WHAT IS MASONRY

• MASONRY IS ONE OF THE OLDEST FORMS OF CONSTRUCTION KNOWN TO HUMANS. THE

TERM MASONRY REFERS GENERALLY TO BRICK, TILE, STONE, CONCRETE-BLOCK ETC., OR COMBINATION
THESE BONDED WITH MORTAR.
• MASONRY IS CLASSIFIED INTO:
-STONE MASONRY
-BRICK MASONRY
-HOLLOW BLOCK MASONRY
-RIENFORCED MASONRY
-COMPOSITE MASONRY
IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
• COURSE – A COURSE IS A HORIZONTAL LAYER OF BRICKS OR STONES
• BED- THIS IS A SURFACE OF A STONE OR BRICK PERPENDICULAR TO THE LINE OF
PRESSURE( IT INDICATES THE LOWER SURFACE OF BRICKS OR STONES IN EACH COURSE)
• HEADER- IT IS A BRICK OR STONE WHICH LIES WITH ITS GREATEST LENGTH AT RIGHT
ANGLES TO THE FACE OF THE WORK
• STRETCHER- IT IS A BRICK OR A STONE WHICH LIES WITH ITS LONGEST SIDE PARALLEL
TO THE FACE OF THE WORK
• QUOINS- THESE ARE THE STONES USED FOR THE CORNERS OF WALLS OF STRUCTURE
• CLOSER- IT IS THE PORTION OF THE BRICK CUT IN SUCH A MANNER THAT IS ONE LONG
FACE REMAINS UNCUT
• QUEEN CLOSER- IT IS THE PORTION OF A BRICK OBTAINED BY CUTTING A BRICK LENGTH
WISE INTO TWO PORTIONS
• KING CLOSER- THESE ARE THE PORTIONS OF THE BRICK OBTAINED BY CUTTING OF THE
TRIANGULAR PIECE BETWEEN THE CENTRE OF ONE END AND THE CENTRE OF ONE SIDE
• BAT-IT IS THE PORTION OF THE BRICK CUT ACROSS THE WIDTH
BONDS IN BRICK MASONRY
• BOND IS THE INTERLACEMENT OF BRICKS FORMED WHEN THEY LAY THOSE IMMEDIATELY BELOW
OR ABOVE THEM.IT IS THE METHOD OF ARRANGING THE BRICKS IN COURSES SO THAT INDIVIDUAL
UNITS ARE TIED TOGETHER AND THE VERTICAL JOINTS OF THE SUCCESSIVE COURSES DO NOT LIE
IN SAME VERTICAL LINE.
• DIFFERENT TYPES OF BONDS ARE:
- STRETCHER BOND -FLEMISH BOND -BRICK ON EDGE BOND -ZIG ZAG BOND
-HEADER BOND -FACING BOND -DUTCH BOND -GARDEN WALL BOND
-ENGLISH BOND -ENGLISH CROSS BOND -RAKING BOND
STRETCHER BOND
• LONGER NARROW FACE OF THE BRICK IS CALLED AS STRETCHER AS SHOWN IN THE ELEVATION OF
FIGURE BELOW. STRETCHER BOND, ALSO CALLED AS RUNNING BOND, IS CREATED WHEN BRICKS
ARE LAID WITH ONLY THEIR STRETCHERS SHOWING, OVERLAPPING MIDWAY WITH THE COURSES
OF BRICKS BELOW AND ABOVE.
HEADER BOND
• HEADER IS THE SHORTER SQUARE FACE OF THE BRICK WHICH MEASURES 9CM X 9CM. HEADER
BOND IS ALSO KNOWN AS HEADING BOND. IN HEADER BONDS, ALL BRICKS IN EACH COURSE ARE
PLACED AS HEADERS ON THE FACES OF THE WALLS. WHILE STRETCHER BOND IS USED FOR THE
CONSTRUCTION OF WALLS OF HALF BRICK THICKNESS WHEREAS HEADER BOND IS USED FOR THE
CONSTRUCTION OF WALLS WITH FULL BRICK THICKNESS WHICH MEASURES 18CM. IN HEADER
BONDS, THE OVERLAP IS KEPT EQUAL TO HALF WIDTH OF THE BRICK. TO ACHIEVE THIS, THREE
QUARTER BRICK BATS ARE USED IN ALTERNATE COURSES AS QUOINS.
ENGLISH BOND
• ENGLISH BOND IN BRICK MASONRY HAS ONE COURSE OF STRETCHER ONLY AND A COURSE OF
HEADER ABOVE IT, I.E. IT HAS TWO ALTERNATING COURSES OF STRETCHERS AND HEADERS.
HEADERS ARE LAID CENTERED ON THE STRETCHERS IN COURSE BELOW AND EACH ALTERNATE
ROW IS VERTICALLY ALIGNED.
• TO BREAK THE CONTINUITY OF VERTICAL JOINTS, QUOIN CLOSER IS USED IN THE BEGINNING AND
END OF A WALL AFTER FIRST HEADER. A QUOIN CLOSE IS A BRICK CUT LENGTHWISE INTO TWO
HALVES AND USED AT CORNERS IN BRICK WALLS.
FLEMISH BOND
• FLEMISH BOND IS CREATED BY LAYING ALTERNATE HEADERS AND STRETCHERS IN A SINGLE
COURSE. THE NEXT COURSE OF BRICK IS LAID SUCH THAT HEADER LIES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
STRETCHER IN THE COURSE BELOW, I.E. THE ALTERNATE HEADERS OF EACH COURSE ARE
CENTERED ON THE STRETCHER OF COURSE BELOW. EVERY ALTERNATE COURSE OF FLEMISH BOND
STARTS WITH HEADER AT THE CORNER.
• THE THICKNESS OF FLEMISH BOND IS MINIMUM ONE FULL BRICK. THE DISADVANTAGE OF USING
FLEMISH BOND IS THAT CONSTRUCTION OF FLEMISH BOND IS DIFFICULT AND REQUIRES GREATER
SKILL TO LAY IT PROPERLY AS ALL VERTICAL MORTAR JOINTS NEED TO BE ALIGNED VERTICALLY
FOR BEST EFFECTS.
FACING BOND

• IN THIS BOND, A HEADER COURSE IS PROVIDED AFTER SEVERAL STRETCHER COURSES.

• THIS TYPE OF BOND IS NOT STRUCTURALLY EFFICIENT AND LOAD DISTRIBUTION IS NOT
UNIFORM.
ENGLISH CROSS BOND

• THIS IS SIMILAR TO ENGLISH BOND AND CONSISTS OF ALTERNATE COURSE OF HEADERS AND
STRETCHERS. HOWEVER, IN THIS BOND, QUEEN CLOSER ARE INTRODUCED NEXT TO QUOIN
HEADERS AND EACH ALTERNATE STRETCHING COURSE HAS HEADER PLACED NEXT TO QUOIN
STRETCHER. THIS BOND IS SUFFICIENTLY STRONG AND BEARS A GOOD ELEVATION.
DUTCH BOND

• THIS BOND IS A MODIFICATION OF THE OLD ENGLISH CROSS BOND AND CONSISTS OF ALTERNATE
COURSES OF HEADERS AND STRETCHERS. IN THIS ARRANGEMENT OF BRICK WORK, EACH
STRETCHING COURSE STARTS AT THE QUOIN WITH A THREE-QUARTER BAT AND EVERY
ALTERNATE STRETCHING COURSE HAS A HEADER PLACED NEXT TO THE THREE-QUARTER BRICK
BAT PROVIDED AT THE QUOIN.
RAKING BOND
• THIS IS A BOND IN BRICK WORK IN WHICH THE BONDING BRICKS ARE LAID AT ANY ANGLE OTHER
THAN ZERO OR NINETY DEGREES. THIS ARRANGEMENT HELPS TO INCREASE THE LONGITUDINAL
STABILITY OF THICK WALLS BUILT IN ENGLISH BOND. IN THIS ARRANGEMENT OF BONDING, THE
SPACE BETWEEN THE EXTERNAL STRETCHERS OF A WALL IS FILLED WITH BRICKS INCLINED TO
THE FACE OF THE WALL. THIS BOND IS INTRODUCED AT CERTAIN INTERVALS ALONG THE HEIGHT
OF A WALL.
• THERE ARE TWO COMMON FORMS OF RAKING BOND ;
- HERRING BONE BOND
- DIAGONAL BOND.
HERRING BONE BOND
• THIS TYPE OF BOND IS BEST SUITED FOR VERY THICK WALLS USUALLY NOT LESS THAN FOUR
BRICKS THICK. IN THIS ARRANGEMENT OF BRICK WORK, BRICKS ARE LAID IN COURSE INCLINED AT
45° IN TWO DIRECTIONS FROM THE CENTRE. THIS BOND IS ALSO COMMONLY USED FOR BRICK
PAVINGS.
DIAGONAL BOND
• THIS BOND IS BEST SUITED FOR WALLS WHICH ARE 2 TO 4 BRICK THICK. THIS BOND IS USUALLY
INTRODUCED AT EVERY FIFTH OR SEVENTH COURSE ALONG THE HEIGHT OF THE WALL. IN THIS
BOND, THE BRICKS ARC PLACED END TO END IN SUCH A WAY THAT EXTREME CORNERS OF THE
SERIES REMAIN IN CONTACT WITH THE STRETCHERS.
ZIGZAG BOND
• THIS IS SIMILAR TO HERRING-BONE BOND WITH THE ONLY DIFFERENCE THAT IN THIS CASE THE
BRICKS ARE LAID IN A ZIG-ZAG FASHION. THIS IS COMMONLY ADOPTED IN BRICK PAVED FLOORING.