ivan82•1mo ago

Looking at an old brick from a demo job and the weight threw me

I was cleaning up after tearing down a chimney in an 1890s house and weighed a single common brick from it. It was over 8 pounds, which is way heavier than the standard 4.5-pound bricks we use now. Found that stat in a trade magazine article about material changes. Anyone else run into these old heavyweights and notice how much slower the work must have been?

2 comments

2 Comments

rosew371mo ago

Wow, that's a serious brick! I helped my uncle rebuild a wall on his farmhouse from the same era and we had the same shock. Lifting those all day must have been brutal. We used a wheelbarrow right up next to the pile to cut down on carrying distance. Made a huge difference in saving our backs.

cameron7631mo ago

My first masonry job I thought wheelbarrows were overkill. After moving 500 bricks by hand one day, I completely changed my tune. Your uncle had the right idea for sure.