Detailing brick corbeling
The total horizontal projection shouldn’t exceed one-half the thickness of
brick veneer or one-half the thickness of a solid masonry wall
By Walter Laska
rchitects can enliven build- and perform well, simply follow zontal projection should not ex-
A ings with interesting shad-
ows and forms by project-
ing brick from the wall surfaces.
the maximum allowable horizon-
tal projections that have been de-
veloped empirically (Ref. 1).
ceed one-half the thickness of the
masonry wythe. For solid mason-
ry walls, the total horizontal pro-
To create corbels that look good For veneer walls, the total hori- jection should not exceed one-
Figure 1: Brick Veneer Corbel
Total allowable corbel = 1⁄2 (wythe thickness) = 1⁄2 (35⁄8 inches) = 113⁄16 inches
half the actual wall thickness.
Each course of brick also can
be corbeled only so much. A sin-
gle brick course projection
should not exceed one-half of the
sum of the unit height and mortar
joint thickness. In veneer walls, a
single brick course projection al-
so shouldn’t exceed one-third the
nominal unit bed depth. In a solid
masonry wall, it also shouldn’t ex-
ceed one-third of the sum of the
unit bed depth and collar joint
thickness.
Corbeling brick veneer
Based on the rules given above,
for a corbel in a nominal 4-inch
brick veneer wall (Figure 1), the
total horizontal projection should
not be more than 113⁄16 inches. A
single course of utility or stan-
dard brick shouldn’t be projected
more than 13⁄16 inches.
Architects also should know
the approximate size and location
of the brick cores. Unless other-
wise specified, ASTM C 216, the
standard specification for facing
brick, allows cores to be 3⁄4 inch
from any edge of the brick. Thus
the architect shouldn’t let any C
216 cored unit project more than
this 34⁄ -inch outer face thickness.
Projecting such brick more than 3⁄4
inch would expose the cores,
which could be aesthetically dis-
pleasing.
The amount an individual brick
course is projected also is influ-
enced by the number of brick
courses the architect wishes to
project. For brick veneer walls,
three projections are common. If
each projection is about 1⁄2 inch, a Figure 2: Cavity Wall Corbel
total corbel of 11⁄2 inches is
achieved. This dimension (when
considering variations in con- Total allowable corbel = 1⁄2 (wall thickness) = 1⁄2 (35⁄8" + 2" + 55⁄8") = 55⁄8 inches
struction tolerances) falls within
the allowable 113⁄16-inch limit. Indi-
vidual course projections can be
made greater than 1⁄2 inch, but Corbeling cavity sible in a brick veneer wall—as
then only one or two projections and solid walls long as none exceeds the limits
can be made. The number of indi- Using a cavity or solid masonry mentioned previously (one-half
vidual courses projected can be wall (Figure 2), the architect can the nominal unit height or one-
increased by decreasing the create a corbel with an overall third the nominal unit bed depth).
amount of each projection. How- projection one-half the wall thick- A few additional requirements
ever, decreasing the amount each ness. This allows for more individ- do exist. The corbeled wall sec-
brick course projects may pro- ual projections, each of which tion must be completely solid. In
duce a less dramatic corbel. might be greater than what is pos- cavity walls, the corbeled section
should be grouted.
Also, the slope of corbeling,
measured from the horizontal to
the face of the corbeled surface,
should be at least 60°. If the cor-
bel slope is less than this, the in-
creased eccentricity will intro-
duce additional stresses into the
wall. If that occurs, these stresses
should be resisted by reinforcing
the wall or taking other precau-
tions.
Walter Laska is the staff architect of the Ma-
sonry Advisory Council in Park Ridge, Ill.
Reference
1. “Brick Masonry Details: Caps and Cop-
ings, Corbels and Racking,” Technical
Notes on Brick Construction, 36A Revised,
Brick Institute of America, 11490 Com-
merce Park Dr., Reston, VA 22091.
PUBLICATION #M910479
Copyright 1991
The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved
