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Brick Bonds & Patterns

Brick bond is the way bricks are arranged in a wall. Learning the pattern helps you recognise existing brickwork, understand older buildings and choose a closer match for repairs or extensions.

Important: a bond can help identify a wall, but it does not prove the brick manufacturer, age or structural suitability.

Brick bond reference chart

Common Brick Bond Patterns

Use this quick reference chart to compare the main brick bond patterns you may encounter in UK brickwork. The individual sections below explain what to look for when identifying each bond.

Open the full-size brick bond pattern chart →

01 · Most common modern bond

Stretcher Bond

Every visible brick shows its long face, called the stretcher. Each course is normally offset by half a brick so the vertical joints do not line up.

How to recognise it: long brick faces only, with staggered vertical joints. It is common on modern cavity-wall housing.

02 · Traditional solid-wall bond

English Bond

English bond alternates complete courses of stretchers and headers. One row shows the long face; the next row shows the short end of the brick.

How to recognise it: look for a full header course followed by a full stretcher course, repeating up the wall.

03 · Decorative traditional bond

Flemish Bond

Headers and stretchers alternate within the same course. The courses above and below are arranged so the joints remain bonded rather than forming continuous vertical lines.

How to recognise it: in one horizontal row you can see a short end, then a long face, then a short end, repeating across the wall.

English Garden Wall Bond

Usually three courses of stretchers followed by one course of headers. Some traditional examples use five stretcher courses between header courses.

Look for: mostly long faces, interrupted by occasional complete header courses.

Flemish Garden Wall Bond

A repeating arrangement with more stretchers and fewer headers than full Flemish bond. It gives a patterned face while using fewer header bricks.

Look for: headers spaced among several stretchers within each course.

Header Bond

All the visible bricks show their short end, or header. It is often associated with thicker traditional walls and can work well around curves.

Look for: a wall face made almost entirely from small square-ish brick ends.

Stack Bond

Bricks are placed directly above one another so the vertical joints line up. It is mainly decorative and needs suitable structural design and reinforcement where required.

Look for: straight vertical and horizontal grid lines.

Herringbone Pattern

Bricks are laid diagonally, usually at around 45 degrees, creating a zig-zag pattern. It is often seen in paving, panels and decorative infill.

Look for: diagonal bricks forming repeated V or zig-zag shapes.

Rat-Trap Bond

Bricks are laid on edge, creating a cavity-like arrangement. It can save material but is not automatically suitable for every wall or loading condition.

Look for: narrow brick faces and a distinctive open or honeycomb-like arrangement.

How to identify a bond from a photograph

Take a straight-on photograph at least one metre wide if possible.
Include several courses, not just one brick.
Look for short header faces as well as long stretcher faces.
Check whether headers form complete courses or alternate within a course.
Photograph the corner where possible; the corner often reveals the setting-out pattern.
Use natural light and avoid glare, heavy shadow and wet surfaces.

For replacement work, compare the actual brick size, colour, texture, mortar and bond. A similar-looking bond does not guarantee that the new brick is a suitable match.