Brick, Block & Mortar
274 sources in the library on brick, block & mortar, 21 on this page cited in a published note. Each one says what the document covers and what it is good for. Name a source to see which document it is and where to read it. One at a time. Page 1 of 7.
- very strong RN-CDLNT7 cited
Health and Safety Executive
The specific HSE information sheet behind the dust advice, with the numbers a note can quote. Names three types of construction dust: silica dust, also called respirable crystalline silica, from concrete, mortar and sandstone; wood dust from softwood, hardwood and wood-based products including MDF and plywood; and other general dust from materials with little or no silica, most commonly gypsum as in plasterboard, limestone, marble and dolomite. States that over 500 construction workers are believed to die from exposure to silica dust every year, and that the main dust-related diseases are lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, most developing slowly though advanced silicosis and asthma can come on quickly. The legal framework is the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, and the three required steps are Assess, Control and Review. On damping down it corrects a common site habit: water needs enough supply at the right levels for the whole time the work is being done, and just wetting the material beforehand does not work. High dust levels come from high-energy tools such as cut-off saws, grinders and grit blasters.
Cited in How to Insulate a Loft (DIY), How to Tile a Wall or Floor, Interior Finishes: The Complete UK Guide (2026), Kitchen Worktops Compared: Quartz, Granite, Laminate.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The GOV.UK page for Approved Document C, published 3 September 2013, ISBN 978 1 85946 509 7, covering site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture, with a separate FAQ document (ISBN 978-1-4098-4805-9). Since April 2023 the Building Safety Regulator has a duty under the Building Safety Act 2022 to keep building safety and standards in England under review, including advising on Approved Document updates. The linked PDF gives the figures a damp note needs: paragraph 5.5 says a wall meets the requirement if it has a damp-proof course of bituminous material, polyethylene, engineering bricks or slates in cement mortar, or any other material that prevents the passage of moisture, continuous with any damp-proof membrane in the floors; for an external wall the damp-proof course should be at least 150mm above the level of the adjoining ground; and for an external cavity wall the cavity should be taken down at least 225mm below the lowest damp-proof course, or a damp-proof tray provided, with weep holes every 900mm and stop ends plus at least two weep holes where the tray does not run the full length. Paragraph 5.6 accepts the alternative of BS 8215 clauses 4 and 5 for damp-proof course design and installation, and BS 8102 for protection against water from the ground.
Cited in Cladding and Render: The Complete UK Guide (2026), EPS vs XPS Insulation: Which & Where, Roof Felt (Underlay) Replacement: Cost & Signs It's Failing.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (GOV.UK)
The full Approved Document A PDF, which carries the deemed-to-satisfy tables a domestic project is checked against. Section 2E covers foundations of plain concrete: paragraph 2E3 gives the recommended minimum widths of strip foundations in Table 10, keyed to ground type and total load of loadbearing walling per linear metre. Table 10 sets, for rock (not inferior to sandstone, limestone or firm chalk, requiring at least a pneumatic or mechanically operated pick to excavate), a width equal to the width of the wall at every load. For medium dense gravel or sand (requires a pick to excavate, a 50mm square wooden peg hard to drive beyond 150mm) and for stiff clay or stiff sandy clay (can be indented slightly by the thumb), the minimum widths are 250mm at 20 kN per linear metre, 300mm at 30, 400mm at 40, 500mm at 50, 600mm at 60 and 650mm at 70. Firm clay and firm sandy clay (thumb makes an impression easily) start at 300mm. The document also covers minimum depth of strip foundations, wall thickness rules for residential buildings up to three storeys (paragraph 2C10 covers internal loadbearing walls in brickwork or blockwork), buttressing, lateral support by floors and at roof level, interruption of lateral support, wall cladding in Section 3, and Section 5 on reducing sensitivity to disproportionate collapse with the building consequence classes.
Cited in Adding an Ensuite: Cost, Layout & Plumbing, Adding Porch, Annexe & Granny Flat: Cost, Planning & Rules, Bin & Bike Storage Ideas and 37 more.
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The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
Class F permits the provision within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse of a hard surface for any purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse, or its replacement in whole or in part. Condition F.2 applies where the hard surface would lie between a wall forming the principal elevation and a highway and its area would exceed 5 square metres: the surface must then be made of porous materials, or provision made to direct run-off water to a permeable or porous area or surface within the curtilage.
Cited in Brick Driveway Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Brick Steps Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Dropped Kerbs: Cost, Rules & How to Apply, Hardcore, MOT Type 1 & Sub-base Materials Explained.
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BSI
the product standard calcium silicate bricks are specified to, which is Part 2 rather than Part 3
Cited in Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes.
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BSI
the product standard autoclaved aerated concrete blocks are specified to
- strong RN-D5C2F3 cited
BSI
the product standard factory-made and site-made masonry mortar is specified to
Cited in Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes, Cement Types Explained: OPC, Rapid-Set, SR & Masonry.
- strong RN-II5853 cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 10 December 2010. BS 8200:1985 was published 28 June 1985, ISBN 0 580 14352 X, committee B/209, ICS 91.040.01, and gave the code of practice for the design of non loadbearing external vertical enclosures, that is the building envelope, covering weathertightness, thermal performance, sound insulation, condensation control, joints and durability. It has no direct single replacement: its subject matter now sits across the Approved Documents (C for weather resistance, L for thermal, E for sound), BS 5250 for condensation control in buildings, and the cladding specific codes such as BS 8297 for precast concrete and the BS 8298 series for natural stone. A note citing BS 8200 for envelope design principles is quoting a standard withdrawn in 2010. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date, ISBN, committee and scope.
- strong RN-6RE0OY cited
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN 772-1:2011+A1:2015 (base edition published 31 May 2011, ISBN 978 0 580 84584 0, identical to EN 772-1:2011+A1:2015) supersedes BS EN 772-1:2000 and is part one of the BS EN 772 test series for masonry units. It specifies specimen preparation and conditioning and the compression test method used to determine the compressive strength of bricks and blocks, the figure quoted in N/mm2 that decides whether a unit is suitable for a given structural application. It is the test standard that sits behind the product specifications in the BS EN 771 series (BS EN 771-1 clay units, BS EN 771-3 aggregate concrete units, BS EN 771-4 autoclaved aerated concrete), and it replaced the strength testing formerly given inside the withdrawn British product standards such as BS 3921 for clay bricks. Other parts of the series cover dimensions (BS EN 772-16) and bending tensile strength. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the method is paywalled.
- strong RN-30GDL1 cited
BSI (BSI Knowledge catalogue)
Dated 30 December 2005 with a 2012 amendment, this is the masonry design Eurocode. Its overview states it is the first sub-part of Part 1 of the series and gives the basis for the design of buildings and civil engineering works in masonry, dealing with unreinforced masonry and with reinforced masonry where reinforcement is added to provide ductility, strength or improved serviceability. The principles of prestressed and confined masonry design are given but application rules are not provided, and the Part is expressly not valid for masonry with a plan area of less than 0.04 square metres. It is the standard a structural engineer designs a loadbearing brick or block wall to, and the reference behind the characteristic compressive strength of masonry built with a given unit and mortar strength.
Cited in Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes, Concrete Blocks: Aircrete vs Dense vs Hollow, Types of Brick: Facing, Engineering & Common.
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BSI (BSI Knowledge catalogue)
Dated 31 October 2011 with a 2015 amendment, this specifies the characteristics and performance requirements for clay masonry units intended for protected or unprotected masonry, covering facing and rendered masonry and loadbearing and non-loadbearing structures including internal linings and partitions. It defines performance for dimensional tolerances, strength and density against test methods in separate European standards, and it carries the F0, F1 and F2 frost resistance categories and the S0, S1 and S2 active soluble salts categories that a UK brick is declared against. Its scope note states the standard does not specify standard sizes for clay masonry units, which is why UK brick format remains a national convention rather than a European one.
Cited in Brick Slips & Brick Cladding Systems, Bricklaying Bonds & UK Brick Sizes, Concrete Blocks: Aircrete vs Dense vs Hollow, Structural Materials: The Complete Guide and 1 more.
- strong RN-VIBP9W cited
BSI (BSI Knowledge catalogue)
Dated 31 October 2011 with a 2015 amendment, this is the third part of the BS EN 771 masonry unit series and the standard UK concrete blocks are declared to. Its scope specifies the characteristics and performance requirements of aggregate concrete masonry units made from dense aggregates, lightweight aggregates or a combination of both, whose main intended uses are common, facing or exposed masonry in loadbearing or non-loadbearing building and civil engineering applications. It is the reference for a block manufacturer declaring compressive strength (for example 3.6 N/mm2 or 7.3 N/mm2), density and dimensional tolerance, and it is the counterpart to BS EN 771-1 for clay bricks and BS EN 771-4 for autoclaved aerated (aircrete) units.
- strong RN-WUK7IE cited
BSI (BSI Knowledge catalogue)
Dated 16 September 2003, this specifies requirements for prefabricated lintels spanning clear openings in a masonry wall up to a maximum of 4.5 m, made from steel, autoclaved aerated concrete, manufactured stone, concrete, fired clay units, calcium silicate units, natural stone units, or a combination of these. Its scope expressly excludes lintels made entirely on site, lintels whose tensile parts are made on site, timber lintels and unreinforced natural stone lintels, and it does not cover components spanning more than 4.5 m or components intended for use independently in a structural role such as beams. That 4.5 m ceiling is why wider openings move from a catalogue lintel to a designed steel beam.
Cited in Structural Materials: The Complete Guide.
- strong RN-BNGAID cited
United Kingdom Accreditation Service
The live UKAS register of accredited bodies currently under sanction. It records the British Board of Agrement under imposed suspension from 26 February 2026 across all four of its accreditations: ISO/IEC 17065 product certification and ISO/IEC 17021 management systems under reference 0113, ISO/IEC 17020 inspection under 4345, and ISO/IEC 17025 testing under 0357. This is the page to check before repeating any advice that treats a BBA certificate as accredited third party assurance.
Cited in Breathable Membranes for Roofs & Walls, Brick Slips & Brick Cladding Systems, Cavity Wall Insulation Materials Compared, Damp Proof Membranes (DPM) & DPC: Types & Installation and 7 more.
- good RN-J43FLR cited
Brick Development Association
BDA Design Note 7, January 2011 edition, replacing the August 2006 issue and incorporating the recommendations of PD 6697:2010. It identifies saturation as the main cause of brickwork deterioration and works through protection from saturation by design, exposed and ground conditions, vulnerable details and workmanship. It covers the mechanism of frost action and winter construction, and sulfate attack including sulfates from bricks and from other sources, dense mortars and vulnerable situations. It sets out clay brick frost resistance and soluble salts categories and the resulting durability designations, and mortar type and designation, batching accuracy, frost action, anti-freeze admixtures and joint profiles. Section 9 gives brick and mortar selection for durability location by location, including work below or within 150mm above external ground level, clay brick damp proof courses, unrendered and rendered external walls above 150mm, internal walls, unrendered and rendered parapets and chimneys, free-standing and earth-retaining walls, sills, copings and cappings, manholes and planting boxes. References include PD 6697, BS EN 771-1, BS EN 998-2, BS 4027 and the UK National Annex to BS EN 1996-1-1.
Cited in Brick Steps Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Bricks Per 1000 Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Garden & Retaining Walls: Cost & Build.
- good RN-5WJ1KN cited
Mineral Products Association, Mortar Industry Association
The mortar industry's own learning text on specifying masonry mortar. Its Table 1 sets out the prescribed mixes by volume for each mortar designation, (i) to (iv) and M12 down to M2, for cement:lime:sand and for masonry cement:sand.
- supplier figure RN-DDI8WM cited
Ancon
A wall tie manufacturer's technical note setting out the spacing, density and embedment that PD 6697 and Approved Document A call for, including the closer spacing required around openings.
- supplier figure RN-8SYJXG cited
Catnic (Tata Steel UK)
Catnic's technical guide to supporting a steel lintel. It gives the nominal minimum end bearing, how that sets the ordered length against the clear span, and the bedding the bearing needs.
- supplier figure RN-Q0X1Q7 cited
EcoTherm Insulation (Kingspan Insulation Ltd)
Thermal laminate: PIR core bonded to 12.5 mm Gyproc Type A plasterboard to EN 13950: 2014. Insulation core lambda 0.022 W/mK; plasterboard component lambda 0.19 W/mK. Product thicknesses 37.5 to 82.5 mm (25 to 70 mm of insulation plus 12.5 mm board). Published R-values and typical U-values on a 215 mm dense blockwork wall with 10 mm polymer render: 25 mm insulation R 1.10, U 0.57 battens / 0.56 dot and dab; 30 mm R 1.35, 0.51 / 0.50; 40 mm R 1.80, 0.42 / 0.40; 50 mm R 2.25, 0.36 / 0.34; 60 mm R 2.70, 0.32 / 0.30; 70 mm R 3.15, 0.28 / 0.26 W/m2K. Fire: Eco-Liner achieves European Classification (Euroclass) B-s1,d0 when classified to BS EN 13501-1: 2018, supported by test reports WF 546613 (EN 13823) and WF 516756 (EN ISO 11925-2).
- supplier figure RN-RJ032Z cited
Forterra (London Brick)
London Brick Commons, 65 mm, made at Kings Dyke. Manufactured to EN 771-1. Dimensions 215 x 102.5 x 65 mm. Compressive strength 25 N/mm2, configuration frogged with 14-20% voids, dry weight 1.95 kg, active soluble salts S2, dimensional tolerance mean T2, manufacture type pressed. Thermal conductivity lambda 10,dry 0.45 W/mK and 0.75 W/mK exposed at 5% moisture. Forterra sell commons as utility bricks, not facing bricks, so colour, texture, chipping, hairline cracks and crazing may vary. London Brick is available in the standard 65 mm size with four bricks also in 73 mm, which is what makes it the usual match for an extension to a mid-century house.
- supplier figure RN-5SDEMT cited
SOPREMA UK (Celotex)
Thermal laminate: rigid PIR core bonded to 12.5 mm tapered edge plasterboard, boards 2400 x 1200 mm. Declared thermal conductivity of the PIR core 0.022 W/mK. Overall thickness range 37.5 mm to 77.5 mm (PIR 25 mm to 65 mm plus 12.5 mm board). BBA Certificate 25/7366 for internal wall dry lining and pitched roof ceiling applications. Fire: SOPRATHERM PL4000 achieves a reaction to fire classification of Euroclass B-s1, d0 in accordance with BS EN 13501-1.
- very strong RN-MMEX1T
Historic Environment Scotland
A free public-body technical guide on damp in traditional buildings, and the accessible route to heritage-grade damp advice because Historic England blocks scripted fetches. Published 1 July 2007 by Historic Environment Scotland, publication type Technical, Advice and Guidance, INFORM Guide, audiences Planners and Owners and Conservation and Heritage enthusiasts, subjects Architecture and Climate Change, downloadable as a 288 KB PDF from the page. Scope stated on the page: recognising the causes and early signs of damp, and guidance on rectifying damp problems. Use it as the counterweight to damp-proofing sales literature, since HES guidance for solid-walled traditional buildings does not start from the chemical injected damp proof course assumption that dominates UK damp articles. Note the jurisdiction: it is Scottish guidance, so the building science transfers but any regulatory reference does not.
- very strong RN-HIUMHY
Historic Environment Scotland
The public-body source for why cement mortar on a traditional stone or soft brick wall causes decay, published 13 October 2016 by Historic Scotland (now HES), INFORM Guide, 377 KB PDF. Scope stated on the page: it focuses on the two commonly used mortar types, lime mortars and cement mortars, gives an overview of the physical properties of both, and indicates their technical suitability for use with traditional stone masonry, on the basis that selecting a suitable mortar for repair works matters for conservation and for PREVENTING MASONRY DECAY ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF INCOMPATIBLE MATERIALS. Pair it with the HES Short Guide: Lime Mortars in traditional buildings (1 March 2013, 2.16 MB PDF), which covers the history and use of lime mortars, sourcing of raw materials, preparation of mortars for repairs and how to recognise and reduce the risk of failure, and with the INFORM Guide: Hot-Mixed Lime Mortars (1 April 2015, 4.41 MB PDF), which explains how hot-mixed lime mortars differ from other lime mortars and how they are prepared on site.
- very strong RN-2XZZA3
Historic Environment Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland's technical guidance on lime as a building material, published by the Engine Shed, its building conservation centre. It sets out why mortar joints are meant to weather faster than the masonry around them, and why an Ordinary Portland Cement mortar that is harder and less permeable than the brick or stone drives decay into the masonry face instead.
- very strong RN-2E60JR
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The shortest Approved Document, covering requirement D1 of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010: if insulating material is inserted into a cavity in a cavity wall, reasonable precautions must be taken to prevent the subsequent permeation of toxic fumes into any part of the building occupied by people. The stated performance is that formaldehyde fumes given off by urea formaldehyde (UF) foams must not reach occupied parts at an irritant concentration, and paragraph 1.1 permits formaldehyde-emitting insulants only where a continuous barrier minimises the passage of fumes to occupiable parts. Paragraph 1.2 sets five conditions for filling a cavity with UF foam: the inner leaf must be masonry (brick or block); suitability must be assessed beforehand to BS 8208-1:1985; the installer must hold or operate under a current Certificate of Registration of Assessed Capability; the material must comply with BS 5617:1985; and installation must follow BS 5618:1985. The 2010 amendments were regulation renumbering only and the 2013 amendments changed only the materials and workmanship guidance, with no change to Part D of Schedule 1.
- very strong RN-M920CI
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
Article 4(1) of the retained Construction Products Regulation requires a manufacturer to draw up a declaration of performance when a product covered by a designated standard, or conforming to a UK Technical Assessment, is placed on the market. Article 4(2) makes the declaration the only permitted route for stating performance against essential characteristics, so a performance claim outside the declaration is not valid. Article 4(3) provides that by drawing up the declaration the manufacturer assumes responsibility for the product's conformity with the declared performance, and that in the absence of objective indications to the contrary the declaration is presumed accurate and reliable. The words designated standard and UK Technical Assessment were substituted for harmonised standard and European Technical Assessment on 31 December 2020 by the Construction Products (Amendment etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/465), Schedule 1 paragraph 6.
- strong RN-04DH6J
BBA (British Board of Agrement)
The certification body whose Agrement Certificate is what a note usually means when it says a system is approved, and the page that lists which schemes it actually runs. The BBA's certification team issues certificates for the BBA Agrement, HAPAS (Highways Authority Product Approval Services), European Technical Assessment (ETA), and the Microgeneration Certification Scheme. Alongside product certification it runs certification of people, including the BBA Approved Installer Scheme, the BBA Competent Person Scheme, the BBA Gas Membrane Approved Installer Scheme, TrustMark registration and the BBA PAS 2030 Scheme, plus a Client Managed Inspection Service. Its testing services are also available standalone and include durability, mechanical, physical and structural, weather resistance and wind serviceability, conformance and fit-for-purpose, thermal performance, and onsite testing and trials. An Agrement Certificate is the route by which a product without a harmonised European product standard, such as a tanking membrane, a multifoil or a proprietary EWI system, gets an independently assessed statement of fitness for a stated use.
- strong RN-YA3KJC
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 1 July 2007. BS 3921:1985 was published 29 November 1985 and was the British product specification for clay bricks, including the familiar classes such as engineering brick Class A and Class B and the frost resistance and soluble salt designations that UK brick notes still repeat. It was superseded by the harmonised European product standard BS EN 771-1, Specification for masonry units. Clay masonry units, after which BS EN 771-1 became the sole product standard for clay bricks in the UK; the associated test methods moved to the BS EN 772 series. Any note that specifies bricks to BS 3921 is naming a standard withdrawn nearly twenty years ago and should cite BS EN 771-1 instead. The catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date and withdrawal date but does not name the superseding standard.
- strong RN-002CQ2
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 1 January 2005. BS 4721:1981 was published 31 July 1981 and specified pre blended ready mixed building mortars, covering composition, properties and quality requirements for cement, lime, sand and aggregate based mortar products. It was superseded by the European mortar standards, principally BS EN 998-2 for masonry mortar and BS EN 998-1 for rendering and plastering mortar, with mortar designations moving from the old roman numeral mixes (i to v) to the M classes (M2, M4, M6, M12) by compressive strength. A note that cites BS 4721 for a bagged or silo mortar, or that gives a mortar designation without saying which system it belongs to, is working from a standard withdrawn over twenty years ago. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date and scope but does not name the replacement.
- strong RN-604BXB
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 21 September 2018. BS 5080-1:1993 was published 15 February 1993 and gave the method of test for tensile loading of structural fixings in concrete and masonry, that is the pull out test used to prove wall anchors, remedial wall ties and similar fastenings on site. Its companion BS 5080-2:1986 covered resistance to loading in shear. Because it is withdrawn, a note that specifies pull out testing of remedial wall ties to BS 5080 is quoting a dead standard; current practice for anchor qualification sits with the European Assessment Documents and BS EN 1992-4:2018, Eurocode 2 design of fastenings for use in concrete, with site proof loading commonly to a manufacturer or third party protocol. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date and scope but does not name a replacement.
- strong RN-LOZAWU
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT, and unusually for a 1984 standard the BSI catalogue page shows no withdrawal date. BS 6515:1984 was published 28 September 1984 and specifies polyethylene sheet used as a damp proof course in masonry, covering material composition, specimen preparation, permeability measurement and the test procedures for the impermeable sheet. It is the product standard behind the black polythene DPC roll sold by every builders merchant, and it sits alongside BS 8215:1991, the code of practice for design and installation of damp proof courses in masonry construction, and BS 6576 for chemical DPCs in existing walls. Note the distinction a note should keep: BS 6515 is a damp proof COURSE in a wall, not a damp proof MEMBRANE under a floor slab, which is a different product covered by BS 8102 and the gas and moisture membrane standards. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; requirements are paywalled.
- strong RN-E6EZEI
BSI (British Standards Institution)
The standard the conservation trade works to, and the one a listed-building or period-property note should name. BS 7913 is paywalled, so only the BSI catalogue page is public; it confirms the current edition is BS 7913:2013, published 31 December 2013, status Current, ISBN 978 0 580 75778 5, prepared by BSI committee B/560 and classified under ICS 91.040.99. The catalogue page states this is the SECOND edition, updated to align with current best practice, and that the standard describes best practice in the management and treatment of historic buildings, applying to historic buildings both WITH and WITHOUT statutory protection, which is the point most renovation articles miss when they treat conservation guidance as relevant only to listed buildings. Its named audience includes owners, users, occupiers and managers of historic buildings, architects, engineers, surveyors, building managers, conservators, planners and local authority building control officers. The listed descriptors show its coverage: conservation, legislation, maintenance, fire safety in buildings, costs, hazard prevention, inspection, repair, building maintenance, design, renovation, building specifications, contracts and records.
- strong RN-LTB81Q
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS 8297:2017 was published 31 October 2017 and supersedes BS 8297:2000, which is withdrawn, and BS 8297:1995; note the title also changed, from Code of practice for design and installation of non-loadbearing precast concrete cladding to Design, manufacture and installation of architectural precast concrete cladding, so a note using the old title is quoting a superseded edition. It gives recommendations for architectural precast concrete units used as building cladding, as decorative elements or as permanent formwork, that is units supported by and fixed to a structural frame or wall to perform a cladding role, with particular attention to permanent and temporary movements and tolerances of the supporting structure and to verification of product quality. It excludes glass fibre reinforced concrete (GRC), small masonry units and the design of the supporting structure itself. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, supersession and scope.
- strong RN-6SUN79
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN 12878:2014 was published 30 April 2014 and supersedes BS EN 12878:2005. It specifies the requirements and test methods for pigments used to colour building materials based on cement, or on cement and lime, covering single pigments, pigment blends, pigment and extender blends in powder or granular form, and aqueous preparations, and it tests for durability, corrosion resistance (that the pigment does not attack the reinforcement or the matrix), heat stability, weather resistance and light fastness. This is the standard a note should cite when telling a reader that coloured mortar, coloured render or coloured concrete must use a pigment fit for a cementitious matrix rather than a general purpose colourant, and it is the reference for why cheap pigments fade or cause efflorescence. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the test detail is paywalled.
- strong RN-PGM57T
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN 14647:2005 was published 22 February 2006 and gives the general definition of calcium aluminate cement and its composition, together with the mechanical, physical and chemical requirements, the conformity criteria and the related production rules. It excludes calcium aluminate cement used as a constituent of formulated products for specialised applications such as dry mixes, which matters because most rapid setting repair and screed products are formulated mixes rather than the cement itself. It is the standard to cite when a note distinguishes calcium aluminate (high alumina) cement from common cements to BS EN 197-1 and masonry cement to BS EN 413-1; UK notes should also record that high alumina cement concrete has been prohibited for structural use in buildings since the 1970s because of conversion, so this standard covers a material with restricted structural application. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the requirements are paywalled.
- strong RN-ASG0MX
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS EN 14967:2006 was published 30 June 2009 and specifies the characteristics of flexible bitumen sheets intended for use as damp proof courses in buildings, setting out product types, characteristics and test methods with evaluation of conformity, marking, labelling and packaging. Its scope explicitly EXCLUDES preformed cavity trays, copings and flashings, which is a distinction a note should keep when describing a retrofitted cavity tray above an extension abutment. It is the modern European counterpart to the old British bitumen DPC standard BS 6398:1983 and sits beside BS 6515:1984 for polyethylene DPCs, with design and installation in BS 8215:1991. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the characteristic tables are paywalled.
- strong RN-XS4XXQ
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS EN 413-1:2011 was published 30 June 2011 and supersedes BS EN 413-1:2004, which is withdrawn. It defines the composition and specifications of masonry cement, the cement made specifically for mortar for bricklaying, blocklaying, rendering and plastering, which contains air entraining additives to improve workability and frost resistance after hydration. It sets physical, mechanical and chemical requirements, defines strength classes (the 2011 edition introduced the air entrained class MC 22.5) and gives the conformity criteria. This is the standard to cite when a note distinguishes masonry cement from ordinary Portland cement to BS EN 197-1: they are different products with different standards, and masonry cement should not be dosed with extra plasticiser as if it were OPC. Part 2 (BS EN 413-2:2016) gives the test methods. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; requirements tables are paywalled.
- strong RN-CG3QHH
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS EN 459-1:2015 was published 30 April 2015 and supersedes BS EN 459-1:2010, which superseded BS EN 459-1:2001. It defines the types of building lime and their classification and sets the chemical and physical requirements and conformity criteria for each. Building lime falls into two families: air lime (which sets by carbonation) and lime with hydraulic properties (which sets by hydration and is classified by mechanical compressive strength), the latter covering natural hydraulic lime, formulated lime and hydraulic lime with the assessment and verification of constancy of performance rules for each. It applies to lime for mortar, for calcium silicate bricks, autoclaved aerated concrete and concrete, and for civil engineering. This is the standard behind the NHL 2, NHL 3.5 and NHL 5 designations quoted in lime mortar and lime plaster notes; terms of delivery and contract conditions are outside its scope. Parts 2 (test methods, 2021) and 3 (conformity evaluation, 2015) complete the series. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the class tables are paywalled.
- strong RN-KP1GD0
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 28 February 2014. BS EN ISO 140-4:1998 was published 15 October 1998 and gave the methods for measuring the airborne sound insulation of interior walls, floors and doors between two rooms on site, producing frequency dependent values that are converted to a single number rating using ISO 717-1 so that performance can be compared against a specification. It was replaced by the BS EN ISO 16283 series, with BS EN ISO 16283-1 covering field measurement of airborne sound insulation, and the laboratory measurements formerly in other parts of BS EN ISO 140 moving to BS EN ISO 10140. Any note describing a pre completion sound test to BS EN ISO 140 is quoting a standard withdrawn in 2014: Approved Document E testing is now to the BS EN ISO 16283 series with rating to BS EN ISO 717. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date and scope.
- strong RN-LO5VGF
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN ISO 717-1:2020 was published 31 December 2020 and supersedes BS EN ISO 717-1:2013, which is withdrawn. It defines the single number quantities for airborne sound insulation in buildings and building elements, that is the method for converting a frequency dependent measurement into one figure, and it covers spectrum adaptation terms for different noise sources including internal noise and external traffic noise. The 2020 revision moved content in from ISO 10140-1:2016 and ISO 10140-5:2010 and updated the references. This is the standard behind the Rw, DnT,w and DnT,w + Ctr figures quoted in soundproofing notes and in Approved Document E, and its companion BS EN ISO 717-2:2020 does the same for impact sound (Lnw, LnT,w). Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, supersession and scope; the calculation method is paywalled.