10 brick terms you probably don't know

Are you fluent in brick? Brick masonry is one of the oldest and most broadly used construction methods known to man, and it has its own fascinating vernacular. As a designer or builder of structures, you ought to be able to speak the language.

Want to test your knowledge? Here’s just the “B” section from the Brick Industry Association’s Glossary of Terms Relating to Brick Construction: Back filling; Backup; Batter; Bed joint; Belt course; Blocking; Bond; Bond beam; Bond course; Bonder; Breaking joints. How many of those can you define, specifically in the context of brick masonry design and construction? Are you batting over .500?

If you did well with the “B’s,” try your hand at the following 10 terms that might even cause experienced masons to scratch their heads:

Salmon Brick: Generic term for under-burned brick which are more porous, slightly larger, and lighter colored than hard-burned brick. Usually pinkish-orange color.

C/B Ratio: The ratio of the weight of water absorbed by a masonry unit during immersion in cold water to weight absorbed during immersion in boiling water. An indication of the probable resistance of brick to freezing and thawing. Also called saturation coefficient. See ASTM Specification C 67.

Damp Course: A course or layer of impervious material which prevents capillary entrance of moisture from the ground or a lower course. Often called damp check.

Frog: A depression in the bed surface of a brick. Sometimes called a panel.

Fat Mortar: Mortar containing a high percentage of cementitious components. It is a sticky mortar which adheres to a trowel.

Pargeting: The process of applying a coat of cement mortar to masonry. Often spelled and/or pronounced “parging.”

Raggle: A groove in a joint or special unit to receive roofing or flashing.

Soap: A masonry unit of normal face dimensions, having a nominal 2 in. thickness.

Perforated Wall: One which contains a considerable number of relatively small openings. Often called “pierced wall” or “screen wall.”

Flare Header: A header of darker color than the field of the wall.

At this point, you might be thinking you could use a masonry vocabulary refresher. Or, maybe you’re wondering what other interesting brick masonry concepts — and their related terminologies — are out there to be discovered. Either way, your next logical step is to click the button below!