Construction Knowledge (Masonry) Series: What are standard brick sizes?

There is such thing as a standard size brick but there are several commonly used sizes that can be seen everywhere if you know what you are looking for.  Brick is made of fired clay so there will always be some dimensional variability due to using natural products.

“Standard” Size Brick = 2-½” T x 3-½” D x 7-½” L

“Norman” Size Brick = 2-½” T x 3-½” D x 11-½” L

“Econ” Size Brick = 3-½” T x 3-½” D x 11-½” L

The brick sizes above are in ½” increments to allow for ½” mortar joints.  With the mortar, the brick courses become 3” nominal or 4” nominal for Econ brick.

In addition to Standard and Norman Sized brick, there are also “Mods” which are ¼” shorter, 1/8” deeper and 1/8” longer. 

Another common type of brick is a 448 (4”x4”x8” nominal).  It is like an “Econ” size brick but only 8” long instead of 12”.

Regardless of the size of brick, each brick must be laid.  Due to this fact, there can be cost advantages to using Norman and Econ brick sized brick over standard brick.  While the larger bricks cost a bit more, the labor savings associated with installing fewer of the larger bricks exceeds the upcharge of the larger bricks.