US king brick
244.5 × 69.8 × 76.2 mm
9 5/8 × 2 3/4 × 2 1/1 in · format 254.0 × 79.4 mm · 50 per m² · North America
About this unit
Longer again than a queen. The economics are the same argument — fewer units, less labour — and the coursing is again its own.
The size that matters is the format
A brick is never laid on its own. Add one 9.5 mm joint and the working unit becomes 254.0 × 79.4 mm, and every dimension in the wall is a multiple of that rather than of the brick.
| Actual size | 244.5 × 69.8 × 76.2 mm |
| Mortar joint | 9.5 mm |
| Format size | 254.0 × 79.4 mm |
| Per square metre, single skin | 49.60 — order 53 with 5% waste |
| Courses per metre of height | 12.60 |
| Units per metre of length | 3.94 |
Setting out
Ten courses rise 794 mm and ten units run 2540 mm. Openings, sills and damp courses are placed on those multiples wherever possible, because a wall that has to be cut to reach a dimension costs labour and shows.
Other North America units
| Unit | Actual | Format | Per m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| US modular brick | 194 × 57 × 92 mm | 203.2 × 66.7 | 73.8 |
| US queen brick | 194 × 70 × 79 mm | 203.2 × 79.4 | 62.0 |
| US utility brick | 295 × 92 × 92 mm | 304.8 × 101.6 | 32.3 |
| US concrete block | 397 × 194 × 194 mm | 406.4 × 203.2 | 12.1 |
Frequently asked questions
What size is a us king brick?
244.5 × 69.8 × 76.2 mm (9 5/8 × 2 3/4 × 2 1/1 in). Add the 9.5 mm joint and the working size — the format — is 254.0 × 79.4 mm.
How many bricks per square metre?
49.6 for a single skin — 50 in practice, before allowing for breakage. That comes straight from the format: 1,000,000 mm² ÷ (254.0 × 79.4) = 49.60.
How many courses per metre of height?
12.60 courses, at 79.4 mm each. Setting out from a fixed course height is why a window head or a damp course lands where it does rather than where a drawing might prefer.
Why does the joint matter so much?
Because the brick on its own is never the unit of construction. Masonry is set out on the format size — one unit plus one joint — and every dimension in a wall is a multiple of it. A 69.8 mm brick with a 9.5 mm bed rises 79.4 mm per course, and that 79.4 is the number the wall is actually built from.