Brick, Block & Mortar
323 sources in the library on brick, block & mortar, 40 on this page cited in a published note. Each one says what the document covers and what it is good for. Name a source to see which document it is and where to read it. One at a time. Page 1 of 9.
- very strong RN-RQLJJ9 cited
Department for Business and Trade (GOV.UK)
The official monthly building materials commentary for August 2026, reporting seasonally adjusted brick deliveries in Great Britain down 22.8% year on year in July 2026.
- very strong RN-ROWNPQ cited
Department for Communities (Northern Ireland)
Historic Environment Division technical note on repointing. It describes strap pointing in hard mortar over the joint, which cracks, admits water and can spall adjoining masonry.
Cited in How to Repair Damaged Bricks.
- very strong RN-CDLNT7 cited
Health and Safety Executive
The specific HSE information sheet behind the dust advice, with the numbers a note can quote. Names three types of construction dust: silica dust, also called respirable crystalline silica, from concrete, mortar and sandstone; wood dust from softwood, hardwood and wood-based products including MDF and plywood; and other general dust from materials with little or no silica, most commonly gypsum as in plasterboard, limestone, marble and dolomite. States that over 500 construction workers are believed to die from exposure to silica dust every year, and that the main dust-related diseases are lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, most developing slowly though advanced silicosis and asthma can come on quickly. The legal framework is the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, and the three required steps are Assess, Control and Review. On damping down it corrects a common site habit: water needs enough supply at the right levels for the whole time the work is being done, and just wetting the material beforehand does not work. High dust levels come from high-energy tools such as cut-off saws, grinders and grit blasters.
Cited in How to Insulate a Loft (DIY), How to Insulate A Vaulted Ceiling In 5 Steps, How to Lay a Patio, How to Sand & Restore Floorboards and 4 more.
- very strong RN-3SDJ0M cited
Historic England
Historic England's publication page for its Conservation Principles, Policies and Guidance, confirming the document's full title and its April 2008 publication date.
Cited in Choosing Stone Restoration Or Replacement Brickwork.
- very strong RN-JWNF5G cited
Historic England
Historic England's homeowner guidance on finding contractors for old buildings, naming the Heritage Skills CSCS card as the credential tradespeople can hold.
Cited in Choosing Stone Restoration Or Replacement Brickwork.
- very strong RN-P1GORF cited
Historic England
Historic England's technical advice on internal wall insulation for solid walls. It warns that warm internal vapour can condense on the cold side of the insulation or on the wall behind it.
Cited in Wall Insulation Materials: Cavity, Internal & External.
- very strong RN-4FMMUQ cited
Historic England
Historic England technical guidance on repairing traditional masonry; it describes lime mortar joints as a sacrificial layer that lets the whole wall dry out and needs routine maintenance.
- very strong RN-3SXGDU cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The GOV.UK page for Approved Document C, published 3 September 2013, ISBN 978 1 85946 509 7, covering site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture, with a separate FAQ document (ISBN 978-1-4098-4805-9). Since April 2023 the Building Safety Regulator has a duty under the Building Safety Act 2022 to keep building safety and standards in England under review, including advising on Approved Document updates. The linked PDF gives the figures a damp note needs: paragraph 5.5 says a wall meets the requirement if it has a damp-proof course of bituminous material, polyethylene, engineering bricks or slates in cement mortar, or any other material that prevents the passage of moisture, continuous with any damp-proof membrane in the floors; for an external wall the damp-proof course should be at least 150mm above the level of the adjoining ground; and for an external cavity wall the cavity should be taken down at least 225mm below the lowest damp-proof course, or a damp-proof tray provided, with weep holes every 900mm and stop ends plus at least two weep holes where the tray does not run the full length. Paragraph 5.6 accepts the alternative of BS 8215 clauses 4 and 5 for damp-proof course design and installation, and BS 8102 for protection against water from the ground.
Cited in EPS vs XPS Insulation: Which & Where.
- very strong RN-Z6AXUW cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (GOV.UK)
The full Approved Document A PDF, which carries the deemed-to-satisfy tables a domestic project is checked against. Section 2E covers foundations of plain concrete: paragraph 2E3 gives the recommended minimum widths of strip foundations in Table 10, keyed to ground type and total load of loadbearing walling per linear metre. Table 10 sets, for rock (not inferior to sandstone, limestone or firm chalk, requiring at least a pneumatic or mechanically operated pick to excavate), a width equal to the width of the wall at every load. For medium dense gravel or sand (requires a pick to excavate, a 50mm square wooden peg hard to drive beyond 150mm) and for stiff clay or stiff sandy clay (can be indented slightly by the thumb), the minimum widths are 250mm at 20 kN per linear metre, 300mm at 30, 400mm at 40, 500mm at 50, 600mm at 60 and 650mm at 70. Firm clay and firm sandy clay (thumb makes an impression easily) start at 300mm. The document also covers minimum depth of strip foundations, wall thickness rules for residential buildings up to three storeys (paragraph 2C10 covers internal loadbearing walls in brickwork or blockwork), buttressing, lateral support by floors and at roof level, interruption of lateral support, wall cladding in Section 3, and Section 5 on reducing sensitivity to disproportionate collapse with the building consequence classes.
Cited in Adding an Ensuite: Cost, Layout & Plumbing, Annexe & Granny Flat: Cost, Planning & Rules, Bathroom Storage Solutions, Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes and 48 more.
- very strong RN-ERBGVF cited
Planning Portal
The Planning Portal's guidance on Building Regulations for external wall work; it sets the 25 per cent threshold at which rebuilding, re-rendering or re-cladding a wall becomes controlled work needing an insulation upgrade.
- very strong RN-M920CI cited
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
Article 4(1) of the retained Construction Products Regulation requires a manufacturer to draw up a declaration of performance when a product covered by a designated standard, or conforming to a UK Technical Assessment, is placed on the market. Article 4(2) makes the declaration the only permitted route for stating performance against essential characteristics, so a performance claim outside the declaration is not valid. Article 4(3) provides that by drawing up the declaration the manufacturer assumes responsibility for the product's conformity with the declared performance, and that in the absence of objective indications to the contrary the declaration is presumed accurate and reliable. The words designated standard and UK Technical Assessment were substituted for harmonised standard and European Technical Assessment on 31 December 2020 by the Construction Products (Amendment etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/465), Schedule 1 paragraph 6.
Cited in PIR vs Mineral Wool Insulation Compared.
- very strong RN-8CNXVL cited
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
Regulation 28 of the Building Regulations 2010. Consequential improvements apply only to existing buildings over 1,000 m2 of useful floor area, so they do not reach ordinary houses.
Cited in Wall Insulation Materials: Cavity, Internal & External.
- very strong RN-4C9X4B cited
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
Class F permits the provision within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse of a hard surface for any purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse, or its replacement in whole or in part. Condition F.2 applies where the hard surface would lie between a wall forming the principal elevation and a highway and its area would exceed 5 square metres: the surface must then be made of porous materials, or provision made to direct run-off water to a permeable or porous area or surface within the curtilage.
Cited in Artificial Grass vs Turf: Cost & Pros/Cons, Block Paving: Cost & Patterns, Brick Driveway Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Brick Steps Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide and 9 more.
- strong locally RN-CYT1EZ cited
Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record, Nottinghamshire County Council
The county Historic Environment Record's guide to brick bonds, which defines English Garden Wall bond as several courses of stretchers, commonly three, to one course of headers.
Cited in Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes.
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BRE
BRE's bookshop entry for Digest 329, Installing wall ties in existing construction. It gives the current edition's date as 2000, not 1988.
- strong RN-UV9U5I cited
BRE
BRE's bookshop entry for Digest 401, Replacing wall ties. It confirms the title and the 1995 publication date.
- strong RN-ZYOC9I cited
BSI
BSI's record for BS 8539, the current code of practice for post-installed anchors in masonry; it settles the title and current edition.
Cited in Cavity Wall Ties: Types, Spacing & Replacement, Wall Plugs & Anchors for Every Wall.
- strong RN-A7X42S cited
BSI
the product standard calcium silicate bricks are specified to, which is Part 2 rather than Part 3
Cited in Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes.
- strong RN-6XUDRA cited
BSI
the product standard autoclaved aerated concrete blocks are specified to
- strong RN-D5C2F3 cited
BSI
the product standard factory-made and site-made masonry mortar is specified to
Cited in Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes, Cement Types Explained: OPC, Rapid-Set, SR & Masonry.
- strong RN-K49HN9 cited
BSI
BSI's record for PD 6697, showing the 2019 edition is current; it settles the edition and title of the document.
- strong RN-YA3KJC cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 1 July 2007. BS 3921:1985 was published 29 November 1985 and was the British product specification for clay bricks, including the familiar classes such as engineering brick Class A and Class B and the frost resistance and soluble salt designations that UK brick notes still repeat. It was superseded by the harmonised European product standard BS EN 771-1, Specification for masonry units. Clay masonry units, after which BS EN 771-1 became the sole product standard for clay bricks in the UK; the associated test methods moved to the BS EN 772 series. Any note that specifies bricks to BS 3921 is naming a standard withdrawn nearly twenty years ago and should cite BS EN 771-1 instead. The catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date and withdrawal date but does not name the superseding standard.
Cited in Structural Materials: The Complete Guide.
- strong RN-604BXB cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 21 September 2018. BS 5080-1:1993 was published 15 February 1993 and gave the method of test for tensile loading of structural fixings in concrete and masonry, that is the pull out test used to prove wall anchors, remedial wall ties and similar fastenings on site. Its companion BS 5080-2:1986 covered resistance to loading in shear. Because it is withdrawn, a note that specifies pull out testing of remedial wall ties to BS 5080 is quoting a dead standard; current practice for anchor qualification sits with the European Assessment Documents and BS EN 1992-4:2018, Eurocode 2 design of fastenings for use in concrete, with site proof loading commonly to a manufacturer or third party protocol. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date and scope but does not name a replacement.
- strong RN-LOZAWU cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT, and unusually for a 1984 standard the BSI catalogue page shows no withdrawal date. BS 6515:1984 was published 28 September 1984 and specifies polyethylene sheet used as a damp proof course in masonry, covering material composition, specimen preparation, permeability measurement and the test procedures for the impermeable sheet. It is the product standard behind the black polythene DPC roll sold by every builders merchant, and it sits alongside BS 8215:1991, the code of practice for design and installation of damp proof courses in masonry construction, and BS 6576 for chemical DPCs in existing walls. Note the distinction a note should keep: BS 6515 is a damp proof COURSE in a wall, not a damp proof MEMBRANE under a floor slab, which is a different product covered by BS 8102 and the gas and moisture membrane standards. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; requirements are paywalled.
Cited in Builders' Merchants Explained: How They Work & How to Buy, Damp Proof Membranes (DPM) & DPC: Types & Installation.
- strong RN-II5853 cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 10 December 2010. BS 8200:1985 was published 28 June 1985, ISBN 0 580 14352 X, committee B/209, ICS 91.040.01, and gave the code of practice for the design of non loadbearing external vertical enclosures, that is the building envelope, covering weathertightness, thermal performance, sound insulation, condensation control, joints and durability. It has no direct single replacement: its subject matter now sits across the Approved Documents (C for weather resistance, L for thermal, E for sound), BS 5250 for condensation control in buildings, and the cladding specific codes such as BS 8297 for precast concrete and the BS 8298 series for natural stone. A note citing BS 8200 for envelope design principles is quoting a standard withdrawn in 2010. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date, ISBN, committee and scope.
- strong RN-XS4XXQ cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS EN 413-1:2011 was published 30 June 2011 and supersedes BS EN 413-1:2004, which is withdrawn. It defines the composition and specifications of masonry cement, the cement made specifically for mortar for bricklaying, blocklaying, rendering and plastering, which contains air entraining additives to improve workability and frost resistance after hydration. It sets physical, mechanical and chemical requirements, defines strength classes (the 2011 edition introduced the air entrained class MC 22.5) and gives the conformity criteria. This is the standard to cite when a note distinguishes masonry cement from ordinary Portland cement to BS EN 197-1: they are different products with different standards, and masonry cement should not be dosed with extra plasticiser as if it were OPC. Part 2 (BS EN 413-2:2016) gives the test methods. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; requirements tables are paywalled.
Cited in Cement Types Explained: OPC, Rapid-Set, SR & Masonry.
- strong RN-6RE0OY cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN 772-1:2011+A1:2015 (base edition published 31 May 2011, ISBN 978 0 580 84584 0, identical to EN 772-1:2011+A1:2015) supersedes BS EN 772-1:2000 and is part one of the BS EN 772 test series for masonry units. It specifies specimen preparation and conditioning and the compression test method used to determine the compressive strength of bricks and blocks, the figure quoted in N/mm2 that decides whether a unit is suitable for a given structural application. It is the test standard that sits behind the product specifications in the BS EN 771 series (BS EN 771-1 clay units, BS EN 771-3 aggregate concrete units, BS EN 771-4 autoclaved aerated concrete), and it replaced the strength testing formerly given inside the withdrawn British product standards such as BS 3921 for clay bricks. Other parts of the series cover dimensions (BS EN 772-16) and bending tensile strength. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the method is paywalled.
- strong RN-30GDL1 cited
BSI (BSI Knowledge catalogue)
Dated 30 December 2005 with a 2012 amendment, this is the masonry design Eurocode. Its overview states it is the first sub-part of Part 1 of the series and gives the basis for the design of buildings and civil engineering works in masonry, dealing with unreinforced masonry and with reinforced masonry where reinforcement is added to provide ductility, strength or improved serviceability. The principles of prestressed and confined masonry design are given but application rules are not provided, and the Part is expressly not valid for masonry with a plan area of less than 0.04 square metres. It is the standard a structural engineer designs a loadbearing brick or block wall to, and the reference behind the characteristic compressive strength of masonry built with a given unit and mortar strength.
Cited in Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes, Concrete Blocks: Aircrete vs Dense vs Hollow, Types of Brick: Facing, Engineering & Common.
- strong RN-0Z2U0M cited
BSI (BSI Knowledge catalogue)
Dated 31 October 2011 with a 2015 amendment, this specifies the characteristics and performance requirements for clay masonry units intended for protected or unprotected masonry, covering facing and rendered masonry and loadbearing and non-loadbearing structures including internal linings and partitions. It defines performance for dimensional tolerances, strength and density against test methods in separate European standards, and it carries the F0, F1 and F2 frost resistance categories and the S0, S1 and S2 active soluble salts categories that a UK brick is declared against. Its scope note states the standard does not specify standard sizes for clay masonry units, which is why UK brick format remains a national convention rather than a European one.
Cited in Brick Slips & Brick Cladding Systems, Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes, Concrete Blocks: Aircrete vs Dense vs Hollow, Structural Materials: The Complete Guide and 1 more.
- strong RN-VIBP9W cited
BSI (BSI Knowledge catalogue)
Dated 31 October 2011 with a 2015 amendment, this is the third part of the BS EN 771 masonry unit series and the standard UK concrete blocks are declared to. Its scope specifies the characteristics and performance requirements of aggregate concrete masonry units made from dense aggregates, lightweight aggregates or a combination of both, whose main intended uses are common, facing or exposed masonry in loadbearing or non-loadbearing building and civil engineering applications. It is the reference for a block manufacturer declaring compressive strength (for example 3.6 N/mm2 or 7.3 N/mm2), density and dimensional tolerance, and it is the counterpart to BS EN 771-1 for clay bricks and BS EN 771-4 for autoclaved aerated (aircrete) units.
Cited in Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes, Concrete Blocks: Aircrete vs Dense vs Hollow.
- strong RN-4BJDGY cited
BSI (BSI Knowledge catalogue)
Dated 31 August 2013 with a 2016 amendment, this is the specification for wall ties, tension straps, hangers and brackets used to interconnect masonry or connect masonry to walls, floors, beams and columns. Where anchors or fasteners are supplied as part of an ancillary component the performance requirements apply to the complete product. Its scope expressly excludes anchors and fasteners other than as part of an ancillary component, shelf angles, wall starter plates for tying into existing walls, and products made from materials other than the listed austenitic stainless steels and other permitted materials. This is the standard a cavity wall tie or a remedial tie should be declared to.
- strong RN-BNGAID cited
United Kingdom Accreditation Service
The live UKAS register of accredited bodies currently under sanction. It records the British Board of Agrement under imposed suspension from 26 February 2026 across all four of its accreditations: ISO/IEC 17065 product certification and ISO/IEC 17021 management systems under reference 0113, ISO/IEC 17020 inspection under 4345, and ISO/IEC 17025 testing under 0357. This is the page to check before repeating any advice that treats a BBA certificate as accredited third party assurance.
Cited in Breathable Membranes for Roofs & Walls, Damp Proof Membranes (DPM) & DPC: Types & Installation, EPC Ratings Explained & How to Improve Yours, External Wall Insulation (EWI) Systems & Finishes and 4 more.
- good RN-J43FLR cited
Brick Development Association
BDA Design Note 7, January 2011 edition, replacing the August 2006 issue and incorporating the recommendations of PD 6697:2010. It identifies saturation as the main cause of brickwork deterioration and works through protection from saturation by design, exposed and ground conditions, vulnerable details and workmanship. It covers the mechanism of frost action and winter construction, and sulfate attack including sulfates from bricks and from other sources, dense mortars and vulnerable situations. It sets out clay brick frost resistance and soluble salts categories and the resulting durability designations, and mortar type and designation, batching accuracy, frost action, anti-freeze admixtures and joint profiles. Section 9 gives brick and mortar selection for durability location by location, including work below or within 150mm above external ground level, clay brick damp proof courses, unrendered and rendered external walls above 150mm, internal walls, unrendered and rendered parapets and chimneys, free-standing and earth-retaining walls, sills, copings and cappings, manholes and planting boxes. References include PD 6697, BS EN 771-1, BS EN 998-2, BS 4027 and the UK National Annex to BS EN 1996-1-1.
Cited in Brick Steps Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Bricks Per 1000 Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Garden & Retaining Walls: Cost & Build.
- good RN-RGZEMS cited
Brick Development Association
The Brick Development Association's durability design note. It explains that saturated, frozen bricks and mortar suffer expansion stresses in the pores that they cannot withstand.
Cited in Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes, How to Repair Damaged Bricks.
- good RN-V8F5KJ cited
Brick Development Association
The Brick Development Association's 2023 guide to mortar for brickwork. It says sulfate-resisting cement with reduced tricalcium aluminate should be used in exposed walls and where soils hold high sulfate levels, such as London clay.
- good RN-HPFDEF cited
Brick Development Association
The Brick Development Association's 2023 guide to severely exposed brickwork. Its details show engineering bricks laid in M12 mortar below ground and for at least two courses above, and give M12 as 1:¼:3.
Cited in Mortar Mix Ratios & Types: Which Mix for What, Types of Brick: Facing, Engineering & Common.
- good RN-15FQJ7 cited
Interpave
Interpave's guide to concrete block paving. Its table of typical applications gives 50 mm blocks for driveways, patios and footways and 60 mm or more for roads and heavier traffic.
Cited in Brick Driveway Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide.
- good RN-5WJ1KN cited
Mineral Products Association, Mortar Industry Association
The mortar industry's own learning text on specifying masonry mortar. Its Table 1 sets out the prescribed mixes by volume for each mortar designation, (i) to (iv) and M12 down to M2, for cement:lime:sand and for masonry cement:sand.
- fair RN-DP2FM1 cited
Construction Fixings Association
The fixings trade association's summary of the standards: BS 5080-1 is withdrawn and site testing of fixings is defined in BS 8539.
- fair RN-54KWR6 cited
Energy Saving Trust
How to identify a cavity wall and what filling it costs. About 33% of all heat lost from an uninsulated home escapes through the walls. Houses built after the 1920s usually have cavity walls; pre 1920 houses are usually solid; houses from the 1990s onwards usually already have wall insulation. Identification: cavity walls show an even stretcher bond with all bricks laid lengthways, solid walls show an alternating pattern with header ends visible; a brick wall 260mm to 350mm thick is likely a cavity wall, narrower is likely solid, stone walls are solid up to about 500mm thick and earth walls run 300mm to over a metre. Typical installed cost around £2,200 in Great Britain and around £1,000 in Northern Ireland, with payback usually five years or less. Unsuitable where the wall is exposed to extreme weather or flooding, in poor condition, at risk of overheating, or where the cavity is narrower than 50mm. External repairs to brickwork, pointing, roofs, gutters and downpipes must be completed first or damp can be trapped. Underfloor grilles, airbricks, wall vents and trickle vents must not be blocked. Post installation damp is chased through the installer, then the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency guarantee or an independent insurance backed guarantee.
Cited in Cavity Wall Insulation Materials Compared, EPC Ratings Explained & How to Improve Yours, Home Energy Audit: DIY Steps, Renovating a 1930s House and 3 more.