Your Essential Brick Terminology Guide
Understanding the language of Brick is crucial to the success of your construction project.
Whether you're a seasoned builder, architect, or construction student, mastering brick terminology ensures clear communication, regulatory compliance, and optimal material selection.
This in-depth guide explores the essential vocabulary that you need to know.
Brick Types and Classifications
Facing bricks
Brick knowledge begins with understanding the primary classifications that define British construction standards. Facing bricks are the most commonly encountered category, designed specifically for external walls where appearance matters. These bricks showcase superior aesthetic qualities and weather resistance, making them ideal for facades and exposed surfaces.
Engineering bricks
Engineering bricks, by contrast, prioritise structural performance over appearance. Classified into Class A and Class B categories, these high-strength units offer exceptional compressive strength and low water absorption rates. Class A engineering bricks provide the highest specification, typically used in demanding structural applications, including bridges and foundations.
Solid and Perforated Bricks
The distinction between solid bricks and perforated bricks is also important to understand. Solid bricks contain no intentional holes or voids, offering maximum structural integrity. Perforated bricks feature carefully positioned holes that reduce weight whilst maintaining strength, improving handling efficiency and thermal properties. Standard bricks represent the everyday workhorses of construction, meeting basic performance requirements for internal walls and general building applications.
By understanding these classifications, you can make informed decisions when selecting materials for specific applications, ensuring compliance with building regulations and performance expectations.
Manufacturing Terms Every Builder and Architect Should Know
Firing: the high-temperature treatment that turns clay into a durable ceramic material. The firing temperature and duration determine the brick's final properties, including strength, colour, and porosity.
Tempering: the process of adding water to clay, achieving the optimal consistency for shaping. This critical stage affects the brick's workability and final structural integrity.
Extrusion: involves forcing tempered clay through shaped dies, creating consistent brick profiles with precise dimensions.
Water absorption rates: provide vital performance indicators, measured as the percentage of water a brick absorbs when fully saturated. Lower absorption rates typically indicate higher durability and frost resistance. Compressive strength measures the brick's ability to withstand crushing forces, expressed in Newtons per square millimetre (N/mm²).
Efflorescence: this is the white, chalky deposits that sometimes appear on brick surfaces when soluble salts migrate through the material and crystallise upon drying. Understanding this phenomenon helps architects specify appropriate bricks and protective measures for different exposure conditions.
Traditional Bond Patterns
Mortar and Bonding Essentials
Joint Terminology and Construction
Bricks and mortar create the structural fabric of masonry walls. Bed joints run horizontally between brick courses, providing the primary load-bearing interface. Perpend joints (or cross joints) run vertically between adjacent bricks within the same course, contributing to lateral stability and weather resistance.
Pointing refers to the finishing technique applied to mortar joints, both for aesthetic purposes and weather protection. Different pointing profiles include flush pointing, struck pointing, and weather-struck pointing, each offering specific performance characteristics.
English bond alternates courses of stretchers (bricks laid lengthwise) and headers (bricks laid end-on), creating exceptional strength through interlocking patterns. This traditional approach remains popular for structural walls requiring maximum stability.
Flemish bond alternates stretchers and headers within each course, producing an attractive appearance whilst maintaining structural integrity. This pattern offers excellent load distribution and remains a favourite for prestige projects.
Size Standards and Dimensional Terms
British brick dimensions follow strict standards outlined in BS EN 771-1, ensuring compatibility across manufacturers and applications. Work size represents the actual manufactured dimensions of individual bricks, accounting for production tolerances. Coordination size includes the thickness of mortar joints, representing the space each brick occupies within the wall.
Frog depth measures the depression found in many bricks, designed to improve mortar adhesion and reduce material usage. Standard frogs typically measure 10-20mm deep, though specifications vary according to brick type and manufacturer.
Bed face dimensions define the surface area that contacts the mortar bed, directly influencing load distribution and structural performance. Understanding these measurements ensures proper specification and installation practices.
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