BRITISH STANDARD

Glossary of

Building and civil

engineering terms
Part 5: Masonry
Section 5.3 Bricks and blocks

UDC 001.4:[624 + 69]

BS 6100-5.3:
1984

BS 6100-5.3:1984

This British Standard, having

been prepared under the
direction of the Basic Data
and Performance Criteria for
Civil Engineering and Building
Structures Standards
Committee, was published
under the authority of the
Board of BSI and comes into
effect on
29 February 1984
BSI 03-1999
The Committees responsible for
this British Standard are shown
in Part 0
The following BSI references
relate to the work on this
standard:
Committee reference BDB/3
Draft for comment 82/13935 DC
ISBN 0 580 13717 1

Amendments issued since publication

Amd. No.

Date of issue

Comments

7262

August 1992

Indicated by a sideline in the margin

BS 6100-5.3:1984

Contents
Foreword
530 1 Masonry units
530 2 Bricks
530 3 Blocks
530 4 Constructions
530 5 Activities and tools
Index

BSI 03-1999

Page
ii
1
2
3
3
4
5

BS 6100-5.3:1984

Foreword
This Section of Part 5 of this British Standard has been prepared under the
direction of the Basic Data and Performance Criteria for Civil Engineering and
Building Structures Standards Committee.
A general introduction to and explanation of this glossary is given in Part 0 of this
standard which itemizes the Parts, Sections and Subsections into which this
glossary is divided and provides a general alphabetical index of all the terms in
the Sections and Subsections already published. Those using individual Sections
and Subsections of this glossary are urged to consult Part 0 when doing so.
The other Sections of this Part are as follows:
5.1
5.2

Terms common to masonry

Stone

Terms and definitions referring specifically to refractory bricks are not included
in this Section, nor does it cover brick making in detail. For terms that apply
equally to bricks and blocks, the term masonry unit has been adopted to avoid
unnecessary repetition and is defined in Section 5.1.
Terms are listed alphabetically in the index and are referred to by numbers which
are found against the term in the body of the Section. There they are arranged in
a classified order, each term having an individual number consisting of seven
digits in two parts, the first of three digits, the second of four. The first three
digits represent the number of the Part, Section and Subsection (in this case, the
third digit is 0 as there is no division into Subsections). The fourth digit
represents the group of terms, the fifth digit represents the subgroup of terms,
and the last two digits represent the place within the subgroup.
Alternative terms are given below the preferred terms with their status
indicated, e.g. deprecated. These terms are not individually numbered, but are
included in the index with a reference to the preferred term. Terms of more than
one word, e.g. frogged brick are written in a direct style, not as brick, frogged.
The inverted term is included in the index with a reference to the direct term.
It has been found necessary to repeat in this Section certain terms from
Section 1.0 General. Where this occurs, the definitions of such terms are
preceded by an asterisk (*).
Italicized words indicate terms that are defined elsewhere in this Section.
A British Standard does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a
contract. Users of British Standards are responsible for their correct application.
Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity
from legal obligations.

Summary of pages
This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i and ii,
pages 1 to 6 and a back cover.
This standard has been updated (see copyright date) and may have had
amendments incorporated. This will be indicated in the amendment table on
the inside front cover.
ii

BSI 03-1999

BS 6100-5.3:1984

530 1 Masonry units

No.

Term

Definition

530 1001

special unit

Masonry unit with particular physical properties required for a

specific use.

530 1002

shaped unit

Special unit the shape of which is other than a parallel faced

rectangular prism.

530 1003

standard shaped unit

Shaped unit the form and sizes of which are given in a relevant
British Standard.
NOTE Such bricks are illustrated in BS 4729 Specification for dimensions of
bricks of special shapes and sizes.

530 1004

cant unit

Shaped unit cut between header and stretcher faces to produce a

chamfer.

530 1005

plinth unit

Shaped unit cut between bed and stretcher and/or header faces
to produce a chamfer.

530 1006

bullnose unit

Shaped unit with adjacent faces joined by a wide radius curve.

530 1007

squint

Special unit used at an oblique quoin.

530 1008

solid unit

Masonry unit with no designed voids.

530 1009

cellular unit

Masonry unit in which voids of a stated minimum percentage of

its volume do not pass through the masonry unit.

530 1010

hollow unit

Masonry unit in which voids of a stated minimum percentage of

its volume pass through the masonry unit.

530 1011

perforated unit

Masonry unit in which voids of a smaller stated percentage of its

volume than in a hollow unit pass through the masonry unit.

530 1012

common unit

Masonry unit suitable for general construction work, with no

special claim to give an attractive appearance.

530 1013

facing unit

Masonry unit specially made or selected to give an attractive

appearance.

530 1014

split-faced unit

Facing unit that has an irregular surface of similar texture to

quarried stone, obtained by splitting a larger masonry unit.

530 1015

lintel unit

Shaped unit that, when assembled with others, accommodates

the reinforcement of a lintel.

530 1016

fixing unit

Masonry unit made specially to facilitate easy driving of, and

good holding for, nails and screws.

530 1017

header

Shorter face of a masonry unit showing on the face of a wall.

530 1018

stretcher

Longer face of a masonry unit showing on the face of a wall.

530 1019

closer

Portion of a masonry unit used to maintain bond.

530 1020

king closer

Closer formed by cutting diagonally to leave a full header at one

end and half a header at the other.

530 1021

queen closer

Closer formed by cutting longitudinally to leave half a header at

each end.

530 1022

concrete unit

Masonry unit made of concrete.

530 1023

calcium silicate unit

Masonry unit formed essentially from a mixture of lime,

siliceous aggregate and water, cured in high pressure steam.

530 1024

sandlime unit

Calcium silicate unit of which the aggregate is natural sand.

530 1025

flintlime unit

Calcium silicate unit of which part or all the aggregate is

crushed flint.

BSI 03-1999

BS 6100-5.3:1984

No.

Term

Definition

530 1026

fired-clay unit

Masonry unit formed from brick-earth, clay or shale, dried and

burned.
NOTE Fired-clay should not be confused with fireclay, which is used for making
refractory bricks.

530 1027

terra cotta unit

Decorative fired-clay unit, fine textured and unglazed, usually

yellow to brownish-red in colour.

530 1028

faience unit

Masonry unit, similar to a terra cotta unit, with some surfaces

covered with a clear or coloured glaze.

530 1029

air brick

Component with apertures for building into a wall to provide

ventilation through it.

530 2 Bricks
530 2001

brick

Masonry unit that does not exceed 338 mm in length, 225 mm in

width nor 113 mm in height.

530 2002

engineering brick

Brick sized fired-clay unit that has a dense and strong

semi-vitreous body, that conforms to defined limits for water
absorption and compressive strength.

530 2003

frog

Depression formed in one or both of the largest surfaces of a

brick.

530 2004

frogged brick

Brick in which any frogs do not exceed 20 % of the gross volume

of the brick.

530 2005

soft mud process

Process of forming bricks from clay with a water content too high
to allow the bricks to be handled or stacked without deformation
immediately after shaping.

530 2006

hand-made brick

Brick formed by throwing by hand a clot of soft clay into a

mould.

530 2007

stock brick

Brick originally hand-made in the south-east of England, so

called from the timber stock, fixed to the bench that forms the
frog.
NOTE 1 Now usually made by soft mud process or other mechanical process.
NOTE 2 Sometimes used to describe bricks held in stock by brickmakers or
merchants.

530 2008

wire-cut brick

Brick without frogs shaped by extruding a column of clay

through a die, the column being subsequently cut to the size of a
brick by means of taut wires.

530 2009

rusticated brick

Brick finished with a rough texture formed on the face before

drying and firing.

530 2010

rubber

Soft clay brick, specially made to be easily ground to accurate

sizes for use in gauged brickwork.

530 2011

bat

Portion of a brick, either specially manufactured or cut.

530 2012

snap header

Half brick with its uncut end showing as a header on the face of
a wall.

530 2013

brick slip
brick tile deprecated

Brick, either specially manufactured or cut, of the same height

and length as a header or a stretcher and usually with a
thickness of between 20 mm and 50 mm.

530 2014

brick tile

Brick, either specially manufactured or cut, of the same length

and width as the bed face, usually with a thickness of
between 25 mm and 50 mm.

BSI 03-1999

BS 6100-5.3:1984

No.

Term

Definition

530 2015

damp proof course

brick

Fired-clay brick that is used to resist rising damp.

530 3 Blocks
530 3001

block

530 3002

dense concrete block

Concrete block of high density, manufactured using natural

aggregate such as ordinary gravel, sand or crushed stone.

530 3003

lightweight concrete
block

Concrete block of low density, manufactured using aeration or

lightweight aggregate or both.

530 3004

lightweight aggregate
concrete block

Lightweight concrete block manufactured using lightweight

aggregate.

530 3005

aerated concrete block

gas concrete block
deprecated
foamed concrete block
deprecated

Lightweight concrete block manufactured using fine aggregate,

with air or gas mechanically or chemically incorporated.

530 3006

autoclaved aerated
concrete block

Aerated concrete block submitted to high pressure steam curing.

530 3007

thermal insulation
block

Block designed to lower thermal conductance.

530 3008

foam filled concrete

block

Thermal insulation block that contains preformed voids filled

with a foamed material.

530 3009

clinker block
breeze block deprecated

Lightweight aggregate concrete block made using well burnt

clinker as the base aggregate.

530 3010

dry walling block

Interlocking block for use without mortar.

530 3011

cavity closer block

jamb block deprecated

Block, L-shaped on plan, for closing the cavity at a jamb.

530 3012

quoin block

Block, L-shaped on plan, for maintaining bond at a corner.

Masonry unit exceeding the size of a brick in any dimension.

Repeated from Section 1.0.

530 4 Constructions
530 4001

sleeper wall

aLow

530 4002

gauged brickwork

Brickwork built to fine tolerances, sometimes using bricks

ground or otherwise produced to accurate sizes.

530 4003

honeycombed wall

Wall in which bricks are laid with quarter brick overlaps to

leave half brick gaps between successive bricks in any one
course, frequently a sleeper wall.

530 4004

dog toothing

Bricks laid with their corners projecting from the face of a wall.

530 4005

soldier course

Course of masonry units set on their ends with their stretcher

faces visible.

530 4006

stretcher bond

Arrangement of masonry units in which only stretchers are

visible in a wall.

a Repeated

loadbearing wall to provide intermediate support to a

suspended floor at ground level.

from Section 1.0.

BSI 03-1999

BS 6100-5.3:1984

No.

Term

Definition

530 4007

English bond

Arrangement of masonry units in which alternate courses of

headers and stretchers are visible in a wall.

530 4008

Flemish bond

Arrangement of masonry units in which, in each course,

alternate headers and stretchers are visible in a wall.

530 4009

cavity tray
cavity gutter deprecated

Damp proof course that bridges a wall cavity to lead moisture to

the external face of a wall.

530 5 Activities and tools

530 5001

buttering

Placing mortar on a masonry unit.

530 5002

docking

Dipping bricks in water shortly before laying to reduce their

suction rate.

530 5003

brick hammer

Light hammer with the head approximately 25 mm long, one

end being a chisel and the other having a flat face.

530 5004

scutch hammer

Light hammer similar to a brick hammer, with a head that has

replaceable cutting edges at both ends.

530 5005

bolster

Broad faced chisel for cutting masonry units.

530 5006

raker

Short metal bar, bent and pointed at one end, used for removing
mortar from a mortar joint.

530 5007

frenchman

Improvised tool, usually a bent table knife, used to cut off excess
mortar when pointing.

530 5008

hod

Three-sided box, mounted on a pole, used over the shoulder for

carrying masonry units and mortar.

BSI 03-1999

BS 6100-5.3:1984

Index
aerated concrete block 530 3005
aerated concrete block,
autoclaved 530 3006
aggregate concrete block,
lightweight 530 3004
air brick 530 1029
autoclaved aerated concrete
block 530 3006
bat 530 2011
block 530 3001
block, aerated concrete 530 3005
block, autoclaved aerated
concrete 530 3006
block, breeze 530 3009
block, cavity closer 530 3011
block, clinker 530 3009
block, dense concrete 530 3002
block, dry walling 530 3010
block, foam filled
concrete 530 3008
block, foamed concrete 530 3005
block, gas concrete 530 3005
block, jamb 530 3011
block, lightweight aggregate
concrete 530 3004
block, lightweight
concrete 530 3003
block, quoin 530 3012
block, thermal
insulation 530 3007
bolster 530 5005
bond, English 530 4007
bond, Flemish 530 4008
bond, stretcher 530 4006
breeze block 530 3009
brick 530 2001
brick, air 530 1029
brick, damp proof
course 530 2015
brick, engineering 530 2002
brick, frogged 530 2004
brick, hand-made 530 2006
brick, rusticated 530 2009
brick, stock 530 2007
brick, wire-cut 530 2008
brick hammer 530 5003
brick slip 530 2013
brick tile 530 2014
brick tile (dep.) 530 2013
brickwork, gauged 530 4002
bullnose unit 530 1006
buttering 530 5001
calcium silicate unit 530 1023
cant unit 530 1004
cavity closer block 530 3011
cavity gutter 530 4009
cavity tray 530 4009
cellular unit 530 1009
clinker block 530 3009

BSI 03-1999

closer 530 1019

closer, king 530 1020
closer, queen 530 1021
closer block, cavity 530 3011
common unit 530 1012
concrete block, aerated 530 3005
concrete block, autoclaved
aerated 530 3006
concrete block, dense 530 3002
concrete block, foam
filled 530 3008
concrete block, foamed 530 3005
concrete block, gas 530 3005
concrete block,
lightweight 530 3003
concrete block, lightweight
aggregate 530 3004
concrete unit 530 1022
course brick, damp
proof 530 2015
course, soldier 530 4005
damp proof course brick 530 2015
dense concrete block 530 3002
docking 530 5002
dog toothing 530 4004
dry walling block 530 3010
engineering brick 530 2002
English bond 530 4007
facing unit 530 1013
faience unit 530 1028
filled concrete block,
foamed 530 3008
fired-clay unit 530 1026
fixing unit 530 1016
Flemish bond 530 4008
flintlime unit 530 1025
foamed concrete block 530 3005
foamed filled concrete
block 530 3008
frenchman 530 5007
frog 530 2003
frogged brick 530 2004
gas concrete block 530 3005
gauged brickwork 530 4002
gutter, cavity 530 4009
hammer, brick 530 5003
hammer, scutch 530 5004
hand-made brick 530 2006
header 530 1017
header, snap 530 2012
hod 530 5008
hollow unit 530 1010
honeycombed wall 530 4003
insulation block,
thermal 530 3007
jamb block 530 3011

king closer 530 1020

lightweight aggregate concrete
block 530 3004
lightweight concrete
block 530 3003
lintel unit 530 1015
mud process, soft 530 2005
perforated unit 530 1011
plinth unit 530 1005
process, soft mud 530 2005
queen closer 530 1021
quoin block 530 3012
raker 530 5006
rubber 530 2010
rusticated brick 530 2009
sandlime unit 530 1024
scutch hammer 530 5004
shaped unit 530 1002
shaped unit, standard 530 1003
sleeper wall 530 4001
slip, brick 530 2013
snap header 530 2012
soft mud process 530 2005
soldier course 530 4005
solid unit 530 1008
special quality 530 6001
special unit 530 1001
split-faced unit 530 1014
squint 530 1007
standard shaped unit 530 1003
stock brick 530 2007
stretcher 530 1018
stretcher bond 530 4006
terra cotta unit 530 1027
thermal insulation
block 530 3007
tile, brick (dep.) 530 2013
tile, brick 530 2014
toothing, dog 530 4004
tray, cavity 530 4009
unit 530 1001
unit, bullnose 530 1006
unit, calcium silicate 530 1023
unit, cant 530 1004
unit, cellular 530 1009
unit, common 530 1012
unit, concrete 530 1022
unit, facing 530 1013
unit, faience 530 1028
unit, fired-clay 530 1026
unit, fixing 530 1016
unit, flintlime 530 1025
unit, hollow 530 1010
unit, lintel 530 1015

BS 6100-5.3:1984

unit, perforated 530 1011

unit, plinth 530 1005
unit, sandlime 530 1024
unit, shaped 530 1002
unit, solid 530 1008
unit, special 530 1001
unit, split-faced 530 1014
unit, standard shaped 530 1003
unit, terra cotta 530 1027
wall, honeycombed 530 4003
wall, sleeper 530 4001
walling block, dry 530 3010
wire-cut brick 530 2008

BSI 03-1999

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