Part 1 of 3
Brick Masonry
Last reviewed 16 Sept 2026 · 11 min read
Terms in brickwork
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Stretcher | Brick laid with its length along the face of the wall (the longer narrow face — the stretcher face — exposed) |
| Header | Brick laid with its length across the wall (the end face exposed) |
| Bed | Lower surface of the brick when laid; bed joint — horizontal mortar joint |
| Frog | Depression on one bed face — laid upwards and filled with mortar |
| Lap | Horizontal distance by which one brick projects beyond a vertical joint in the course below (commonly one-quarter brick in standard bonds) |
| Perpend | Vertical joint on the face of a wall — perpends in alternate courses should line up vertically |
| Closer | A piece of brick cut lengthwise to complete a course or to maintain bond: queen closer (half the width, cut along the length — full length, half width), king closer (one corner cut off diagonally, leaving half header and half stretcher faces), bevelled closer, mitred closer |
| Bat | A piece of brick cut across its width — half bat, three-quarter bat, bevelled bat |
| Quoin | External corner of a wall; quoin header/stretcher — brick at the corner |
| Racking back | Stepping back each course at the end of a wall section being built, so that later work can be bonded in |
| Toothing | Leaving alternate courses projecting at the end of a wall for future bonding |
| Squint quoin | Corner that is not a right angle |
| Course | One horizontal layer of bricks |
Rules for bonding
Bond is the arrangement of bricks in successive courses so that vertical joints do not coincide, distributing loads and binding the wall together.
- Bricks should be of uniform size; length about twice the width plus one joint.
- Lap should be at least one-quarter brick along the length of the wall and half a brick across the thickness.
- No continuous vertical joints in the face or within the thickness.
- Stretchers are used mainly on the faces; the hearting should be filled with headers as far as possible.
- Minimum use of bats; closers are placed next to quoin headers to develop lap.
- Vertical joints in alternate courses should be in the same vertical line (perpends).
- Each alternate header should be centrally placed over the stretcher below (in appropriate bonds).
Types of bonds
| Bond | Arrangement | Use / remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Stretcher (running) bond | All bricks laid as stretchers, with half-brick lap in successive courses | Half-brick thick walls — partitions, cavity wall leaves, facing; not for thicker load-bearing walls (no bonding across thickness) |
| Header bond | All bricks laid as headers with half-width lap (three-quarter bats at quoins in alternate courses) | One-brick thick walls, curved walls (small radius), footings (for load distribution); less attractive for long walls |
| English bond | Alternate courses of headers and stretchers; a queen closer placed next to the quoin header in each header course; headers centred over stretchers | Strongest bond — load-bearing walls, piers; no continuous vertical joints |
| Flemish bond | Headers and stretchers alternate in the same course; each header centred over a stretcher of the course below; queen closers next to quoin headers in alternate courses | Better appearance; double Flemish (Flemish on both faces) and single Flemish (Flemish on face, English backing) |
| English garden wall bond | One course of headers to three to five courses of stretchers | Garden and compound walls (economical, attractive) |
| Flemish garden wall bond | In each course, one header after three to five stretchers | Garden and boundary walls |
| Facing bond | Header courses at intervals tying a facing of stretchers to backing | When facing and backing bricks differ in thickness |
| Raking bond | Bricks laid at an angle in the interior of thick walls — diagonal bond (45° in each direction in alternate courses) and herring-bone bond (V-pattern) | Increases longitudinal strength of thick walls; herring-bone for paving and decorative work |
| Dutch bond | Modified English bond with three-quarter bats at quoins and no queen closers | Strong corners |
| Zig-zag bond | Similar to herring-bone with zig-zag pattern | Brick paving, ornamental work |
| Stack bond | Bricks stacked with continuous vertical joints | Non-load-bearing decorative work (needs reinforcement) |
English bond versus Flemish bond
| English bond | Flemish bond |
|---|---|
| Headers and stretchers in alternate courses | Headers and stretchers alternate in every course |
| Stronger (fewer bats, better bonding through thickness) — preferred for load-bearing walls thicker than one brick | Somewhat weaker for walls thicker than 1½ bricks; uses more brickbats |
| Less attractive (plain appearance) | Better appearance on the face |
| Easier to construct; less skilled labour | Needs more skill and care |
| Economical | Slightly less economical (more cut bricks), but bats can use broken bricks |
Construction practice and precautions
- Use good-quality bricks (well burnt, uniform); soak bricks in water before use (to prevent absorption of water from mortar) but lay them surface-dry.
- Lay bricks with frogs upward on a full bed of mortar; fill all vertical joints ("buttering").
- Keep mortar joints uniform — commonly about 10 mm.
- Build walls plumb and courses level using a mason's line, spirit level and plumb bob; check with a straight edge.
- Raise the wall uniformly along its length; limit the height built in a day (commonly about 1 m or less) to allow mortar to gain strength; use racking back rather than toothing at junctions where possible.
- Break joints according to the bond; use closers at quoins; avoid excessive use of bats.
- Cure brickwork by keeping it moist (commonly at least 7 days for cement mortar).
- Rake joints (about 10–12 mm deep) while mortar is green if the wall is to be plastered or pointed.
- Provide holdfasts for door and window frames, and bond walls at junctions.
- Protect fresh work from rain, hot sun and frost; do not load newly built walls prematurely.
- Leave scaffolding holes only as permitted and fill them afterwards.
Reinforced brick masonry and brick nogging
- Reinforced brick masonry (RBM) — steel bars or hoop iron embedded in mortar joints or grouted cores to resist tension, shear and seismic forces — lintels, slabs (reinforced brick concrete), walls in earthquake zones.
- Half-brick walls (partitions) are often strengthened with hoop iron or reinforcement in every third or fourth course.
- Brick nogging — brickwork filling a framework of timber or concrete posts and rails (panel walls).
- Earthquake-resistant masonry — horizontal RCC bands (plinth, lintel, roof bands) and vertical reinforcement at corners and junctions as per IS 4326.
Strength of brickwork
The strength of brick masonry depends on:
- Compressive strength of bricks and mortar grade (masonry strength is less than brick strength).
- Workmanship — filling of joints, joint thickness (thicker joints reduce strength), wetting of bricks, bond.
- Slenderness ratio of walls and columns — effective height (or length) ÷ effective thickness; higher slenderness reduces permissible stress (stress reduction factor).
- Eccentricity of loading.
- Shape and size of units.
IS 1905 (Code of practice for structural use of unreinforced masonry) gives basic compressive stresses for masonry based on unit strength and mortar type, stress reduction factors for slenderness and eccentricity, area reduction factors, limits on slenderness ratio (commonly up to about 27 for walls in cement or cement–lime mortar), and minimum wall thicknesses.
FormulaSlenderness ratio
= effective height (depends on end restraints — e.g. about 0.75 × clear height when floors restrain the wall at top and bottom); = effective thickness.