| Acid | Hydrochloric acid used for cleaning brickwork, also know as Spirits of Salts. |
| Bat (Brick) | A Brick Bat is half of a brick when cut half way along the long axis at 90º |
| Bed Joint | Mortar on which bricks are bedded or laid. |
| Bolster | Wide chisel used for manually cutting bricks. |
| Bond | Bond is the overlap of the brick as compared to the bricks below. |
| Brick Trowel | Trowel used to spread mortar and lay bricks with. |
| Brick | Masonry unit, measuring nominal 230x110x76mm. |
| Brick on Edge/Header Course | Brick usually laid with the face up at right angles to the wall face, normally laid to cap off a wall, or as a window sill |
| Brickwork | Any construction made from bricks. |
| Butter | The action of putting on the perp joint before laying the brick. |
| Cavity | Air space between 2 or more brick skins or between brick and timber frame. |
| Chuffs | An under fired brick |
| Clinker | An over fired brick |
| Course | One layer of bricks. |
| Corner Block/Line Block | Block to hold a string line, can be either home made out of timber or manufactured from plastic. |
| Concrete Block | Fine concrete formed into masonry units, size varies from 230x110x76mm to 190x190x390mm. |
| Concrete | Mixture of gravel, sand and cement used for foundations. Ratio, 3:2:1 |
| Control Joint | See Expansion Joint |
| Damp Proof Course >Chemical >Physical |
A course into which Damp Proof material is added, either chemical or physical. Chemicals are added to the mortar at the mixing stage. Can also be injected into older brickwork if rising damp is present. Plastic damp proofing is used now a days, comes in a roll. Sometimes also used is Bitumen, or Aluminuim also on a roll |
| Datum mark | A reference point that all other measurements are taken from for the entire job, this ensures consistency, can either be a hight mark or a distance mark. |
| Dutch Jointer | Long thin piece of metal with handle, used for grouting up holes in mortar. |
| Dutch Pin | Very strong pin used for holding profiles against set brickwork, driven in with a hammer. |
| Efflorescence | Salt deposits on masonary, can be washed off with water, may have to be repeated many times to remove completely. |
| Excavation | Removal of soil to accommodate the foundations. |
| Expansion Joint | Vertical joint the full width of the brickwork kept clear of mortar to allow expansion of the brickwork. |
| Finishing off >Bagging >Brushing >Raking >Round Jointed >Troweled |
Final process for completing brickwork. |
| Foundation | Concrete base that the brickwork sits on. |
| Gauge | Actual measurement for each course in height, normally 86mm in Australia but can vary depending on brick size . |
| Gauge Rod | Measurements marked on a stick so all the courses end up the same height |
| Green | Green brickwork is brickwork that has not set properly. |
| Header Course/Brick on Edge | Bricks laid at right angles to the wall face. |
| Level >Water >Spirit >Laser |
A tool used to make sure the wall is true in the horizontal plane. Can be either Spirit, Laser or a Water level. A Water level consists of a clear fexible plastic tube filled with water, water will find its own level when it settles down. A Spirit level is a manufactured level with vials filled with spirit, comes with plumb and level vials. A Laser level uses a laser light and a receiver to set the levels. |
| Line | String line used as a guide to laying bricks or setting out a job. |
| Line block/Corner Block | Block to hold a string line, can be either home made out of timber or manufactured out of plastic. |
| Line Pin | Hardened pin that holds a string line that can be driven into set mortar. |
| Lintel | Usually an angle iron section that carries brickwork over an opening, can also be a "T" bar or an "I" bar. |
| Marking Out | See Setting Out |
| Mortar | Mixture of sand, cement and lime used for laying bricks. |
| Mud | Same as mortar. |
| Perp Joint | Perpendicular joint between two bricks. |
| Pig | When the wall is built 1 course out of level, the wall has been built with the string line 1 course higher at one end. (it happens if the courses are not counted down from the Datum on both ends) |
| Plasticizer | A chemical aerating liquid that makes mortar easier to use and added at the mixing stage. |
| Plugging chisel | Long thin chisel designed for removing old mortar out so bricks can be removed. |
| Plumb | Plumb is when the wall is true in the vertical plane, and not leaning. |
| Pointing trowel | Small trowel used for smaller jobs like patching holes. Much like a Brick Trowel. |
| Profile | Straight edge that is rigid, usually a box section of steel or aluminium. |
| Raker | Finishing tool with wheels that holds a concrete nail at a set depth, it is used to drag the mortar from the joints. |
| Racking back | A corner that is built and racks back 1 half of a brick per course |
| Round Jointer | Finishing tool made of round section material, steel or plastic and is run along the joint to produce a concave finish. |
| Setting out | The process of marking out the job as to where it will be situated. |
| Sill (Window) | Bricks laid Brick on Edge to form sill in such a way as to shed water away from the window. |
| Soldier Course | Bricks laid on their ends standing up with the face showing.. |
| Stretcher Course | Bricks laid lengthways to the string line |
| Tom | A Tom is a prop used to support a lintel and stop it from sagging from the weight of the bricks laid on it. |