The brick size will vary based on different country standards. The standard size of brick has been mentioned in IS code 1077.
Brick Size in India
In general, there are four standard sizes of bricks used in India.
- Modular Brick / Metric Bricks – 190 x 90 x 90 mm. These are machine-made bricks.
- Non Modular Bricks – 230 mm x 110 mm x 70 mm
- English Size Bricks – 230 x 115 x 75 mm or 9″ x 4.5″ x 3″. This is commonly used in India
- Conventional Bricks – 230 x 110 x 110 mm
There are other dimensions also based on the locality. The weight of the bricks should not exceed 3 kg.
Standard Size & Nominal Size of Bricks
In India, Bricks are made by burning clay in a kiln. Standard Size of Burnt Clay Brick has been mentioned in IS: 2691:1988 Revision 2 (Clause 4.1 & 4.2) as 190 x 90 x 90 mm.
- Standard size means bricks without mortar – 190x90x90 mm
- Nominal Size means bricks with mortar (10mm) – 200x100x100 mm
Length of the brick = 2 x Width of brick + mortar
Brick Size Dimension Tolerance
Since we can’t produce every brick at accurate dimensions, there are tolerances on dimensions
- Length of the brick – 100 ± 3 mm
- Width of the brick – 90 ± 2 mm
- Breadth of the brick – 90 ± 2mm
Frog Impressions
A dent provided on the top side along the length of the bricks is known as a frog. The frog should be 10-20 mm deep.
- It enhances the bricks bondings with mortar.
- It decreases the self-weight of the bricks.
Why are Bricks in Standard Size?
As you know bricks are burnt in kilns. If the sizes increase, it will be hard to burn them properly. It would be baked half like the inside of a samosa.
For the workability, the bricks are made in a standard size. So that the mason can easily lift and place the bricks in proper. If we increase the size, it will become challenging to attain high accuracy on the wall dimensions. The same happens on Concrete Blocks.
The other reason is that the bricks are made to match the column size. We generally conceal the columns along the brick walls. For Example, the 9” inch brick walls will conceal the 9×9” column entirely and give a pleasant appearance.
We discussed the same here – https://civilplanets.com/square-or-rectangular-or-circular-column/
Why are bricks used in the construction of the wall?
- Low cost
- It provides greater strength
- Easy to construct the wall by a different type of brick bond
- Readily available and we can easily manufacture the brick near to the construction site.
Moreover, we can quickly check the qualities of good bricks in the field. Hence we can choose the right brick for construction activities.
Standard brick Size for Other Country
The standard size of bricks for different countries has been mentioned in the table below.
| Country | Size of the Brick |
| London | 215mm x 102.5mm x 65mm |
| USA | 194mm x 92mm x 57mm |
| Australia | 230mm x 110mm x 76mm |
| Romania | 240mm x 115mm x 63 |
| Russia | 250mm x 120mm x 62mm |
| Sweden | 250mm x 120mm x 62mm |
| South Africa | 222mm x 106mm x 73mm |
| Germany | 240mm x 115mm x 71mm |
| Denmark | 228mm x 108mm x 54mm |
| Bangladesh | 241mm x 114mm x 70mm |
Happy Learning 🙂
