Measures · Load-bearing brick wall
Load-bearing brick wall thickness FREE
Work out the minimum thickness of a load-bearing brick wall, seismic zones included. Below the result you find the formula and the standard.
Indicative pre-sizing. It does not replace a structural calculation signed by a licensed engineer. For seismic zones with agS (design ground acceleration) > 0.15g, long spans or use classes III/IV → talk to a structural engineer.
Pick a calculation from the list to start.
Formula, example and standard
s ≥ max(24 hollow / 20 semi-solid / 15 solid · h/s ≤ 20)
Example with the starting values (Site agS: 0.1 g; Floors above: 2; Floor-to-floor height: 3 m): Min thickness: 24 cm. From slenderness h/s ≤ 20: s ≥ 15 cm · typical brick walls: 24-30 cm.
- Hollow bricks: always 24 cm · semi-solid: 20 cm minimum · solid: 15 cm (if agS ≤ 0.075g).
- Slenderness h/s ≤ 20 for ordinary masonry, ≤ 12 for thin joints.
- For agS > 0.15g: ordinary masonry is not advised, look at alternatives (NTC §7.8).
Source: NTC 2018 §4.5 and §7.8 · ingenio-web.it
Indicative pre-sizing: it does not replace a calculation signed by a licensed engineer.
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