What is course height?

Course height — also called the gauge — is the height of one course of brickwork: the height of the brick plus the thickness of the bed joint above it. It is the base dimension by which all heights in a brick wall are set out, from the first course above ground level to the eaves.

Work with a brick height of 50 mm and a bed joint of 12.5 mm and the course height is 62.5 mm. Eight courses then come to exactly 500 mm and sixteen courses to a metre. That choice — a round number of courses on a round dimension — is precisely why course height matters.

Course height worked example50 mmBrick height12.5 mmBed joint thickness62.5 mmCourse height (brick plus bedjoint)500 mmHeight of eight courses
Worked example from the article: a 50 mm brick plus a 12.5 mm bed joint gives a course height of 62.5 mm, so eight courses come to exactly 500 mm. Measure your actual brick batch, as it can differ from the nominal size.

Why course height governs

Everything in a brick wall that has to arrive at a set height must land on a bed joint:

If the course height is wrong the bricklayer has to adjust the joint thickness as the work goes up, or “lose” a course somewhere. It shows immediately: a wall with varying joint thickness looks restless, and a course adjusted halfway up always gives itself away.

Setting the course height

  1. Measure the actual brick height — stand ten bricks on edge against each other, measure the total and divide by ten. The nominal size in the brochure differs from the batch on site
  2. Choose the joint thickness — commonly between about 10 and 15 mm. That range gives you the latitude to arrive at the height you want
  3. Work back from the fixed levels — decide how many courses go between the datum and the underside of the frame, and spread the difference across the joints
  4. Mark the gauge on a storey rod — that rod is then the reference throughout the job
  5. Keep one gauge for the whole building — including the rear elevation and any work added later

Rule of thumb: choose the course height so that a round number of courses lands on a half or a whole metre. That makes checking simple while laying — you only have to confirm that you are exactly on a bed joint at the fixed levels.

Related terms

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