Size of standard brick or 4” brick:
The standard brick size specified by interior designers in India is 215 mm x 102.5 mm x 65 mm or roughly 9” x 4” x 3” remember that the height of the brick is slightly less than 3” or 65 mm the other two dimensions are the length and width.
Size of “block” or 6” brick (Non-standard):
Interior designers also specify 6” brick or “block” which is 215 x 150 x 65 or roughly 9” x 6” x 3” remember the height of the brick is slightly less than 3” or 65 mm the other two dimensions are the length and width. (This is a non-standard size and has to be specified to the vendor while placing the order)
Interior designers can use this Thumb Rule to calculate quantity:
For half brick wall (4” internalwall) : No of bricks = Area in SFT / 0.1814
For 6” brick wall (6” internalwall) : No of bricks = Area in SFT / 0.1814
For full brick wall (9” external wall): No of bricks = Area in SFT X 2 / 0.1814
* Add 5% breakage.
Slang:
Interior designers and contractors use this slang when referring to brickwork:
Half brick wall is refered to as 4” Baandhkaam or single Eet Bandhkaam
6” Brick wall is refered to as 6” Baandhkaam or Eet Block Baandhkaam
Full brick wall is refered to as 9” Baandhkaam or double Eet Bandhkaam
Cement sand mortar used between brick joints is called Maal
Slenderness Ratio:
The slenderness ratio for brickwork is 24. Which means if it is a half brick thick wall i.e. 4” then the total height it can go to is 4 x 24 i.e. 96” or 8’. So if you wish to construct a wall which is more than 8’ we have to use a 6” thick wall.
Lintels:
Lintels have to be laid above door or window openings to support the masonry above. For openings upto 3’ Cudappah lintels 1.5” thick can be used. For longer spans RCC lintels have to be cast on site.
Pardhi:
A Pardhi is similar to a RCC cill or lintel but the difference is that it is continuous throughout the length of the wall. It is generally laid at the cill level so that there is no need for an extra cill. Pardhis are laid only in half brick or 4” masonry. The height of the pardhi is 3” and width is equal to the width of the wall.
Thumb Rule for Mortar calculation:
• For Standard Brick OR 4” Brick: No. of Cement bags(50kg bag) required = No of standard bricks x 0.001777 Sand qty. in Brass = No of standard bricks x 0.0000711
• For Non-standard OR block or 6” brick: No. of Cement bags(50kg bag) required = No of 6” bricks x 0.002666 Sand qty. in Brass = No of 6” bricks x 0.0001066
Important check points:
This is a check list all interior designers want their contractors to go through:
-Check that the bricks are sprayed with water before laying
-Check that the brickwork is protected from direct sunlight by using plastic sheets or bardaan (jute).
-Check that the brickwork is cured for at least 3 days
-Check the plumb-line (olamba) at intervals of every 3’
-Check that the walls are square i.e. at exactly 90* by using the Pythagoras. Mark 3’ on the base of one wall horizontally and 4’ on the base of the adjacent wall horizontally. Now if the line joining the end points of these lines is exactly 5’ then the walls are exactly square.
-Cement has to be 43 Grade and NOT 53 grade (Although 53 grade is stronger it is not suitable for brickwork mortar)
-Sand used in mortar should be Pahargaon quality with minimum silt i.e. 7% to 8% silt. Silt percentage of more than 8% is not advisable for any purpose like mortar, plastering or RCC.
