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King Klinker thin brick in a long format, Columbia Business Center, Eagan, Minnesota

Thin brick sizes and shapes

Every thin brick face size, corner and edge cap, drawn to one scale with the dimensions you put on the drawing.

Face sizes Corners and edge caps

Columbia Business Center, Eagan, Minnesota. King Klinker thin brick.

How a thin brick unit is measured.

Height by length by thickness, the way PCI RP 152-25 orders embedded clay thin brick.

A flat is the standard field unit. A corner has a return leg, so an outside corner of the panel reads as full brick. An edge cap has a leg over the top edge, so a sill, a window head or the top of a panel reads as brick too. An edge cap corner has both, and is made left and right. On a corner or an edge cap the order carries every face and the leg length, height by length by leg by thickness.

Thickness runs 1/2 in. to 1 in. and is set by the manufacturer. The formliner seats every unit at one depth, so a run has to hold one thickness for the joint to read evenly.

Length Height

Flat

Length Height Leg

Corner

Length Height Leg

Edge cap

Face sizes.

All at one scale, height by length. Modular, Norman, Closure and Utility are the four face sizes the PCI specification names. The others are made by one or more of the thin brick manufacturers Advanced carries.

Nominal and actual.

Modular masonry is nominally 8 in. long by 2-2/3 in. high, the unit plus its joint. A Modular thin brick measures 7-5/8 by 2-1/4 in., so one unit and one head joint make 8 in. across and three courses with their bed joints make 8 in. up. Norman and Meridian keep the course height and run 12 and 16 in. modules. Closure and Utility are 4 in. courses, three to 12 in. PCI recommends sizing the panel to a multiple of the nominal unit, so the elevation is drawn to the module, not to the brick.

Coursing, openings and the panel joint →

Face sizes by manufacturer.

Roman King Klinker, Endicott
Modular King Klinker, MetroBrick, Endicott, General Shale, Summitville
Norman King Klinker, MetroBrick, Endicott
Meridian King Klinker
King MetroBrick, Endicott
Expanded Modular King Klinker
Closure Endicott
Utility MetroBrick, Endicott, Summitville
Triple Endicott

Corners.

L-shaped in plan: the face, and a return leg that turns the corner so no concrete edge shows. The leg is 3-5/8 in. on almost every corner, close to half a Modular unit, so in a half running bond the corner units alternate which wall carries the long leg.

Edge caps.

L-shaped in section: the face, and a leg that turns over a horizontal edge, so a sill, a window head, the soffit of an opening or the top of a panel reads as brick with no concrete edge showing. The leg is usually 3-5/8 in.

Corners and edge caps by manufacturer.

King Klinker 8 in. corner, 2-1/4 by 7-5/8 in. with a 3-5/8 in. return. 10 in. corner, 2-1/4 by 9-5/8 in. with a 3-5/8 in. return. Both 9/16 in. thick.
MetroBrick Modular corner, 2-1/4 by 7-5/8 in. with a 3-5/8 in. return, and a 135 degree corner at the same size. Norman corner, 2-1/4 by 11-5/8 in. with a 3-5/8 in. return. King corner, 2-5/8 by 9-5/8 in. with a 2-3/4 in. return. Utility corner, 3-5/8 by 11-5/8 in. with a 3-5/8 in. return. An edge cap in every size. All 5/8 in. thick.
Endicott Roman corners, 1-5/8 in. high, at 7-5/8 and 11-5/8 in. Modular and Norman corners, 2-1/4 in. high, at 7-5/8 and 11-5/8 in. Kingsize corner, 2-5/8 by 9-5/8 in. with a 3 in. return. Closure and Utility corners, 3-5/8 in. high, at 7-5/8 and 11-5/8 in. Triple corner, 7-5/8 by 7-5/8 in. Returns are 3-5/8 in. except Kingsize. The 11-5/8 in. corners are 1 in. thick only. Edge caps A to H and edge cap corners, left and right.
General Shale Modular corner, 2-1/4 by 7-5/8 in. with a 3-5/8 in. return, and an edge cap. 1/2 in. thick.
Summitville BC-248 modular corner, 2-1/4 by 7-5/8 in. with a 3-5/8 in. return. BC-44C utility corner, 3-5/8 by 11-5/8 in. with a 3-5/8 in. return. BT-248 edge cap. BTR-248 and BTL-248 edge cap corners, right and left. 9/16 in. thick.

From each manufacturer's published sizes. Your rep confirms which colors come with a matching corner or edge cap.

Thickness and tolerance.

What the PCI specification holds a thin brick unit to, so it seats in the formliner and the joints read evenly.

Thickness 1/2 in. to 1 in., held to plus 0, minus 1/16 in.
Face size, 8 in. and under Plus 0, minus 1/16 in.
Face size, over 8 in. Plus 0, minus 3/32 in.
Warpage No more than 1/16 in., concave or convex
Out of square Plus or minus 1/16 in.
Angle of a corner Plus or minus 1 degree
Back surface Scored, Combed, Wire roughened, Ribbed, Keybacked, Dovetailed
Pull-out strength Not less than 150 psi from the base concrete, before and after freeze thaw

PCI Specification for Embedded Clay Thin Brick, Appendix A of RP 152-25.

Ordering it.

PCI RP 152-25 has the precast producer order by the manufacturer, plant, product name and code, color, size name and specified dimensions: height by length by thickness for a flat, and every face and the leg length for a corner or an edge cap. Flats are ordered by the square foot of wall. Corners, edge caps and edge cap corners are ordered by the piece.

Allow a minimum of 5 to 10 percent waste and overage on flats, more on a job with many cuts. Corners, edge caps and the other special shapes are ordered in small counts, so losing one panel can mean a reorder; it is not uncommon to order an extra 50 percent of them.

Ordering and preproduction →

Face sizes on a wall.

The same 32 by 20 in. piece of wall in each face size, half running bond, 3/8 in. joints, with the manufacturers that carry it and the price band each one sits in.

Price bands run $ to $$$$ and compare one size with another. Your rep quotes the job.

The matrix is the mortar joint.

In a precast panel there is no mortar. The concrete cast against the back of the brick fills the joint the formliner leaves, so the color and finish of that concrete, the matrix, reads as the mortar line on the building. A light matrix lifts a dark brick. A dark matrix pulls the same brick darker. That is why PCI wants final color approval on a cast sample.

How the matrix and the joint change the color of the brick →

Common questions.

What thin brick face sizes are available?
Roman (1-5/8 by 11-5/8 in.), Modular (2-1/4 by 7-5/8), Norman (2-1/4 by 11-5/8), Meridian (2-1/4 by 15-5/8), King (2-5/8 by 9-5/8), Expanded Modular (2-3/4 by 9-3/16), Closure (3-5/8 by 7-5/8), Utility (3-5/8 by 11-5/8) and Triple (7-5/8 by 7-5/8), height by length. Modular, Norman, Closure and Utility are the four face sizes named in the PCI Specification for Embedded Clay Thin Brick.
How is a thin brick unit measured and ordered?
Height by length by thickness, the way PCI RP 152-25 orders it. A corner or an edge cap adds the leg length, and every face goes on the order. Flats are ordered by the square foot of wall, and corners, edge caps and edge cap corners by the piece.
What is the difference between a corner and an edge cap?
A corner is L-shaped in plan: a face and a return leg, so an outside corner of the panel reads as full brick. An edge cap is L-shaped in section: a face and a leg over a horizontal edge, so the top of a panel, a sill or the head of an opening reads as brick too. An edge cap corner combines the two and is made left and right.
How thick is thin brick?
Between 1/2 in. and 1 in. under the PCI specification, held to plus zero, minus 1/16 in. Most manufacturers run 1/2, 9/16 or 5/8 in. The formliner seats every unit at one depth, so thickness has to be consistent within a run for the joint to read evenly.
What return leg should I show on a corner?
Most corners carry a 3-5/8 in. leg, close to half a Modular unit. In a half running bond the corner units alternate which wall carries the long leg. The King corner is the exception, at 2-3/4 or 3 in. by manufacturer. Get the manufacturer’s corner drawing before the elevations are fixed.

More thin brick reference.

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