How much does a cinder block wall cost? (materials per wall and per square foot)
Materials for a 20 x 4 ft wall of standard 8 x 8 x 16 in block come to about $314 with the cells empty (95 blocks at $2.50 and 8 bags of mortar) and $412 with rebar every 32 in and a bond beam, which is $3.92 to $5.14 per square foot before the footing. HomeGuide's 2026 figures put a mason at $5 to $10 per block to lay it and a finished wall at $15 to $30 per square foot installed. The tables price walls from 10 to 40 ft at 2026 shelf prices you can change in the calculator.
Open the concrete block calculator
Materials for a plain wall
Standard 8 x 8 x 16 in block at $2.50 with 5% waste and 80 lb bags of mortar at $9.50, 13 blocks per bag plus 10%. Cells empty, no openings, footing not included. Change the prices in the concrete block calculator to what your yard quotes.
| Wall | Blocks | Mortar bags | Materials | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 x 4 ft | 51 | 5 | $175 | $4.38 |
| 10 x 6 ft | 76 | 7 | $257 | $4.28 |
| 10 x 8 ft | 101 | 9 | $338 | $4.23 |
| 20 x 4 ft | 95 | 8 | $314 | $3.92 |
| 20 x 6 ft | 142 | 12 | $469 | $3.91 |
| 20 x 8 ft | 189 | 16 | $625 | $3.90 |
| 40 x 4 ft | 189 | 16 | $625 | $3.90 |
| 40 x 6 ft | 284 | 23 | $929 | $3.87 |
| 40 x 8 ft | 378 | 31 | $1,240 | $3.87 |
Materials for a reinforced wall
The same walls with a bar every 32 in, the cells around the bars grouted and a bond beam course on top, grout in 80 lb bags of concrete at $7.00. Rebar is listed but not priced: a 20 ft stick of #4 bar is a local price, and the wall needs the vertical bars plus two in the bond beam plus dowels into the footing.
| Wall | Blocks | Mortar bags | Grout bags | Vertical bars | Materials | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 x 4 ft | 51 | 5 | 8 | 5 | $231 | $5.78 |
| 10 x 6 ft | 76 | 7 | 10 | 5 | $327 | $5.44 |
| 10 x 8 ft | 101 | 9 | 13 | 5 | $429 | $5.36 |
| 20 x 4 ft | 95 | 8 | 14 | 9 | $412 | $5.14 |
| 20 x 6 ft | 142 | 12 | 19 | 9 | $602 | $5.02 |
| 20 x 8 ft | 189 | 16 | 23 | 9 | $786 | $4.91 |
| 40 x 4 ft | 189 | 16 | 28 | 16 | $821 | $5.13 |
| 40 x 6 ft | 284 | 23 | 37 | 16 | $1,188 | $4.95 |
| 40 x 8 ft | 378 | 31 | 46 | 16 | $1,562 | $4.88 |
The step from plain to reinforced is mostly grout: $1,240 becomes $1,562 on the 40 x 8 ft wall, and 46 bags is a truck job. The cell fill guide has the grout for every spacing and the point where a short load is cheaper than bags.
What a mason charges
The figures below are HomeGuide's 2026 national ranges for the United States, quoted as published; local prices sit anywhere inside them and outside them in expensive cities. Installed prices include the footing, reinforcement and rebar.
| Item | Range |
|---|---|
| Block, materials only | $1 – $5 |
| Pallet of blocks | $115 – $225 (70 – 90 blocks) |
| Labor to lay, per block | $5 – $10 |
| Labor, per square foot | $10 – $17 |
| Materials, per square foot | $5 – $13 |
| Installed, per square foot | $15 – $30 |
| Installed, per linear foot, 4 ft wall | $60 – $120 |
| Installed, per linear foot, 6 ft wall | $90 – $180 |
| Installed, per linear foot, 8 ft wall | $120 – $240 |
| Mason, hourly | $35 – $100 |
Put the two together for a budget: the 20 x 6 ft reinforced wall is $602 in blocks, mortar and grout at shelf prices, $675 to $1,350 in laying labor at $5 to $10 a block, plus the footing (about 20 x 1.3 x 0.7 ft of concrete, in the concrete cost calculator), the rebar and the excavation. HomeGuide's $90 to $180 per linear foot for a 6 ft wall gives $1,800 to $3,600 for the same 20 ft, which is the same arithmetic done by contractors.
Where the money goes
- Blocks are about 76% of the plain wall's materials and mortar the rest; in the reinforced 20 x 6 ft wall grout is 22% of the bill before the rebar is added. Buying a full pallet is cheaper per block than loose ones and saves the trips.
- Delivery: a pallet weighs about a tonne, so it comes on a truck with a forklift; HomeGuide puts bulk delivery at $60 to $200 or more, and most yards fold it into an order of a few pallets.
- The footing is concrete, not block: 8 in thick and twice the wall width is the usual rule for a garden wall, below the frost line where there is one. The block wall guide has the sizes and the order of the work.
- Cap blocks, a stucco or paint finish, drainage behind a retaining wall and the permit are on top of everything here.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a cinder block cost?
- $1 to $5 each in HomeGuide's 2026 figures, or $115 to $225 for a pallet of 70 to 90; a plain grey 8 x 8 x 16 in block is usually $2 to $3 on the shelf, which is why the calculator starts at $2.50. Half blocks, corner blocks and bond beam blocks cost a little more; HomeGuide puts solid, breeze and split-face blocks at $2 to $5 each.
- How much do 100 cinder blocks cost?
- $250 for the blocks at $2.50 plus $86 for the 9 bags of 80 lb mortar that lay them (13 blocks per bag plus 10%): $336 in materials. Laying 100 blocks is $500 to $1,000 in labor at $5 to $10 per block.
- How much does a 20 ft cinder block wall cost?
- Materials: $314 for 4 ft high with empty cells and $412 reinforced, $469 to $602 for 6 ft. Installed, HomeGuide's range is $60 to $120 per linear foot for a 4 ft wall and $90 to $180 for 6 ft, so $1,200 to $2,400 and $1,800 to $3,600 for 20 ft, footing included.
- What does a block wall cost per square foot?
- Materials alone, $3.91 per square foot with the cells empty and $5.02 reinforced at the calculator's prices (20 x 6 ft wall, footing not included); HomeGuide gives $5 to $13 for materials, $10 to $17 for labor and $15 to $30 per square foot installed, footing and rebar in. A retaining wall runs up to 20% more.
- How much does filling the cells add?
- Bars every 32 in with a bond beam add $133 to a 20 x 6 ft wall in grout alone (19 bags of 80 lb at $7.00), plus the rebar: 9 vertical bars of 6 ft and 40 ft in the bond beam. On a 40 x 8 ft wall the grout is $322 in bags; at that size a short load from the plant is cheaper, see the concrete cost guide.
- How much do I save by laying the blocks myself?
- The labor: $5 to $10 per block, so $675 to $1,350 on the 135 blocks of a 20 x 6 ft wall, against $469 of materials. You still pay for the footing concrete, a mixer or a mixing tub, and the saw for the half blocks. A wall over 4 ft, a retaining wall or anything holding a building up usually needs a permit and an engineer's bar schedule.
More guides
- How many concrete blocks do I need for a wall?
8x8x16 blocks per square foot and for walls from 10x4 to 40x8 ft with 5% waste, mortar volume, and the metric 440 x 215 mm block per square metre.
- How much concrete to fill cinder blocks? (per block, per 100, per wall)
Grout per 8 in block (0.22 cu ft, three blocks per 80 lb bag), per 100 blocks and for 10 to 40 ft walls with every cell filled or bars every 16 to 48 in, plus metric.
- Building a block wall: courses, rebar, grout and mortar for a 20 ft wall
The material list for a CMU wall in order: footing, courses, half blocks, bars every 32 or 48 in, grouted cells, bond beam and mortar, with counts for 4 to 8 ft walls.
- How much does a cinder block garage cost? (blocks, mortar, grout and slab for 1, 2 and 3 car)
Blocks, mortar and grout for 1 to 3 car block garages, 12x20 to 36x24 ft, 8 ft walls, doors and windows taken off, plus the 4 in slab, at 2026 prices.
Last updated 2026-09-15. Figures are planning estimates from typical product data: check the yield, size or coverage printed on what you buy and round up.