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BETTESWORTHConstruction
ASTM brick testing

How to Check Whether Bricks Meet Building Standards Before Construction

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Bricks meet building requirements only when the correct local code and product specification are satisfied for the intended use. Before masonry starts, identify the project’s jurisdiction and adopted code, classify the units (material, geometry and purpose), match the manufacturer’s documents to the exact product and lot, inspect deliveries, and arrange standards-based testing when the paperwork or the units are uncertain.

There is no single worldwide “building standard for bricks.” Solid clay building brick, solid facing brick, hollow clay brick, concrete masonry units and calcium-silicate units are covered by different specifications. A visual check can find damage, but it cannot prove compressive strength, absorption or freeze-thaw durability. Those decisions require the project documents and, when required, representative laboratory testing.

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What “compliant brick” means on a real project

Compliance is a chain of matches, not a generic quality label. The brick must be the material and form specified by the designer, fall within the scope of the code or standard adopted where the work is located, be suitable for its exposure and structural role, and be supported by documentation and tests that the authority or contract accepts.

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For example, ASTM lists separate specifications for solid clay or shale building brick (C62-23), solid facing brick (C216-26a), and hollow clay or shale brick (C652-22). ASTM also lists C67/C67M-26 for sampling and testing brick and structural clay tile. A certificate that says only “ASTM brick” is therefore incomplete: it does not identify which specification, grade, type, edition or lot is covered.

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Your building authority, project specification and design professional control the acceptance route. They may require a declaration, mill or factory certificate, lot-specific test report, independent laboratory report, or a combination. If the location and code edition have not been established, you cannot responsibly declare a product compliant.

Step 1: Confirm the governing requirements before ordering

Do this before selecting a supplier or authorizing delivery. Record the information in the project file so the purchasing team and site supervisor use the same criteria.

Identify the jurisdiction and code edition

  • Write down the country, state, province, municipality or other authority having jurisdiction.
  • Confirm the building code edition currently adopted for that location, including any local amendments.
  • Ask the authority or the project designer what product standards and evidence it recognizes.
  • Check whether approval is required before purchase, at delivery, or before concealment in the wall.

Codes and standard editions change. The active edition named in a catalog is not automatically the edition adopted on your project.

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Describe the masonry use

  • Is the brick load-bearing, veneer/facing, partition, paving, chimney, retaining-wall or another specialty use?
  • Will it be exposed to repeated freezing while saturated, persistent dampness, salts, chemicals, high heat or abrasion?
  • Is the unit solid, hollow or cored, and are there limits on void area, shell or web thickness?
  • Does the design call for clay or shale, concrete, calcium-silicate or another material?

Give this description to the specifier and supplier. It prevents a product intended for one function from being substituted into another merely because its appearance is similar.

Step 2: Match the brick to the right specification

Use the standard’s scope as a gate. A product is not interchangeable with another class simply because both are called bricks.

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Product situation ASTM reference listed for that scope What to verify
Solid clay or shale building brick C62-23 That the unit is solid, made from the specified clay or shale, and intended for the project’s building use.
Solid facing brick C216-26a Facing-brick type, weathering grade where applicable, physical properties and appearance requirements.
Hollow clay or shale brick C652-22 Void, shell and web characteristics, structural role and environmental suitability; do not infer performance from solid brick.
Sampling and testing of brick or structural clay tile C67/C67M-26 Correct sampling, specimen preparation, measurements and laboratory tests for the required properties.

These references identify scopes, not automatic approval for every country or project. The purchase order and design documents should name the applicable standard and edition, product class, grade or type, and acceptance criteria.

Step 3: Request a complete product and lot file

Ask for documents before paying for or accepting the shipment. The file should make it possible to trace the units from the project requirement to the actual manufacturing lot.

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Documents to request

  • Manufacturer’s exact product designation, catalogue or model name and manufacturing location.
  • Material and geometry: clay/shale, concrete, calcium-silicate or other; solid or hollow; facing, building or specialty unit.
  • Applicable specification and edition, including grade and type where the standard uses them.
  • Declared dimensions, permitted variation and any stated tolerances.
  • Declared compressive strength, absorption, durability or freeze-thaw results when those properties are part of the specification.
  • Initial rate of absorption information when required for the selected product and mortar system.
  • Certificate or test report identifying the manufacturing lot, production date or batch and quantity represented.
  • Installation limitations, surface treatments, coatings or storage conditions that affect laying or performance.

Ask the design professional or authority whether a generic factory certificate is acceptable. Requirements differ by jurisdiction and contract; a document can be technically genuine yet still be insufficient for approval.

Check that the paperwork describes the units you received

Compare every identifier on the certificate with the purchase order, delivery note, pallet labels and, where available, batch marks. Confirm the same product designation, standard edition, grade/type, dimensions, finish and intended use. If a shipment combines lots, keep the lots separated in the records and ask for evidence for each one.

ASTM C216-26a states that its property requirements apply at purchase. That makes the pre-purchase review and delivery-document check part of conformity control, not an administrative task to postpone until after laying.

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Step 4: Screen the delivery before it is distributed

Quarantine the shipment in a dry, identifiable area until the paperwork and a representative visual check are complete. Do not mix an unverified delivery into walls that will soon be concealed.

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What to inspect

  • Labels, pallet tags and delivery records match the approved product and lot.
  • Representative units are free from obvious cracks, severe breakage, crushed corners, distortion or contamination that would prevent proper laying.
  • Dimensions and appearance are reasonably consistent with the declared product; note unusual size, warpage, out-of-square condition, color or texture changes.
  • Surface treatments, sealers or coatings match the approved description and will not interfere with mortar bond, moisture movement or the specified finish.
  • Units have not been damaged by transport, standing water, freezing, impact or careless unloading.

Record photographs, pallet identifiers, counts inspected and the person performing the check. Visual screening can identify suspect units, but it does not establish strength, absorption, saturation behavior or freeze-thaw resistance.

Step 5: Measure dimensions without overstating what the result proves

Measure representative units when dimensions, coursing or fit are important. A digital caliper or steel rule is useful for recording preliminary dimensions, but a hand measurement is not a standards compliance report.

A practical site measurement

  1. Select units from more than one pallet or bundle when the delivery contains several pallets in the same lot.
  2. Record length, width and height, and note visible warpage, out-of-square corners, chips and cracks.
  3. Use the same reference points and measurement method for every sample; photograph unusual results beside the lot label.
  4. Compare the readings with the manufacturer’s declared dimensions and the tolerances in the project specification.
  5. Send a written discrepancy to the supplier and design professional instead of trimming or sorting units into the wall without approval.

ASTM C67/C67M-26 includes methods for measuring size, warpage, out-of-square condition, void area and shell/web thickness. If those characteristics affect acceptance, use the specified method and sampling plan through a qualified laboratory rather than relying on a site gauge.

Step 6: Arrange formal sampling and laboratory testing when needed

Formal testing is appropriate when the contract requires it, the lot documentation is missing or inconsistent, the units show unusual damage or variation, or the consequences of failure are significant. Ask the project engineer or specifier to define the test method, number and selection of specimens, acceptance criteria and laboratory before samples are taken.

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Properties covered by ASTM C67/C67M-26

  • Compressive strength.
  • Absorption and saturation coefficient.
  • Freeze-thaw effect.
  • Efflorescence.
  • Initial rate of absorption.
  • Weight, size, warpage and length change.
  • Void areas and shell/web dimensions where relevant.
  • Breakage or other conditions required by the applicable product specification.

“These test methods cover procedures for the sampling and testing of brick and structural clay tile.”

That statement describes the methods; it is not a declaration that any particular shipment passes. The results are meaningful only when the samples represent the lot and the laboratory follows the specified procedures.

Make the sample representative

ASTM C67/C67M-26 calls for full-size specimens representative of the lot, including its range of colors, textures and sizes. Do not hand-pick only the best-looking units. Tell the laboratory how the shipment was divided, how many pallets or batches it contains and which units were selected.

The same standard advises evaluating the laboratory under Practice C1093. Ask who will perform the work, which edition of each method will be used, how specimens will be identified and how the report will connect results to the lot. Keep the chain of custody and the final report with the project records.

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Solid, facing and hollow brick: why the distinction matters

Solid building brick

Solid clay or shale building brick is addressed by ASTM C62-23 in the catalog cited here. Verify that the product is actually solid under the applicable definition and that its declared properties suit the wall’s structural and exposure requirements.

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Solid facing brick

ASTM C216-26a is listed for solid facing brick. It classifies facing brick by weathering resistance when saturated (Grades SW and MW) and by appearance or use types FBS, FBX and FBA. The specification lists requirements involving durability, absorption, freeze-thaw performance, breakage or weight loss, cracking, compressive strength and initial rate of absorption. Use the grade and type named by the project; do not select one from appearance alone.

Hollow clay or shale brick

ASTM C652-22 covers hollow clay or shale brick. Hollow units have different void, shell and web characteristics, and their structural and environmental performance may differ from solid brick and from structural clay tile. Confirm the design’s load path, support conditions, fastener details, mortar requirements and exposure assumptions with the engineer. A solid-brick certificate does not establish hollow-brick compliance.

How to compare two brick candidates

Compare only candidates that serve the same purpose and fall within the same standard scope. A lower price or closer color is not a valid reason to trade away a required grade, geometry or documented property.

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Comparison axis Questions to answer before approval
Material and geometry Are both products the specified material and both solid or both hollow as required?
Use Are they approved for load-bearing, facing, paving or the other stated function?
Exposure Does each product have the weathering or freeze-thaw classification required for the site?
Physical properties Do declared or tested strength, absorption, saturation and durability results meet the project criteria?
Dimensions Do size, warpage, out-of-square condition, void area and shell/web measurements fit the design tolerances?
Traceability Does each offer lot-specific documentation linked to the actual shipment?
Acceptance route Has the authority or design professional confirmed the standard edition, report format and laboratory evidence?

European projects: EN 771-1 and the regulatory transition

For clay masonry units in Europe, the French government construction-products portal lists EN 771-1:2011+A1:2015. The applicable national and project requirements still need to be confirmed; a reference to EN 771-1 alone does not resolve every design or approval question.

The portal notes that products are subject to the EU Construction Products Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 only when they are covered by a harmonised standard or implementing act published in the EU Official Journal after 7 January 2026. This is a transition condition, not a blanket ruling for every clay brick. Ask the responsible authority or designer which declaration, marking and assessment route applies to the specific product and date of supply.

What to do when evidence or units fail

Stop the affected lot from being laid and identify it physically. A failure can be documentary, visual, dimensional or laboratory-based; treat each as a hold point until the responsible professional decides the disposition.

  1. Write down the discrepancy, lot or pallet identifiers, quantity affected and date discovered.
  2. Preserve the documents, photographs and any samples; do not discard damaged units that may be needed for examination.
  3. Notify the supplier and the project engineer, architect or other design professional.
  4. Ask whether the correct action is additional representative testing, replacement, rejection or acceptance through an approved alternative.
  5. Obtain the decision in writing and update the inspection record before releasing the lot for construction.

Do not accept a questionable shipment solely because the color matches, the units look strong or the wall is non-structural. The appropriate remedy depends on the adopted code, contract and design; appearance alone cannot authorize a deviation.

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Pre-construction brick compliance checklist

  • Jurisdiction, adopted code edition and approving authority recorded.
  • Material, solid/hollow geometry, purpose and exposure defined.
  • Applicable specification and edition named in the project documents.
  • Grade, type, dimensions and tolerances identified where applicable.
  • Manufacturer designation and intended use match the approved submittal.
  • Certificates and test reports identify the supplied lot or batch.
  • Delivery labels and records match the approved documentation.
  • Representative units inspected for cracks, breakage, distortion, contamination and treatment differences.
  • Preliminary dimensions recorded without treating them as certification.
  • Engineer or specifier has set the sampling plan, laboratory and acceptance criteria when testing is required.
  • Samples represent the lot’s range of sizes, colors and textures.
  • Laboratory methods and evaluation are documented, including consideration of Practice C1093 where applicable.
  • Any discrepancy is held and resolved in writing before masonry work begins.

Records to keep before the first course is laid

Maintain one accessible compliance file containing the approved specification, code references, product submittal, lot certificates, delivery tickets, inspection notes, photographs, dimensional logs, laboratory reports and written dispositions. Include the person responsible for each check and the date it was completed. This record allows the supervisor to prove that the units installed are the units reviewed, and it gives the authority a clear trail if questions arise after the wall is enclosed.

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