Looking up at the sky from brickwork courtyard

Brick sizes and dimensions explained

When it comes to designing and building with brick, size matters. The versatility of clay as a material means that bricks can be made in a wide range of dimensions. The most commonly used work size for bricks in the UK is 215 x 102.5 x 65mm.

Brick dimensions have an impact on a wide range of things such as how the building is designed, the overall aesthetic appearance of a project and how easily the bricks can be laid.

Whatever brick size is chosen for a project it is important to consider these brick size dimensions in the design stage of a project in order to minimise cutting and potential problems on site. The size of the brick and the size of mortar joint chosen will have a big impact on the setting out of the brickwork.

It is important that areas such as window and door openings and brick piers etc. are correctly planned out, as different brick sizes and mortar profiles will affect these aspects of a project.

Download a full brickwork dimensions table, or read on to find out more about different brick sizes and formats.

Download brick dimensions table

A history of bricks
Special shaped bricks
Roman brick range
Megaline brick range
Roman and megaline range comparison

A history of bricks

Historically brick sizes in the UK varied quite a lot. There was a move towards larger brick dimensions when the Government introduced a brick tax in 1784.

As the brick tax was paid per brick, brick producers started to make bigger bricks as this meant fewer bricks were required to cover the same area. The brick tax was withdrawn in 1850 as it was considered to be detrimental to industrial development.

However, by then many brick producers had invested in making bricks on machines rather than by hand and so continued to produce these larger brick sizes. During this period the switch to larger brick sizes was particularly prominent in the Midlands and the North which is why you tend to find bigger bricks the further north you travel.

Nowadays most bricks in the UK are made to a standard brick size of 215mm long, 102.5mm wide and 65mm high (215 x 102.5 x 65mm) and laid with a nominal 10mm mortar joint.

However, there is a growing trend towards more non-standard brick dimensions, such as Wienerberger’s Roman and Megaline bricks. Longer, thinner formats are very much in vogue at the moment with brick heights below 50mm and brick lengths of more than 500mm not uncommon. These brick sizes are being used by architects and designers to make their contemporary projects stand out from the crowd.

Special shaped bricks

Special shaped bricks are designed to specific shapes and sizes to help architects and builders create innovative designs in brickwork. They are commonly used alongside standard metric or imperial bricks.

Beyond the numerous aesthetic benefits, special bricks can also provide seamless functionality, adding extra durability and protection to brickwork. They can even reduce build time and waste on-site, as well as addressing any skills shortages by removing the need for hand cutting expertise.

Find out more about special shaped bricks.

Roman brick range

Architects and designers are increasingly looking to use more unusual or distinctive brick sizes for their projects. They are looking beyond the standard brick dimensions of 215 x 65mm commonly seen across the UK to longer and thinner formats. Our Roman range is an example of these more specialist brick dimensions and opens up a great deal of design possibilities.

Available in a range of contempory colours, the brick dimensions for the Roman range is 400 x 100 x 40mm.

These special bricks are produced on a customised line that gives them a very individual character. The combination of the contemporary brick dimensions, breadth of colours and distinctive textures make these bricks perfect for designers looking to give a feeling of exclusivity and prestige to a project.

Roman Fortuna

Roman Dignita

Roman Maestra

Roman Optima

Roman Prisma

Megaline brick range

This specific long format brick size, precise shape and contemporary colours in our Megaline range can produce truly inspiring projects. When it comes to making a design statement using brick the use of different brick sizes is a good way to do it. A growing number of Architects and designers are looking to use more unusual or uncommon brick dimensions to make their projects stand out from the crowd.

The Megaline range is perfect for creating a modern, contemporary look. The brick dimensions in the Megaline range is 288 x 88 x 48mm. With the trend towards longer, thinner brick sizes gaining pace these brick dimensions offer a great design option.

The bricks in the Megaline range are extruded bricks which mean they have very precise, crisp arises. This makes the range ideal for people looking to create distinctive buildings with a very clean, accurate form.

The Megaline range is available in a range of seven modern colours. Dark Brown Multi, Dark Red Multi, Grey Multi, Light Brown Multi, Light Red Multi, Orange Multi, Smoked Black.