Common Brick Terms

Allowance - $ Amount per thousand for brick allowed for in house estimate

Bullnose - Brick with one rounded end

Cement - The adhesive ingredient in mortar

Coping - Brick used at the top of a wall

Corbel - Projected brick or courses from the face of the wall

Course - Horizontal row of bricks

Cube - Typical brick package; bricks stacked on one another bound by steel or bands

Full Head & Bed Joint - Mortar joints filled from front to back

Joint - Gap between brick in wall, typically _” wide

Jointing - Process of sealing mortar joints while the mortar is thumb print hard

Mason Sand - Fine granular sand with round particles used in mortar

Quoins - Exterior or projecting brick panels at the corner of a building

Sill Brick - Regular or shaped brick, typically used on a window sill

Splits - Half high brick, used to balance courses in a wall

Soldier Course - Row of bricks stood on end with it’s long face perpendicular to wall length

Step Tread - Regular or shaped brick, used to create steps

Stretcher - Brick laid with it’s long face parallel to a wall’s length

Wall Flashing - Flexible material, used to direct water to weep holes

Wall Ties - Metal strips placed into mortar joint and attached to wall

Weep Hole - Open vertical joint between bricks, allowing water to drain from the wall

Wire-cut Bricks - Extruded clay cut into shapes by taut wire