How tall can a brick building be before the bricks on the bottom are crushed by the weight

 

For as long as mankind has been building structures, we've been using bricks. Bricks are one of the most versatile and widely-used construction materials in the world. They come in all shapes and sizes and can be used to create both functional and beautiful buildings. But how tall can a brick building be before the weight of the entire structure becomes too much for the bricks on the bottom to bear? Let's take a look.

 

Compressive Strength of Bricks

The short answer to this question is that it depends on the type of brick being used. Different types of bricks have different compressive strengths, which is the amount of force that can be applied to them before they crumble. For example, commonly fired clay bricks have a compressive strength of about 2,000 pounds per square inch (psi), while sand-lime bricks can have a compressive strength of up to 8,000 psi.

 

However, the compressive strength of a brick is only part of the equation. The other part is the weight of the bricks above it. So, even if a brick has high compressive strength, if there's enough weight bearing down on it from above, it will eventually crumble.

 

For example, let's say you have a brick with a compressive strength of 5,000 psi. If you put one pound of weight on that brick, it will be able to support 5,000 pounds without any problem. But if you put two pounds of weight on it, it will only be able to support 4,999 pounds before crushing under the pressure. And if you put three pounds of weight on it, it will only be able to support 4,998 pounds, and so on.

 

In other words, the higher the compressive strength of the brick, the taller you can build your building before the bricks at the bottom start to crush under the weight.

 

Conclusion: How Tall Can You Build?

So how tall can you build using standard-fired clay bricks? Well, according to engineers at Purdue University, "A column made from common fired clay bricks with a 23 mm [mortar] joint can safely support 397 kg/m2 [81 PSF], corresponding approximately to eight stories."  This means that a brick building eight stories tall should be able to support its own weight without any problems—assuming all other factors are equal.

Of course, there are other factors that come into play when determining how tall you can build a brick structure—such as wind loads, seismic activity, and soil conditions —but assuming those are all within acceptable limits, eight stories is typically the maximum height for a brick building. Anything taller than that starts getting into risky territory.  So next time you're admiring a tall brick building, remember that there's more to its stability than meets the eye!

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