than brick pavers?

If you are still trying to decide what material to build your pit out of, use our Fire Pit Calculator below to find out how many blocks or bricks you will need to build the size of pit that is perfect for your backyard.

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Love cooking outdoors? That may be a sign that you need to add this heavy-duty, stainless-steel adjustable cooking grate from Titan Great Outdoors to your tool kit! Mine is wonderful and has an incredibly sturdy feel. Because it’s adjustable, you’ll be less likely to end up with charred food, and the drip tray for grease keeps flare-ups to a minimum. Take a look here!

You may also enjoy our article When to Use Fire brick in a Fire Pit and When to Skip It.

Cat is a nature lover who wants to help you make the most of your family and friend time in the great outdoors by offering helpful tips about fire pits, backyard activities, and camping. Learn more about Cat here.