[USEFUL TABLES AND SUGGESTIONS]
Mortar Mixes for Laying 1,000 Brick, 1/8" Joint
| PROPORTIONS | QUANTITIES | ||||
| Cement | Lime | Sand | |||
| Cement Mortars | 13/4 bbls. optional | 1/4 bbl. optional | 1/2 cu. yd. | ||
| 1 | part | cement | |||
| 2 | parts | sand | |||
| 1 | part | cement | 13/8 bbls. | 1/4 bbl. optional | 1/2 cu. yd. |
| 21/2 | parts | sand | |||
| 1 | part | cement | 11/8 bbls. | 1/4 bbl. optional | 1/2 cu. yd. |
| 3 | parts | sand | |||
| Lump Lime Mortars | 7/8 bbl. | 1/2 cu. yd. | |||
| 1 | part | lime | |||
| 2 | parts | sand | |||
| 1 | part | lime | 3/4 bbl. | 1/2 cu. yd. | |
| 21/2 | parts | sand | |||
| 1 | part | lime | 5/8 bbl. | 1/2 cu. yd. | |
| 3 | parts | sand | |||
| Hydrated Lime Mortar | 31/2 sacks | 1/2 cu. yd. | |||
| 1 | part | lime | |||
| 2 | parts | sand | |||
| 1 | part | lime | 3 sacks | 1/2 cu. yd. | |
| 21/2 | parts | sand | |||
| 1 | part | lime | 21/2 sacks | 1/2 cu. yd. | |
| 3 | parts | sand | |||
| Cement-Lime Mortars | 1/2 bbl. | 1 sack hydrated, or 1/4 bbl. lump lime | 1/2 cu. yd. | ||
| 1 | part | cement | |||
| 1 | part | lime | |||
| 6 | parts | sand | |||
| Grout for 3/16"-1/4" Joints | approx. 3/4 bbl. | approx. 1/3 cu. yd. | |||
| 1 | part | cement | |||
| 3 | parts | sand | |||
Mortar Mixes for Laying 1,000 Tile, 1/2" Joint
| Size of Tile | Cement | Lime | Sand |
| 4" × 5" × 12" | 12/3 bbls. | 1/4 bbl. | 2/3 cu. yd. |
| 8" × 5" × 12" | 3 bbls. | 1/2 bbl. | 11/3 cu. yd. |
| 4" × 12" × 12" | 13/4 bbls. | 1/4 bbl. | 3/4 cu. yd. |
| 8" × 12" × 12" | 41/4 bbls. | 1/2 bbl. | 13/4 cu. yd. |
The above quantities are based on a 380 lb. barrel of Portland cement; a 180 lb. barrel of lump lime, and a 50 lb. sack of hydrated lime. Portland cement is sold by the bag or barrel. A bag of Portland cement weighs approximately 94 pounds. Four bags make one barrel of approximately 380 pounds. Lump lime is sold by the bushel or barrel. A bushel of lump lime weighs approximately 75 to 85 pounds. A barrel of lump lime weighs approximately 180 pounds, and equals 4 sacks of hydrated lime. Brick joints other than 3/8" will require about 1/3 more or less mortar for each 1/8" difference.
Estimating Quantities of Face Brick
Size of Brick
The dimensions of the standard size face brick adopted by the American Face Brick Association are 8" × 21/4" × 33/4"; but sometimes, due to special conditions in the clay or the kiln burn, these brick may slightly vary from the dimensions given. Besides, there are other sizes of brick used, such as pavers, Romans, etc., so that the contractor should always ascertain the exact size of the brick specified, whether standard size or not, and take into consideration the width of mortar joint desired, in order to calculate more accurately the number of bricks required for a given wall area.