How Many Blocks for a 10 ft Retaining Wall, 2 ft High?

A 10 ft long wall standing 2 ft above the ground needs 42 blocks in the standard 16 × 6 in size, counting one buried course and 5% extra, plus 10 caps and about 2.1 tons of gravel for the base and drainage. At typical US prices the materials cost about $318–$605.

Change any number below to match your project. The retaining wall calculator works for any size.

Use 0 if you won’t cap the wall.
Blank uses a typical price range.

Your shopping list prints here.Enter your measurements and it updates as you type.

How it's worked out

  1. Blocks per course: 10 ft × 12 = 120 in ÷ 16 in = 8 (rounded up)
  2. Courses: 2 ft × 12 = 24 in ÷ 6 in = 4, plus 1 buried course = 5
  3. Blocks: 8 × 5 = 40, plus 5% for breakage = 42
  4. Caps: 120 in ÷ 12 in caps = 10
  5. Base gravel: 24 in wide × 6 in deep trench, +15% for compaction = 0.6 tons
  6. Drainage gravel: 12 in behind the wall for its full 2.5 ft, +15% = 1.5 tons

10x2 wall with other block sizes

Block faceTypeBlocksBlock priceMaterials cost
12 × 4 inSmall garden block74$2–$3.5 each$272–$519
12 × 6 inMedium block53$3–$5 each$288–$534
16 × 6 inStandard wall block42$4.5–$8 each$318–$605
18 × 6 inLarge wall block37$6–$12 each$351–$713

Materials cost covers blocks, 10 caps at $3–$7 each, base and drainage gravel at $40–$75 a ton in bulk, and 10 ft of 4 in perforated drain pipe. It leaves out tax, delivery, landscape fabric and tool rental. Ask for a pallet price if you need a lot of blocks; it's often cheaper than buying them one at a time.

A 2 ft wall is a comfortable DIY size for most segmental blocks. Spend most of your effort on a level, compacted base and good drainage behind the wall.

Other common sizes

More detail: How Many Retaining Wall Blocks Do I Need? Charts by Wall Size