Masonry Magazine April 1994 Page. 22
TABLE 1
Standard Nomenclature for Brick Sizes¹
# MODULAR BRICK SIZES
| Unit Designation | Nominal Dimensions, in. | Joint Thickness², in. | Specified Dimensions, in. | Vertical Coursing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | w | h | l | | w | h | l | |
| Modular | 4 | 2% | 8 | % | 3% | 2% | 7% | 3C-8 in. |
| Engineer Modular | 4 | 3% | 8 | % | 3% | 2% | 7% | 5C = 16 in. |
| Closure Modular | 4 | 4 | 8 | % | 3% | 3% | 7% | 1C-4 in. |
| Roman | 4 | 2 | 12 | % | 3% | 1% | 11% | 2C = 4 in. |
| Norman | 4 | 2% | 12 | % | 3% | 2% | 11% | 3C = 8 in. |
| Engineer Norman | 4 | 3% | 12 | % | 3% | 2% | 11% | 5C 16 in. |
| Utility | 4 | 4 | 12 | % | 3% | 3% | 11% | 1C-4 in. |
# NON-MODULAR BRICK SIZES
| | | | | % | 3% | 2% | 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | | | | | | | | 3C = 8 in. |
| Engineer Standard | | | | % | 3% | 2% | 8 | 5C 16 in. |
| Closure Standard | | | | % | 3% | 3% | 8 | 1C-4 in. |
| King | | | | % | 3 | 2% | 9% | SC-16 in. |
| Queen | | | | % | 3 | 2% | 8 | 5C = 16 in. |
¹1 in. 25.4 mm; 1ft 0.3 m
²Common joint sizes used with length and width dimensions. Joint thicknesses of bed joints vary based on vertical coursing and specified unit height. Specified dimensions may vary within this range from manufacturer to manufacturer.
BRICK DIMENSIONS
Brick are identified by three dimensions: width, height and length. Height and length are sometimes called face dimensions for these are the dimensions showing when the brick is laid as a stretcher. The terms applied to brick positions as they are placed in a wall are shown in Fig. 3. The shaded areas indicate the surfaces of the brick that are exposed. Specifications and purchase orders should list brick dimensions in the standard order of width first, followed by height, then length.
When specifying or designing with brick, it is important to understand the difference between nominal, specified and actual dimensions. Nominal dimensions are most often used by the architect in modular construction. In modular construction, all dimensions of the brick and other building elements are multiples of a given module. Such dimensions are known as nominal dimensions. For brick masonry the nominal dimension is equal to the specified unit dimension plus the intended mortar joint thickness. The intended mortar joint thickness is the thickness required so that the unit plus joint thickness match the coursing module. In the inch-pound system of measurement, nominal brick dimensions are based on multiples (or fractions) of 4 in. In the SI (metric) system, nominal brick dimensions are based on multiples of 100 mm. For more information on modular construction see Technical Notes 10A Revised.
As the name implies, the specified dimension is the anticipated manufactured dimension. It should be stated in project specifications and purchase orders. Specified dimensions are used by the structural engineer in the rational design of brick masonry. In non-modular construction, only the specified dimension should be