How to check a brick delivery: count, size and quality
Stack the load so you can count it at a glance, then measure twenty bricks in a row the way IS 1077 does and read what the class number on the bill promises.
By Bulan Sarkar · Updated
Have the load stacked as it comes off, 50 bricks long, 10 high and 4 wide, which makes 2,000 a stack and a count you can check by eye (IS 4082:1996). Then lay 20 bricks end to end and measure the row: for the common 230 × 110 × 70 mm size, IS 1077:1992 accepts 4,520 to 4,680 mm in length, 2,160 to 2,240 mm in width and 1,360 to 1,440 mm in height. Turn away bricks with cracks or white lime nodules, and ask for a test report showing the class on the bill.
Source: IS 1077:1992, Common Burnt Clay Building Bricks: Specification (fifth revision), clauses 4 to 9, checked Oct 2026.
Count the load by stacking it
Bricks tipped in a heap can't be counted, and a few hundred short in a load of thousands is hard to see. IS 4082 says bricks must not be dumped at site. They're unloaded a pair at a time and stacked on dry, firm ground, 50 bricks long, 10 bricks high and not more than 4 wide, set on edge, with at least 0.8 m between stacks. The standard gives that size "for proper inspection of quality and ease in counting", and asks that each truckload goes into its own stack.
A full stack is 50 × 10 × 4 = 2,000 bricks. To check one, count the bricks along one side and the courses up one end, then look along the top for the four-brick width. Anything short shows up as a gap or a short row. A part stack is counted the same way: bricks along × courses × width.
The twenty-brick row: how IS 1077 checks size
One brick measured on its own tells you little, so IS 1077 measures twenty at once. Pick 20 whole bricks at random from different stacks, knock off loose bits and blisters, and lay them in a straight line on a level surface, touching end to end. Measure the whole row in one stretch with a steel tape. Then turn them to measure the row of widths and the row of heights. The standard doesn't allow measuring piece by piece with a short rule.
| Brick size (mm) | Length row | Width row | Height row |
|---|---|---|---|
| 230 × 110 × 70 (non-modular) | 4,520 to 4,680 | 2,160 to 2,240 | 1,360 to 1,440 |
| 230 × 110 × 30 (non-modular) | 4,520 to 4,680 | 2,160 to 2,240 | 560 to 640 |
| 190 × 90 × 90 (modular) | 3,720 to 3,880 | 1,760 to 1,840 | 1,760 to 1,840 |
| 190 × 90 × 40 (modular) | 3,720 to 3,880 | 1,760 to 1,840 | 760 to 840 |
Spread over 20 bricks, that's about ±4 mm on the length and ±2 mm on the width and height of each brick. Hand-moulded bricks 70 or 90 mm high should also have a frog 10 to 20 mm deep on one flat face.
What to look at, and what the class number means
IS 1077 asks for bricks free from cracks, flaws and nodules of free lime, with smooth rectangular faces, sharp corners and an even colour. Each brick should carry a mark showing where it was made, in the frog where there is one. Lime nodules are the small white lumps you can see on a broken face; they swell when they take on water and can burst a piece off the brick. IS 4082 asks for bricks made from clay with lime kankar to be soaked thoroughly in the stack for that reason.
The class on a bill is the average compressive strength in N/mm². IS 1077 runs from class 3.5 to class 35. A class 7.5 brick has to average at least 7.5 N/mm², and no single brick tested may fall below it; if one does, the lot is checked against the next class down. Two more limits come with the class: after 24 hours in cold water, absorption must not exceed 20% by weight up to class 12.5 and 15% above it, and efflorescence must not be worse than moderate up to class 12.5 and slight above it. These are laboratory tests (IS 3495), so ask the supplier for a recent test report on the lot, or have samples tested for a large order.
Worked examples
1. Counting a stack against the bill
- Billed: 2,000 bricks, one stack
- Counted: 48 bricks along, 10 courses up, 4 across
- 48 × 10 × 4 = 1,920 bricks
Result: 80 bricks short (4%). Show the supplier the short row and pay for 1,920, or ask for the 80 on the next load.
2. A row of 20 bricks, 230 × 110 × 70 mm
- Length row: 4,560 mm (limit 4,520 to 4,680), so it passes
- Width row: 2,150 mm (limit 2,160 to 2,240), so it fails; average width 107.5 mm
- Height row: 1,430 mm (limit 1,360 to 1,440), so it passes
Result: The bricks are about 2.5 mm narrow on average. Raise it with the supplier before the load is used; narrow bricks give an uneven wall face on a 230 mm wall.
3. Reading a test report for class 7.5
- Average compressive strength of the sample: 8.2 N/mm², above 7.5
- Lowest single brick: 6.9 N/mm², below 7.5
- IS 1077 cl. 7.1.1: no individual brick may fall below the class minimum, so the lot is checked for the next lower class
- Class 5: average 8.2 and lowest 6.9 are both above 5.0
Result: The lot is class 5, not class 7.5. Ask for the class 5 price, or a lot that meets class 7.5.
Tips and tricks
- Stack the bricks as they come off, never after the truck has tipped them. A dumped load loses bricks to breakage and can't be counted.
- Pick the 20 bricks for the row test from several stacks and from inside the stacks, not the best-looking ones on top.
- Break one brick and look at the inside: you want an even colour and no white specks of lime.
- Keep each supplier's and each class's bricks in separate stacks, as IS 4082 asks, so a bad lot can be traced.
- Ask for the test report before the order, not after the load arrives; it names the class you're paying for.
- Use the brick calculator with the size you actually measured. A few millimetres on every brick changes the count for a whole floor.
What we would do
We'd agree the brick size and class in writing and ask for a recent test report before ordering. When the truck arrives we'd have it unloaded by hand into stacks of 50 × 10 × 4, count each one before signing the challan, and run the twenty-brick row test on the first load from a new kiln. Bricks with lime nodules or cracks go back on the truck.
Frequently asked questions
How many bricks are in one stack?
What is the standard size of a brick in India as per IS 1077?
How do I check brick size at site?
What is the maximum water absorption allowed for bricks?
Sources and date checked
- IS 1077:1992, Common Burnt Clay Building Bricks: Specification (fifth revision; reaffirmed), clauses 4 to 9 (classes, size tolerances, absorption, efflorescence, marking). Checked Oct 2026.
- IS 4082:1996, Stacking and Storage of Construction Materials at Site, clause 4.5 (bricks). Checked Oct 2026.
This guide covers counting and checking bricks on delivery. The class of brick each wall needs is your engineer's call. IS 1077 is quoted from the 1992 edition, which BIS has reaffirmed; check for later amendments.