Brick bats and closures
Where necessary, bricks can be cut to special sizes or shapes, for example to finish off a wall at the corners.
Bricks that are cut along their length are sometimes referred to as closers, while those cut across their width are referred to as brick bats. Some common types of closers and brick bats include:
- Queen closer (half) - a half a brick cut lengthways, used at a course end next to the quoin header.
- Queen closer (quarter) - a quarter brick cut lengthways.
- King closer - regular length and thickness a long bevel from one side to about halfway across the adjacent end, leaving a three-quarter brick length for finishing a course on the inside of a corner.
- Bevelled closer - a chamfered half brick cut width ways.
- Mitred closer - a chamfered half brick cut width ways to 45 to 60 degrees.
- Standard bat - a square cut brick across the short length. (not to be confused with a bat brick)
- Half bat - a square cut brick across the short length leaving half. (not to be confused with a bat brick)
- Three-quarter bat - a square cut brick across the short length leaving three quarters. (not to be confused with a bat brick)
- Bevelled bat - an angle cut brick across the short length, at varying distances.
- (Bat brick - a different type of brick entirely and merely describes a brick that is designed with a thin slot on the face and a hollow into the brick, specifically to create a habitat for wild bats in urban areas.)
NB Short Guide: Traditional Scottish Brickwork, published, on 1 March 2014 by Historic Environment Scotland, defines a closer brick as: ‘A brick cut or specifically moulded to expose a half header on the face of a wall and used to complete bonding patterns.’
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