A brick of standard 9 x 4.5 inch face but thinner than a straight, commonly 1.25 inches and also 1, 1.5 and 2 inches. Splits let bricklayers bring courses to the right height, finish against steelwork and close up sections without cutting. Ordering splits rather than sawing straights in the field saves blades and keeps dimensions true, especially with dense high-alumina brick.
Heard on the job
Gap under the shelf angle is an inch and a quarter, lay a row of splits instead of cutting straights.
Also heard as
- half-thickness brick