Brick is one of the oldest masonry units that man has used. dating back thousands of years to the times of the Romans and Egyptians, brick has been one of the most dependable building supplies . While brick is a structurally sound and strong building material true masonry walls are rarely used in general home construction. Most masonry walls nowadays are a brick veneer. Brick is laid into place more as a siding than a load bearing wall.
There's a variety of different bricks to choose from building break often referred to as common brick, face brick, and fire brick which are used for the construction of fireplaces furnaces or kilns.
Brick come in a variety of grades SW MW and NW are just a few. SW rated break are highly resistant to frost, they are used in retaining walls or foundation courses. MW brick are rated for temperatures that drop below freezing but are not designed to be constantly exposed to moisture and freezing temperatures. NW brick rated for fillor backup masonry or interior use. for years and years brick size was limited to Standard Roman and Norman. not becoming a huge variety of sizes king ,queen, modular, standard, Roman, and Norman are just a few.
Most brick today or what is commonly referred to as modular brick. modular break instead of being 8 inches long are seven and five eighths, this allows for easy measurement , and material calculation. With three eighths mortar joint already being taken into consideration on the brick size.
in addition to a huge variety of sizes also come in many different textures and colors now.