Brick
A
brick is a block or a single unit of a kneaded clay-bearing soil, sand and lime, or concrete material, fire hardened or air dried, used in masonry construction. Fired brick are the most numerous type and are laid in
courses and numerous patterns known as
bonds, collectively known as
brickwork, and may be laid in various kinds of
mortar to hold the bricks together to make a durable structure. Brick are produced in numerous types, materials, and sizes which vary with region and time period, and are produced in bulk quantities. Two most basic categories of brick are
fired and
non-fired brick. Fired brick are one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials sometimes referred to as artificial stone and have been used since circa 5000 BC. Air dried bricks have a history older than fired bricks, are known by the synonyms
mud brick and
adobe, and have an additional ingredient of a mechanical
binder such as straw.