Brick, Block & Mortar
323 sources in the library on brick, block & mortar, 11 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 3 of 9.
- supplier figure RN-TOS2R5 cited
Thermafleece (Eden Renewable Innovations Ltd)
High density sheep wool rich insulation slab, 75% wool with recycled fibres, 20 to 25% recycled content. Density 31 kg/m3. Thermal conductivity 0.035 W/mK. Slabs 1200 mm long in 390 and 590 mm widths, thicknesses 50, 70 and 90 mm with a plus or minus 5 mm tolerance. Published thermal resistance (m2K/W): 50 mm 1.43, 70 mm 2.00, 100 mm 2.86, 140 mm 4.00, 190 mm 5.43, 240 mm 6.86. Fire Classification EuroClass E; flammability and smoulder resistance to BS 5803-4 pass. Vapour resistivity 9 MNs/gm. Specific heat capacity 1800 J/kgK. Water absorption at 100% RH 24% w/w. Sound reduction Rw 41 dB, NRC 1.10 at 90 mm. Dimensional stability to EN 1604 pass, EPD registration S-P-04468. Cradle to gate A1-A3 carbon 0.05 kg CO2e per functional unit. Thermafleece states UltraWool is not suitable for use as a cavity barrier.
Cited in Best Loft Insulation: Materials Compared, Loft Insulation Guide: Types, Costs & Recommended Depth.
- supplier figure RN-JUN3FV cited
TradePoint
TradePoint's product page for a 25 kg bag of Blue Circle Hydralime hydrated lime, priced at £20.15 including VAT, with a 1:1:5–6 cement:lime:sand mortar recipe.
- supplier figure RN-2QV2BA cited
Travis Perkins
A national builders' merchant's product page for a handmade London stock facing brick, with its retail pack and per-brick price.
- supplier figure RN-4NIRWL cited
Travis Perkins
A national builders' merchant's product page for London Brick commons (flettons), with the retail pack and per-brick price that sets the top of the commons range.
- supplier figure RN-YSM5FV cited
Travis Perkins
A national builders' merchant's product page for a dense concrete common brick, giving the retail per-brick price that sets the bottom of the commons range.
- supplier figure RN-DKQ7RS cited
Travis Perkins
A national builders' merchant's product page for a solid blue Class A engineering brick, with the retail pack and per-brick price that sets the top of the engineering range.
- supplier figure RN-BS8W6E cited
Travis Perkins
A national builders' merchant's product page for a solid red Class B engineering brick, giving the retail pack and per-brick price that sets the top of the range.
Cited in Brick Steps Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Bricks Per 1000 Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide.
- supplier figure RN-6H1K2Q cited
Wickes
Wickes product page for a 20 kg bag of Blue Circle ready-mixed mortar. It shows the shelf price including VAT and the price per kilogram, excluding delivery.
- supplier figure RN-HFBXHU cited
Wickes
A national retailer's product page for a standard facing brick sold in packs of 416 at £420, the basis of the worked example's supply cost.
- supplier figure RN-U5IS84 cited
Wickes
A national retailer's product page for a red perforated engineering brick sold singly, giving the per-brick price near the bottom of the engineering range.
- supplier figure RN-CTRP5W cited
Wienerberger
A brick maker's technical sheet on BS EN 771-1. It states the UK work size remains 215 x 102.5 x 65 mm and that the European standard uses a different tolerance test from the former BS 3921.
Cited in Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes.
- very strong RN-MMEX1T
Historic Environment Scotland
A free public-body technical guide on damp in traditional buildings, and the accessible route to heritage-grade damp advice because Historic England blocks scripted fetches. Published 1 July 2007 by Historic Environment Scotland, publication type Technical, Advice and Guidance, INFORM Guide, audiences Planners and Owners and Conservation and Heritage enthusiasts, subjects Architecture and Climate Change, downloadable as a 288 KB PDF from the page. Scope stated on the page: recognising the causes and early signs of damp, and guidance on rectifying damp problems. Use it as the counterweight to damp-proofing sales literature, since HES guidance for solid-walled traditional buildings does not start from the chemical injected damp proof course assumption that dominates UK damp articles. Note the jurisdiction: it is Scottish guidance, so the building science transfers but any regulatory reference does not.
- very strong RN-HIUMHY
Historic Environment Scotland
The public-body source for why cement mortar on a traditional stone or soft brick wall causes decay, published 13 October 2016 by Historic Scotland (now HES), INFORM Guide, 377 KB PDF. Scope stated on the page: it focuses on the two commonly used mortar types, lime mortars and cement mortars, gives an overview of the physical properties of both, and indicates their technical suitability for use with traditional stone masonry, on the basis that selecting a suitable mortar for repair works matters for conservation and for PREVENTING MASONRY DECAY ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF INCOMPATIBLE MATERIALS. Pair it with the HES Short Guide: Lime Mortars in traditional buildings (1 March 2013, 2.16 MB PDF), which covers the history and use of lime mortars, sourcing of raw materials, preparation of mortars for repairs and how to recognise and reduce the risk of failure, and with the INFORM Guide: Hot-Mixed Lime Mortars (1 April 2015, 4.41 MB PDF), which explains how hot-mixed lime mortars differ from other lime mortars and how they are prepared on site.
- very strong RN-2XZZA3
Historic Environment Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland's technical guidance on lime as a building material, published by the Engine Shed, its building conservation centre. It sets out why mortar joints are meant to weather faster than the masonry around them, and why an Ordinary Portland Cement mortar that is harder and less permeable than the brick or stone drives decay into the masonry face instead.
- very strong RN-2E60JR
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The shortest Approved Document, covering requirement D1 of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010: if insulating material is inserted into a cavity in a cavity wall, reasonable precautions must be taken to prevent the subsequent permeation of toxic fumes into any part of the building occupied by people. The stated performance is that formaldehyde fumes given off by urea formaldehyde (UF) foams must not reach occupied parts at an irritant concentration, and paragraph 1.1 permits formaldehyde-emitting insulants only where a continuous barrier minimises the passage of fumes to occupiable parts. Paragraph 1.2 sets five conditions for filling a cavity with UF foam: the inner leaf must be masonry (brick or block); suitability must be assessed beforehand to BS 8208-1:1985; the installer must hold or operate under a current Certificate of Registration of Assessed Capability; the material must comply with BS 5617:1985; and installation must follow BS 5618:1985. The 2010 amendments were regulation renumbering only and the 2013 amendments changed only the materials and workmanship guidance, with no change to Part D of Schedule 1.
- strong RN-04DH6J
BBA (British Board of Agrement)
The certification body whose Agrement Certificate is what a note usually means when it says a system is approved, and the page that lists which schemes it actually runs. The BBA's certification team issues certificates for the BBA Agrement, HAPAS (Highways Authority Product Approval Services), European Technical Assessment (ETA), and the Microgeneration Certification Scheme. Alongside product certification it runs certification of people, including the BBA Approved Installer Scheme, the BBA Competent Person Scheme, the BBA Gas Membrane Approved Installer Scheme, TrustMark registration and the BBA PAS 2030 Scheme, plus a Client Managed Inspection Service. Its testing services are also available standalone and include durability, mechanical, physical and structural, weather resistance and wind serviceability, conformance and fit-for-purpose, thermal performance, and onsite testing and trials. An Agrement Certificate is the route by which a product without a harmonised European product standard, such as a tanking membrane, a multifoil or a proprietary EWI system, gets an independently assessed statement of fitness for a stated use.
- strong RN-002CQ2
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 1 January 2005. BS 4721:1981 was published 31 July 1981 and specified pre blended ready mixed building mortars, covering composition, properties and quality requirements for cement, lime, sand and aggregate based mortar products. It was superseded by the European mortar standards, principally BS EN 998-2 for masonry mortar and BS EN 998-1 for rendering and plastering mortar, with mortar designations moving from the old roman numeral mixes (i to v) to the M classes (M2, M4, M6, M12) by compressive strength. A note that cites BS 4721 for a bagged or silo mortar, or that gives a mortar designation without saying which system it belongs to, is working from a standard withdrawn over twenty years ago. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date and scope but does not name the replacement.
- strong RN-E6EZEI
BSI (British Standards Institution)
The standard the conservation trade works to, and the one a listed-building or period-property note should name. BS 7913 is paywalled, so only the BSI catalogue page is public; it confirms the current edition is BS 7913:2013, published 31 December 2013, status Current, ISBN 978 0 580 75778 5, prepared by BSI committee B/560 and classified under ICS 91.040.99. The catalogue page states this is the SECOND edition, updated to align with current best practice, and that the standard describes best practice in the management and treatment of historic buildings, applying to historic buildings both WITH and WITHOUT statutory protection, which is the point most renovation articles miss when they treat conservation guidance as relevant only to listed buildings. Its named audience includes owners, users, occupiers and managers of historic buildings, architects, engineers, surveyors, building managers, conservators, planners and local authority building control officers. The listed descriptors show its coverage: conservation, legislation, maintenance, fire safety in buildings, costs, hazard prevention, inspection, repair, building maintenance, design, renovation, building specifications, contracts and records.
- strong RN-LTB81Q
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS 8297:2017 was published 31 October 2017 and supersedes BS 8297:2000, which is withdrawn, and BS 8297:1995; note the title also changed, from Code of practice for design and installation of non-loadbearing precast concrete cladding to Design, manufacture and installation of architectural precast concrete cladding, so a note using the old title is quoting a superseded edition. It gives recommendations for architectural precast concrete units used as building cladding, as decorative elements or as permanent formwork, that is units supported by and fixed to a structural frame or wall to perform a cladding role, with particular attention to permanent and temporary movements and tolerances of the supporting structure and to verification of product quality. It excludes glass fibre reinforced concrete (GRC), small masonry units and the design of the supporting structure itself. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, supersession and scope.
- strong RN-6SUN79
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN 12878:2014 was published 30 April 2014 and supersedes BS EN 12878:2005. It specifies the requirements and test methods for pigments used to colour building materials based on cement, or on cement and lime, covering single pigments, pigment blends, pigment and extender blends in powder or granular form, and aqueous preparations, and it tests for durability, corrosion resistance (that the pigment does not attack the reinforcement or the matrix), heat stability, weather resistance and light fastness. This is the standard a note should cite when telling a reader that coloured mortar, coloured render or coloured concrete must use a pigment fit for a cementitious matrix rather than a general purpose colourant, and it is the reference for why cheap pigments fade or cause efflorescence. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the test detail is paywalled.
- strong RN-PGM57T
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN 14647:2005 was published 22 February 2006 and gives the general definition of calcium aluminate cement and its composition, together with the mechanical, physical and chemical requirements, the conformity criteria and the related production rules. It excludes calcium aluminate cement used as a constituent of formulated products for specialised applications such as dry mixes, which matters because most rapid setting repair and screed products are formulated mixes rather than the cement itself. It is the standard to cite when a note distinguishes calcium aluminate (high alumina) cement from common cements to BS EN 197-1 and masonry cement to BS EN 413-1; UK notes should also record that high alumina cement concrete has been prohibited for structural use in buildings since the 1970s because of conversion, so this standard covers a material with restricted structural application. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the requirements are paywalled.
- strong RN-ASG0MX
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS EN 14967:2006 was published 30 June 2009 and specifies the characteristics of flexible bitumen sheets intended for use as damp proof courses in buildings, setting out product types, characteristics and test methods with evaluation of conformity, marking, labelling and packaging. Its scope explicitly EXCLUDES preformed cavity trays, copings and flashings, which is a distinction a note should keep when describing a retrofitted cavity tray above an extension abutment. It is the modern European counterpart to the old British bitumen DPC standard BS 6398:1983 and sits beside BS 6515:1984 for polyethylene DPCs, with design and installation in BS 8215:1991. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the characteristic tables are paywalled.
- strong RN-CG3QHH
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS EN 459-1:2015 was published 30 April 2015 and supersedes BS EN 459-1:2010, which superseded BS EN 459-1:2001. It defines the types of building lime and their classification and sets the chemical and physical requirements and conformity criteria for each. Building lime falls into two families: air lime (which sets by carbonation) and lime with hydraulic properties (which sets by hydration and is classified by mechanical compressive strength), the latter covering natural hydraulic lime, formulated lime and hydraulic lime with the assessment and verification of constancy of performance rules for each. It applies to lime for mortar, for calcium silicate bricks, autoclaved aerated concrete and concrete, and for civil engineering. This is the standard behind the NHL 2, NHL 3.5 and NHL 5 designations quoted in lime mortar and lime plaster notes; terms of delivery and contract conditions are outside its scope. Parts 2 (test methods, 2021) and 3 (conformity evaluation, 2015) complete the series. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the class tables are paywalled.
- strong RN-KP1GD0
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 28 February 2014. BS EN ISO 140-4:1998 was published 15 October 1998 and gave the methods for measuring the airborne sound insulation of interior walls, floors and doors between two rooms on site, producing frequency dependent values that are converted to a single number rating using ISO 717-1 so that performance can be compared against a specification. It was replaced by the BS EN ISO 16283 series, with BS EN ISO 16283-1 covering field measurement of airborne sound insulation, and the laboratory measurements formerly in other parts of BS EN ISO 140 moving to BS EN ISO 10140. Any note describing a pre completion sound test to BS EN ISO 140 is quoting a standard withdrawn in 2014: Approved Document E testing is now to the BS EN ISO 16283 series with rating to BS EN ISO 717. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date and scope.
- strong RN-LO5VGF
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN ISO 717-1:2020 was published 31 December 2020 and supersedes BS EN ISO 717-1:2013, which is withdrawn. It defines the single number quantities for airborne sound insulation in buildings and building elements, that is the method for converting a frequency dependent measurement into one figure, and it covers spectrum adaptation terms for different noise sources including internal noise and external traffic noise. The 2020 revision moved content in from ISO 10140-1:2016 and ISO 10140-5:2010 and updated the references. This is the standard behind the Rw, DnT,w and DnT,w + Ctr figures quoted in soundproofing notes and in Approved Document E, and its companion BS EN ISO 717-2:2020 does the same for impact sound (Lnw, LnT,w). Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, supersession and scope; the calculation method is paywalled.
- strong RN-7E2J2F
BSI (BSI Knowledge catalogue)
Dated 14 March 2005, this gives recommendations for masonry walls above the ground level damp proof course and for walls between ground floor level and the top of foundation level. It applies to low-rise housing of traditional construction comprising detached, semi-detached and terraced houses and flats with not more than four self-contained dwelling units per floor accessible from one staircase, of not more than three storeys above ground and intended for domestic occupation, subject to the limiting conditions stated in the code. It also covers certain small single storey non-residential buildings such as domestic garages and annexes not exceeding 36 square metres in floor area. It is the reference for masonry wall thickness, buttressing and lateral support in ordinary housing without a bespoke engineering design.
- strong RN-VIHKSD
BSI (BSI Knowledge catalogue)
Dated 15 February 2006, this is the execution and durability part of Eurocode 6: it covers design considerations, the selection of masonry materials for a given exposure condition, and the execution of masonry on site, which is where masonry unit and mortar durability selection for exposure is set out. The catalogue page also carries the Eurocode transition note: the second generation of EN Eurocodes is being published between 2023 and 2026, UK adoptions of the first generation will be withdrawn by BSI on 30 March 2028, and until that date the first generation documents should be treated as the applicable standards for buildings and civil engineering works constructed in the UK.
- strong RN-WUK7IE
BSI (BSI Knowledge catalogue)
Dated 16 September 2003, this specifies requirements for prefabricated lintels spanning clear openings in a masonry wall up to a maximum of 4.5 m, made from steel, autoclaved aerated concrete, manufactured stone, concrete, fired clay units, calcium silicate units, natural stone units, or a combination of these. Its scope expressly excludes lintels made entirely on site, lintels whose tensile parts are made on site, timber lintels and unreinforced natural stone lintels, and it does not cover components spanning more than 4.5 m or components intended for use independently in a structural role such as beams. That 4.5 m ceiling is why wider openings move from a catalogue lintel to a designed steel beam.
- strong RN-XJVENM
BSI (BSI Knowledge catalogue)
The standard behind UK masonry mortar specification, dated 30 October 2003. Its scope specifies requirements for factory made masonry mortars for bedding, jointing and pointing in masonry walls, columns and partitions, covering facing and rendered masonry and both loadbearing and non-loadbearing structures. For fresh mortar it defines performance for workable life, chloride content, air content, density and correction time (thin layer mortars only); for hardened mortar it defines compressive strength, bond strength and density against test methods in separate European standards. This is the source for the M classes (for example M4 and M12) that have replaced the older mortar designations i to iv used with cement, lime and sand ratios.
- strong RN-S96LKB
United Kingdom Accreditation Service
UKAS explains what each sanction means in practice. A suspension is normally temporary, with the body expected to regain accreditation within three months and up to nine in exceptional circumstances. While suspended an organisation cannot provide accredited services, cannot issue new accredited certificates, and must tell existing and prospective customers of its status. Certificates issued before the suspension remain valid unless they were issued incorrectly, though annual surveillance or renewal visits falling inside the suspension period may not be supportable.
- good RN-1QXTQO
Brick Development Association
BDA structural guide last updated March 2023, from the body whose members account for almost 99 per cent of bricks produced in the UK. It states around 20 per cent of the UK housing stock is more than 100 years old and mostly built of brick. It sets a strict repair sequence: survey first to establish whether the structure is stable and identify defects, then establish the cause (mainly foundations, overloading or unwanted water), then decide remedial measures, and only then consider appearance. The survey is in two parts, accurate drawings (now often by drone or 3D laser scan) and a structural and dilapidations survey using pin type tell-tales rather than strips so movement can be measured. On major alterations it warns that removing loadbearing walls redistributes loading and must be designed by a competent person, that removing internal cross walls can destabilise the external walls they tied, and that solutions include piers, a new loadbearing wall alongside, or transferring load to an independent frame, each of which may need new foundations. On openings it warns that widening concentrates load, and that for openings near a wall junction or chimney breast the lintel should be lengthened to tie into the cross wall or chimney breast, possibly with a matching tie at the threshold. On chimney breasts it states removal should only be considered if acceptable structurally because the heavy mass of brickwork is often providing stability, and that sealed flues need ventilation such as an air brick high in the breast and near the top of the stack to avoid condensation. Later sections cover pointing, matching bricks, foundation failure, leaning and bulging walls, cracking, overloading, failures of bricks and water penetration.
- good RN-0PL15S
Brick Development Association
BDA technical support sheet on brick arches, each type drawn at 1:20 elevation. It defines an arch as an arch ring made of truncated wedge-shaped voussoirs that stay in place by mutual pressure, set out in a curved form to span an opening and carry a superimposed load, which is the mechanism a note explaining a failing arch needs. It names and describes the types: Gothic (lancet, drop and equilateral variants), Tudor, Perpendicular, Venetian, Triangular (also called pediment or mitre arch, two courses of stretchers leaning to a mitred apex, common in Anglo-Saxon work), Bullseye (a full circle of voussoirs that remain in compression), Horseshoe, Jack arch (a segmental arch spanning between iron beams to form a vault), Segmental (centre below the springing line), Semicircular (centre on the springing line) and Multi-centred or three-centred. It also establishes the vocabulary of springing line, intrados and voussoir.
- good RN-96OGWZ
Brick Development Association
BDA technical support sheet describing the bricklaying bonds used in UK brickwork with a figure for each. Stretcher bond was originally used for single brick walls and became the obvious choice for cavity walls because it needs the least cutting, making it the most economical and the one used extensively in modern building. Header bond lays courses flat with the short end exposed so the wall width is the whole length of a brick, historically used for high quality buildings and curved brickwork. English bond alternates courses of headers and stretchers and gives a strong bond in a one brick thick wall, preferred for bridges, viaducts and embankment walls. Flemish bond can be replicated in the half-brick outer leaf of a cavity wall using whole bricks as stretchers and half bricks (bats or snap-headers) as headers, and is not as strong as English bond at one brick thick. Stack bond has no overlap and is inherently weak, so stainless steel ladder reinforcement is typically built into every third bed joint. Monk bond has two stretchers between headers with headers centred over the joint below.
- good RN-BFTQDO
Brick Development Association
BDA technical guide, 2023 edition. States that brick dimensions declared by the manufacturer are the work size, and that the most widely used work size for UK clay bricks is 215 x 102.5 x 65 mm. Gives the dimensional tolerance categories declared under EN 771-1: for a declared 215 mm the T2 limits are 211-219 mm (plus or minus 4) and the T1 limits 209-221 mm (plus or minus 6); for 102.5 mm, T2 is 99-105 (plus or minus 3) and T1 98-106 (plus or minus 4); for 65 mm, T2 is 63-67 (plus or minus 2) and T1 62-68 (plus or minus 3), with Tm as declared by the manufacturer. Range categories R2/R1/Rm cover the spread within a sample: 4 mm and 9 mm on the 215 dimension, 3 mm and 6 mm on 102.5, 2 mm and 5 mm on 65. Critically for quantity take-off, it gives the coordinating size: allowing for the standard work size plus nominal 10 mm mortar joints gives 225 x 112.5 x 75 mm, which is where the familiar 60 bricks per square metre of single-leaf stretcher bond comes from (1 / (0.225 x 0.075) = 59.3).
- good RN-AYKRZF
Brick Development Association
BDA technical guide last updated April 2023. It explains that prescribed mortars are specified by proportions whose properties are assumed from the stated proportions of the constituents and classified by designations, with a strength table (Table 1, page 11) offered as a guide rather than an exact equivalence, and that altering the proportions to suit strength, exposure, workability and weather can materially improve durability. Useful quantity figure: one tonne of ready mixed lime and sand, gauged on site with the specified quantity of cement, will generally lay approximately 1000 bricks. On weather it states mortar should not be used when conditions are 2 degrees C and falling, that frozen mortar must be discarded, that unfrozen mortar must not be used on frozen bricks, and that mortar should never be knocked up once it has started to set. It covers accurate gauging using a gauging bucket or box (inaccurate gauging harms structural performance, water demand, durability and sulfate resistance), the benefits of hydrated lime in cement mortars, sulfate resisting cement, and the factory made options: dry ready-to-use, wet ready-to-use retarded mortar delivered in tubs, and single and multi compartment site silos with integral mixers.
- good RN-CTXBO7
Brick Development Association
BDA technical guide last updated April 2023, aimed at everyone in the delivery chain who needs long lasting results on external works. Its key rule for a spalling or frost damage note: freestanding garden walls, retaining walls and chimneys should always be treated as very severely exposed to frost attack regardless of geographic location, so brick and mortar selection for those elements cannot rely on a mild local exposure assumption. It sits alongside BDA Design Note 7 on brickwork durability and the Mortar for Brickwork guide, and is the document the BDA points to for design considerations on water penetration and exposure.
- good RN-14ZUJW
Brick Development Association
The Brick Development Association technical library, the trade body reference for UK clay brickwork. Guides include Designing to Brickwork Dimensions (brick sizes and coordinating dimensions), Designing for Movement in Brickwork (movement joint spacing), Mortar for Brickwork (mortar composition and designations), Severely Exposed Brickwork (weather and frost resistance), Resisting Rainwater Penetration (cavity wall construction and water management), Brickwork Durability, Brick Arches, Brick Bonds, freestanding and retaining wall design, Alteration and Repair of Clay Brickwork, and The Rigorous Testing of Clay Bricks. It also publishes an Eurocode 6 series covering vertical resistance, lateral resistance and an introduction to masonry design.
- good RN-LMKR0T
Mineral Products Association (MPA Mortar)
MPA Mortar is the mortar arm of the Mineral Products Association, the trade association for the aggregates, asphalt, cement, concrete, dimension stone, lime, mortar and industrial sand industries. It publishes data sheets, learning texts, training materials and case studies on factory produced mortars, renders and screeds. It states that over 80 per cent of mortars used in the UK today come from factory produced sources, and that member products comply with BS EN 998-2, ISO 9001 and CE certification. Useful as the authority for the factory made versus site mixed mortar split that a mortar note needs.
- good RN-FITI8H
The Concrete Society
The index to the Concrete Society technical library and the place to check a concrete claim against an industry-independent source. Four publication families are listed: Technical Reports giving in-depth guidance on design, construction, maintenance and innovation (for example TR43, Post-tensioned concrete floors design handbook, at GBP 85 full price and GBP 51 to members, and Discussion Document DD51 on calcined clay as a supplementary cementitious material, free to all); Good Concrete Guides on practical aspects (GCG8, Concrete practice, and GCG11, Digital monitoring and measurement of fresh concrete); Advice Sheets on specific topics such as no-fines concrete and brushed and tamped surface finishes; and Fingertips, short free reference pages covering masonry densities, cold joints, consistence tolerance and the slump test, floated and trowelled finishes, core testing for compressive strength, delamination of concrete floor surfaces and hot weather concreting. The Society also runs an advisory service of engineers and concrete technologists giving impartial advice to members, including desk studies and site visits. The Fingertips pages are the freely readable part and carry real figures; the Technical Reports are mostly paid.
- good RN-8TA2LQ
The Concrete Society
A free, citable data sheet giving the density ranges a note needs when explaining block types or estimating dead load. Published 3 June 2025 and filed under Buildings, Domestic (low rise). Dense aggregate blocks have a density in the range 1,800 to 2,100 kg/m3. Lightweight aggregate blocks, also called medium dense, are in the range 650 to 1,500 kg/m3. Aircrete blocks are in the range 400 to 900 kg/m3. Concrete bricks are 1,900 to 2,100 kg/m3 for Commons, Facing and Engineering quality, and 1,400 kg/m3 for lightweight bricks. The sheet points onward to the Concrete Block Association and the Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Products Association for more detail.