Bricks are prepared in various sizes. If the bricks are too large, it is difficult to burn them and handle them. But, on the other hand, if the bricks are small, more quantity of mortar is required while placing.
In India, the standard size recommended by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is 19 cm × 9 cm × 9 cm and the size of brick including the mortar thickness is 20 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm, which is known as the nominal size of the brick.
The test carried out for inspecting the size is that 20 bricks of standard size (19 cm × 9 cm × 9 cm) are stacked length wise, along the width and along the height. For good quality bricks the results should be within the following permissible limits:
Length: 368–392 cm
Width: 174–186 cm
Height: 174–186 cm
The weight of 1 m3 of brick earth is 18 kN. Hence, the average weight of a brick will be around 30–35 N.