Brick: dimensions. Size of silicate white brick

In the history of its development, the brick has undergone many changes. But until now this piece of artificial material remains the most used stone for low-rise construction.

Age qualification of the brick, or Is it time for him to rest?

Of the many building materials, only the wood or stone can compete with brick in the history of application. The first mention of its use is found in many written testimonies of Asia. A brick was found during excavations on the territory of ancient Mesopotamia and China. The civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome, and later of Byzantium, widely used this material in construction. So according to the most conservative calculations, the age of clay brick is at least 5-10 thousand years.

History of the sizes of ceramic stones, plinths and bricks

Of course, the products of that time looked little like modern. Before the invention of the technology of firing clay was far, and the linear dimensions of ceramic bricks were very different from the current ones. But already the ancient Greek clay stones, which were used for construction, were dried in a fire. Furnaces for roasting that were erected next to the object were temporary and after the preparation of the products were dismantled. Together with marble, the brick, whose dimensions varied at the time from 600 × 300 × 30 to 600 × 300 × 90 mm, was one of the main building materials in Greece. In Byzantium, the art of masonry has received a new impulse in development. Masters of the time used methods of combining with other building materials and tiles, which allowed the construction of magnificent ceramic structures.

The era of forgetting and resurrection

During the Middle Ages, many technologies of antiquity have sunk in the summer, since the most accessible raw materials - natural stone, wood and sometimes adobe - were used for the erection of buildings in Europe. But in the Eastern Roman Empire, which for a long time remained the most influential state in the region, the art of laying ceramic blocks survived and developed. The Byzantine baked bricks, the sizes of which varied (from 290 x 115 x 31 mm to 350 x 350 x 51 mm), for a long time remained the most popular building material of the early Middle Ages. In the XV century, Constantinople fell, but the skill of his craftsmen was not lost. Fugitive inhabitants of the empire that rushed to Europe, largely contributed to the development of Italian city-cities and the most powerful states on the territory of modern France, Germany, etc.

Evolution of brick qualities: weight, dimensions, raw materials

In the future, the technology for the production of bricks continuously developed. To identify the characteristics of the material and maintain strict criteria for its production, the material was branded. A wide spread was also received in the Netherlands of its subspecies-clinker. Distinctive features of its production were a constant firing temperature, which increased to 1100-1500 ° C, and the use of finely divided low-melting clays as raw materials. The generally accepted Dutch dimensions of ceramic bricks were from 150 x 70 x 35 mm (the so-called lilliput) and up to 280 x 130 x 80 mm (monastic size). There was also a large-format view of it - 280 x 130 x 70 mm, named after St. Martin. It was used to build religious buildings and towers. The name of clinker brick arose due to the characteristic sound of klink. It arose when tapping on a quality product. According to the tonality and distinctness of the "ringing" of bricks, experienced masters determined the purpose of the material. Stones with impeccable sound and appearance were used for the erection of load-bearing structures or cladding. The rest of the material that fell under the culling was used for the construction of hedges, the power of streets and in other, less important spheres. As a result, the clinker, which was resistant to mechanical influences and withstood more than 300 cycles of "freezing-thawing", became the pinnacle of the development of full-bodied ceramic products. On its basis, the building school in Western Europe was formed, which does not give up its positions until now.

Optimization of the dimensions of ceramic wall materials in Russia and Europe

The first attempts to standardize the size of bricks are rooted in gray antiquity. In Russia, these steps were undertaken by Peter I. With him, a brick, the dimensions of which were 280 × 140 × 70 mm, became the most preferable. Control was then carried out with the help of special measures, which were with each master. This achieved some unification. She, when tied to the brand of the manufacturer, led the scrapers to clean water. After all, all attempts at standardization of that time encountered opposition from the breeders that they sold products one by one and sought to reduce their sizes to save materials. Tendencies to optimize the size of the ceramic stone were traced during the XVII-XX centuries not only in Russia, but also in European states. This was due to the convenience of working with standard products, which did not complicate the laying of its miniature or excess weight. At the same time in Europe the use of a different-sized ceramic stone became popular, which gave the building a charm and uniqueness. This is the reason for a wide range of materials, which is presented below.

Types and sizes of ceramic products in different states

The most popular brick in the past and now, the dimensions of which are displayed in millimeters according to the international system of measures.

Dutch :

• Lilliputian (150 x 70 x 35);
• Monastery (280 х 130 х 80);
• St. Martina (280 x 130 x 70 mm);
• Small monastery (285 х 135 х 85);
• A large monastery (285 x 135 x 85).

Belgian :

• "Arrows" (180 х 85 х 50);
• "Brussels" (200 x 95 x 60);
• "Virginia" (210 x 100 x 70);
• "Roman" (220 x 105 x 40);
• "Module 50" (190 x 90 x 50);
• Roman enlarged (240 x 105 x 40).

German :

• 8-inch "Goldstein" (190 x 90 x 40);
• 8-inch (195 x 92 x 50);
• OF (220 x 105 x 52);
• WF (210 x 100 x 50);
• WF thickened (210 x 100 x 65);
• Roman (240 x 115 x 40);
• Monastery (330 x 250 x 69).

Danish :

• Standard format (DNF) (228 x 108 x 55);
• Monastery (290 x 140 x 90).

European :

• EF (240 x 100 x 71);
• Thin brick (DF) (240 x 115 x 52);
• 2 DF (240 x 115 x 113);
• 3 DF (240 x 175 x 113);
• 4 DF (240 x 115 x 238);
• 8 DF (240 x 240 x 238);
• 10 DF (240 x 300 x 238).

Swedish :

• Standard (250 x 120 x 62).

Russian :

• One-and-a-half (250 x 120 x 88);
• Single brick - dimensions of 250x120x65 mm;
• Double (250 x 120 x 138).

Norwegian :

• Standard (230 x 110 x 65).

Austrian :

• Standard (250 x 120 x 62).

Prussian :

• Monastery "Marienburg" (320 x 150 x 90).

The Babylonian (310 x 180 x 70).

The stone of Byzantium (290 x 115 x 31).

Russian brick and its dimensions today

Their modern outlines of Russian pieces of clay materials are acquired only in 1927. Somewhat later, in the normative documentation, the dimensions of a single ceramic brick appear and their values in a one-and-a-half and a double form. Finally, these data are approved with the introduction of conventional units of measurements of structural elements of buildings and materials, which according to the latest edition of GOST 28984-91 was named "module". Interestingly, the very term of a brick is not mathematically confirmed, since its height in comparison with a single brick is 88: 65 ≈ 1.35. Such a definition came in professional jargon from building codes and rules. Most often this term means the size of silicate white brick, which is equal to 250 × 120 × 88 mm. The production of this product from sand and lime became available only in the 20th century after a qualitative leap in the industrial production of building materials chemistry. Using the methods of semi-dry pressing and autoclave synthesis, silica brick, whose dimensions, price and strength characteristics do not cause any complaints, took up a niche of structural materials that work outside moisture and high temperatures. After all, the cost of 1 m ^{3 of} such products starts from $ 180, so they are in demand.

Conclusion, or In the brick business everything is just beginning ...

The history of the development of ceramic blocks and their standard sizes once again confirms that further changes in the use of these piece materials are not far off. After all, the evolution of the construction industry does not stand still.