BRITISH STANDARD BS 3921:1985

Incorporating
amendment No. 1

Specification for

Clay bricks

UDC 666.71./.72:691.421.2
BS 3921:1985

Committees responsible for this

British Standard

The preparation of this British Standard was entrusted by the Clay Products
Standards Committee (CLB/-) to Technical Committee CLB/7 upon which the
following bodies were represented:

Brick Development Association

British Aggregate Construction Materials Industries
British Ceramic Research Association
British Engineering Brick Association
Building Employers’ Confederation
Calcium Silicate Brick Association Limited
Consumer Standards Advisory Committee of BSI
Department of Education and Science
Department of the Environment (Building Research Establishment)
Department of the Environment (Housing and Construction Industries)
Department of the Environment (Property Services Agency)
Department of Finance Northern Ireland
Greater London Council
Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Structural Engineers
National House-building Council
North of Ireland Brickmakers’ Association
Royal Institute of British Architects
Scottish Employers’ Council for the Clay Industries
Society of Chemical Industry
Society of Chief Architects of Local Authorities

The following were also represented in the drafting of the standard, through
sub-committees and panels:

Coopted members

This British Standard, having

been prepared under the direction
of the Clay Products Standards
Committee, was published under
the authority of the Board of BSI
and comes into effect on
29 November 1985

© BSI 12-1998 Amendments issued since publication

First published July 1965 Amd. No. Date of issue Comments

First revision May 1974
Second revision 8946 December 1995 Indicated by the sideline in the margin
The following BSI references
relate to the work on this
standard:
Committee reference CLB/7
Draft for comment 83/10329 DC

ISBN 0 580 14642 1

 BS 3921:1985

Contents

Page
Committees responsible Inside front cover
Foreword ii
0 Introduction 1
1 Scope 2
2 Definitions 2
3 Sizes 2
4 Dimensional deviations 3
5 Durability 3
6 Efflorescence 4
7 Compressive strength 4
8 Water absorption 4
9 Sampling for tests 4
10 Marking 6
Appendix A Measurement of dimensions 7
Appendix B Determination of soluble salt content 7
Appendix C Appendix deleted 11
Appendix D Determination of compressive strength 11
Appendix E Determination of water absorption 13
Appendix F Appearance 13
Appendix G Check-list for ordering bricks 14
Appendix H Determination of initial rate of suction 15
Appendix J Recommendations for quality control 15
Figure 1 — Arrangement of bricks for the measurement of dimensions 8
Figure 2 — Figure deleted 11
Figure 3 — Example of control charts for the quality control
scheme for compressive strength 17
Table 1 — Sizes 2
Table 2 — Limits of size 3
Table 3 — Durability designations 4
Table 4 — Classification of bricks by compressive strength and
water absorption 5
Table 5 — Number of bricks required for testing 5
Table 6 — Limits for the dimensions measured when using the
gauge board 22
Publications referred to Inside back cover

© BSI 12-1998 i
BS 3921:1985

Foreword

This revision of BS 3921 has been prepared under the direction of the Clay
Products Standards Committee and supersedes BS 3921:1974 which is therefore
withdrawn.
In this revision the committee have attempted to specify more closely, and to
quantify where possible, those properties of fired-clay bricks which are most
critical in use, with particular regard to durability.
The main changes from the previous edition are as follows.
Requirements for clay blocks have not been included, since they are no longer
manufactured.
The anomaly whereby bricks with holes forming up to 25 % of the gross volume
were designated “solid” has been removed.
NOTE This does not affect recommendations in other documents that a perforated brick should be
treated as solid, for example in respect of its behaviour under compressive loading and in fire
resistance tables.
The method of overall measurement of 24 bricks has been retained. However, a
limit on the maximum size of any brick has been added to ensure that the limits
of tolerance have been met.
The 225 mm × 112.5 mm × 75 mm format has been retained as the only format in
this standard. However, a new standard, BS 6649, has been published which
specifies a single format, namely 200 mm × 100 mm × 75 mm, selected by the
Department of Education and Science, Royal Institute of British Architects and
Society of Chief Architects of Local Authorities as the most promising of the four
formats listed in DD 34 and DD 59 which are withdrawn. It is intended for users
requiring bricks having dimensionally coordinated sizes.
The decision to cover these two brick formats in separate standards was taken to
allow for any possible future development and to obviate confusion when ordering
bricks. Other formats are available and will be covered in the forthcoming
revision of BS 4729. (At present BS 4729 covers only special shapes.)
Limits for the soluble salts content for all bricks have now been specified.
Accordingly the liability to efflorescence test has been deleted as its function was
to safeguard against the use of bricks with excessive quantities of very soluble
salts. The test was originally intended to predict the liability of the bricks to
damage from magnesium sulphate and to a lesser extent potassium sulphate
crystallisation. It was not intended to indicate the liability of brickwork to exhibit
the visual effects to water soluble efflorescence as is commonly supposed. It has
proved difficult to relate the result of the test to the liability of the brickwork to
produce efflorescence, although this is in part explained by the fact that some
efflorescence arises from causes other than the water soluble salts content of the
bricks. Alkalies derived from the mortar constituents and salts present in ground
water are typical examples.
Experience also suggests that efflorescence is mainly a short term problem and
the risk is minimized where the brickwork is constructed in accordance with the
recommendations in BS 5628 Code of Practice for Use of Masonry Part 3.
Materials and Components, Design and Workmanship.
Pending further research, it is now a requirement to state the frost resistance of
bricks, classifying them into one of three categories (see clause 5). As a
consequence, the distinction between ordinary and special quality is no longer
required. As soon as sufficient evidence is available to set appropriate
performance levels, a test method for frost resistance will be included in the
standard. It is also the intention to develop some form of index for assessing the
effect of sulphate content on performance of brickwork in buildings.
It has not yet been found possible to specify an overall limit for soluble salt
content for all bricks. In the meantime, a requirement that bricks do not show an
efflorescence worse than Moderate has been included to exclude bricks that have
excessive quantities of very soluble salts.

ii © BSI 12-1998
 BS 3921:1985

The loadbearing classification of bricks in BS 3921:1974 has been omitted from

this standard.
It is now a requirement to state the water absorption of bricks. Experimental
work has shown that there is no simple relationship between the values for the
water absorption determined by the 5 h boil and vacuum methods. Only the 5 h
boil method is, therefore, now specified in the standard, although the vacuum or
the 24 h soak methods still may be used for works quality control.
The committee has been unable to recommend a satisfactory test for the
irreversible moisture expansion which affects all fired-clay products, especially in
their early life. However, research in this field is continuing.
In view of the wide range of appearance which gives the many varieties of bricks
or individual facing bricks their aesthetic appeal, it is not practicable to establish
a numerical system of classification. However, a guide to assessment of visual
acceptability for facing bricks has been included (see appendix F).
A check-list for ordering bricks has been added (see appendix G).
A suction rate test has been added (see appendix H) because in highly stressed
masonry structures the initial rate of suction of the bricks may need to be
specified or adjusted by wetting to some predetermined level.
A British Standard does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a
contract. Users of British Standards are responsible for their correct application.
Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity
from legal obligations.

Summary of pages
This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i to iv,
pages 1 to 22, an inside back cover and a back cover.
This standard has been updated (see copyright date) and may have had
amendments incorporated. This will be indicated in the amendment table on
the inside front cover.

© BSI 12-1998 iii

iv blank
 BS 3921:1985

0 Introduction
0.1 Water absorption
As a consequence of extensive research into the structural performance of fired-clay masonry, the
importance of water absorption as a determinant of its behaviour in flexure is now recognized.
BS 5628-1 relates three levels of water absorption (less than 7 %; between 7 % and 12 %; over 12 %) to the
characteristic flexural strengths to be used in design.
A low water absorption figure is used to classify engineering bricks and bricks for damp-proof courses but
water absorption, like strength, is not a general index of durability. With many clays, the more durable
bricks of a given type absorb less water than those of the same type that are not so durable.
0.2 Durability
Much research has been carried out to develop a reliable test for frost resistance. The British Ceramic
Research Association has devised a panel freezing test1) for testing samples of clay brickwork rather than
individual bricks, which has the merit of reproducing the type of failure found in practice. In this test the
brickwork panel is maintained in a saturated condition and subjected to 100 cycles of freezing and thawing.
It is thus a very severe test and bricks which withstand 100 cycles may be expected to be frost resistant
(class F as defined in 5.1). Work is in progress to develop a single pan-European frost resistance test for
clay masonry units. Natural exposure tests are being carried out to get more information. Where the test
is not appropriate, the manufacturer should provide evidence that bricks of the quality to be offered have
been in service under conditions of exposure at least as severe as those proposed for not less than 3 years
in the situation in which their use is to be considered and that their performance has been shown by
inspection to be satisfactory.
It should be noted that the durability of fired-clay brickwork depends not only upon the properties of the
bricks but also on other material in contact with them, the exposure conditions and the degree of protection
from the effects of weather, particularly moisture penetration. For guidance see BS 5628-3.
0.3 Tolerances
The average size of the bricks in a batch should not vary greatly from the average size in the sample of 24
bricks tested, although average size may occasionally alter sufficiently from one batch to the next for the
effect to be noticeable in the finished brickwork. Individual bricks, on the other hand, may show a greater
deviation due to differences cancelling one another in the test. These variabilities are a natural
characteristic of fired clay bricks.
Accuracy can become critical where very short lengths of brickwork are involved and insufficient joints are
available to absorb variability in the individual bricks without excessive variation in joint width. It is also
important where, in a larger area of work, a poor appearance might result from a change in the average
size (and hence joint width) due to differences between batches. In such cases the designer should consider
carefully the character of the particular bricks specified.
At any one time, variations in the manufacturing, drying and firing conditions will cause variations in the
size of the bricks. This is the usual cause of variation in the batch (consignment). The magnitude of the
variation in the batch is influenced by the type of clay and the manufacturing process.
In addition, the batch average can deviate from the target or work size due to gradual changes in raw
materials. This is the usual cause of variation between batches, for which the manufacturer has to make
periodic adjustment.
It is the combined effect of the variations in and between batches which affects the user. The method of
overall measurement of 24 bricks takes into account both variations but is influenced more by the latter.
It is however, the deviation from the work size which is of concern to the user. The overall measurement
of 24 bricks is based on the prediction that individual brick dimensions should not differ from the work size
by more than 6.4 mm on length and 4 mm on width and height. This is a compromise between the
requirements of the manufacturer and the user. Batches with less than 1 % of individual brick dimensions
outside these tolerances have a chance of rejection of approximately 1 in 1 000 whilst batches containing
more than 12 % of individual brick dimensions outside these tolerances have a chance of acceptance of
approximately 1 in 200.

1)
See Transactions and Journal of the British Ceramic Society, Vol. 83 (1984), available from the British Ceramic Research
Association, Queens Road, Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 7LQ.

© BSI 12-1998 1
BS 3921:1985

It was apparent from the evidence of control charts made available to the committee responsible for
drafting BS 3921:1974 that some types of brick (e.g. handmade and stock bricks) had some difficulty in
meeting the dimensional requirement. Other types of brick could meet a more stringent requirement,
although not consistently; manufacturers have sometimes supplied these bricks with smaller tolerances by
special arrangement with the user. The committee has therefore felt it desirable to retain tolerances
similar to those in BS 6572), and to suggest that smaller tolerances should be agreed between the
manufacturer and the user.

1 Scope
This British Standard specifies requirements for dimensions, compressive strength, water absorption,
soluble salts content, efflorescence and sampling for bricks manufactured from clay for use in walling. It
also gives methods of classification. The bricks are intended to be laid on a bed of mortar, following the
recommendations in BS 5628-3.
Sizes and tolerances given in this standard apply only to the 225 mm × 125 mm × 75 mm format (see 0.3).
Requirements for a 200 mm × 100 mm × 75 mm format are given in BS 6649 and requirements for special
bricks are given in BS 4729.
NOTE 1 In view of the wide variety of bricks available, there are no requirements for appearance, but general guidance is given in
appendix F as well as a guide to the assessment of the visual acceptability of consignments of facing bricks using a reference panel.
NOTE 2 Some types of bricks may also be suitable for use in paving.
NOTE 3 A check-list for ordering bricks is given in appendix G. A suction rate test is given in appendix H.
NOTE 4 The titles of the publications referred to in this standard are listed on the inside back cover.

2 Definitions
For the purposes of this British Standard the definitions given in BS 6100-5.3 apply, together with the
following.
2.1
compressive strength
the average value of the crushing strengths of ten bricks sampled in accordance with clause 9 and tested
in accordance with appendix D
2.2
water absorption
the average value of the water absorptions of ten bricks sampled in accordance with clause 9 and tested in
accordance with appendix E
2.3 coordinating size
the size of a coordinating space allocated to a brick, including allowances for joints and tolerances
2.4
work size
the size of a brick specified for its manufacture, to which its actual size should conform within specified
permissible deviations

3 Sizes
3.1 External sizes
Bricks shall be designated in terms of their coordinating sizes. The coordinating sizes and work sizes for
bricks shall be as given in Table 1.
Table 1 — Sizes
Coordinating size Work size
Length Width Height Length Width Height
mm mm mm mm mm mm
225 112.5 75 215 102.5 65
NOTE The work sizes are derived from the corresponding
coordinating sizes by the subtraction of a nominal thickness
of 10 mm for the mortar joint.

2)
BS 657:1950 “Dimensions of common clay building bricks” was withdrawn in 1974 when the previous edition of BS 3921
superseded it.

2 © BSI 12-1998