Brick Masonry

The simplest brick masonry wall has one single wythe with a stretcher course.

In this arrangement, the brick's longer edge runs horizontally, with its face parallel to the direction of the wall.

A wythe is a vertical stack of bricks with a thickness of one unit, while a course is a horizontal layer of bricks or any masonry units.

In walls constructed with two wythes, headers, which are bricks positioned perpendicular to the walls, are used to interconnect them, strengthening the assembly.

Metal ties or reinforcements are used to interconnect brick wythes for wall stability.

Alternatively, various bonding patterns are used.

In a common bond, a header course is laid to join five consecutive stretcher courses with three-fourth brick closers in the corner.

An English bond alternates a header course followed by a stretcher course with a Queen closer in each row to avoid alignment of vertical joints.

A flemish bond uses a header alternately placed after stretchers in each course, along with a three-fourth brick closer placed in the corner.