Masonry Magazine December 1989 Page. 27
BIA Technical Notes on Brick Construction
Brick Institute of America 11490 Commerce Park Drive, Reston, Virginia 22091
9A
June
1989
MANUFACTURING, CLASSIFICATION AND SELECTION OF BRICK
CLASSIFICATION
PART II
ABSTRACT
This Technical Notes describes the various kinds of brick and their classification. Specific requirements including physical properties, efflorescence, dimensional tolerances, distortion, chippage, and coring are described. Additional requirements for each kind of brick are also covered.
KEY WORDS
appearance, ASTM Standards, brick, chippage, classification, cores, dimensional tolerances, distortion, efflorescence, exposure, frogs, grades, physical properties, types, uses.
INTRODUCTION
The classification of brick is determined by the usage of brick in specific applications. Brick used in the wrong application can lead to failure or an unpleasing appearance. Standard specifications have been developed to produce uniform requirements for brick. The standard specifications include strength, durability and aesthetic requirements.
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) publish the most widely accepted standards on brick. These standards are voluntary consensus standards. All have been through a review process by various segments of the construction industry producers, users and general interest members. Most of the model building codes reference ASTM standards. Many of the requirements in the brick standards aid in predicting the durability of the product in actual use. These predictors, and other requirements in ASTM standards, are not infallible. All ASTM standards are reviewed and updated periodically to obtain optimal performance.
This Technical Notes addresses the specific requirements for various classifications of brick. Other Technical Notes in this series provide the fundamentals of brick manufacturing and the proper selection of brick.
BRICK CLASSIFICATION
Depending on its use, brick can be classified by one of several specifications.
| Type of Brick Unit | ASTM¹ Designation | CSA² Designation |
|---|---|---|
| Building Brick | C 62 | A82.1 |
| Facing Brick | C 216 | A82.8 |
| Hollow Brick | C 652 | |
| Paving Brick | C 902 | |
| Ceramic Glazed Brick | C 126 | |
| Thin Brick Veneer Units | C 1088 | |
| Sewer and Manhole Brick | C 32 | |
| Chemical Resistant Brick | C 279 | |
| Industrial Floor Brick | C 410 | |
Since chemical resistant brick and industrial floor brick are special applications, they will not be addressed in this Technical Notes.
Uses
As the names imply, the uses of brick are similar to their respective ASTM designations.
Building Brick. Building brick are intended for use in both structural and non-structural masonry where appearance is not a requirement. Building brick are typically used as a backing material.
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