This class covers the construction of walls, partitions, facing, copings, piers, cladding, and other structural or non-structural elements built in brick, block, or stone masonry.
1. Scope
Class U includes:
- Brickwork – using burnt clay bricks, fly ash bricks, or other specified units.
- Blockwork – lightweight concrete blocks, aerated autoclaved blocks (AAC), hollow/solid blocks.
- Masonry in stone – random rubble, coursed rubble, ashlar, dressed or undressed stone.
- Special units – firebricks, refractory units, glass blocks.
- Finishing elements – copings, sills, cappings, parapets.
- Reinforced masonry (where reinforcement is embedded in joints or cores).
- Pointing, bedding, jointing, bonding as integral to the work.
2. Subdivision of Items
The work is classified by:
- Type of unit
- Brick, block, or stone.
- Solid or hollow.
- Special masonry (firebrick, refractory, glass blocks).
- Mortar type
- Cement mortar, lime mortar, or special mortar.
- Thickness of wall
- Half-brick, one-brick, one-and-a-half-brick, or specific dimensions for block/stone.
- Finishing
- Fair-faced, plastered, pointed, or rendered finish.
- Location/usage
- Foundations, superstructure walls, retaining walls, cladding, facing, copings.
- Reinforcement (if any)
- Mesh, dowels, steel bars in block/brick cores.
3. Method of Measurement
- Brickwork/blockwork/stonework – measured in cubic metres (m³).
- Half-brick walls (partition walls, honeycomb walls) – measured in square metres (m²).
- Special masonry (copings, cappings, sills, kerbs) – measured in linear metres (m) or per number (No.).
- Pointing/finishing – measured in m² separately if not included in the main item.
Deductions are made for:
- Openings above 0.5 m².
- Chases and recesses exceeding defined dimensions.
4. Item Coverage
Unless otherwise stated, each item includes:
- Supplying, handling, soaking (for bricks), and setting out.
- Scaffolding, bonding, jointing, raking of joints.
- Laying to line, level, and plumb.
- Cutting, waste, and forming of angles, jambs, returns, and curves.
- Curing and protection.
- Mortar mixing and application.
- Centering/formwork for copings if required.
5. Notes for BOQ Preparation
- Specify class/grade of brick (e.g., First-class burnt clay, Fly ash, AAC blocks).
- Mention block density (lightweight or dense).
- Indicate mortar mix (1:4, 1:6, etc.).
- Define wall thickness.
- Clarify if plastering is excluded/included.
- For stone masonry, define type of stone and dressing (rubble, ashlar, etc.).
- Reinforced masonry must be listed separately.
- For exposed fair-faced masonry, specify finish quality and pointing.
6. Example BOQ Items
- U.1.1: Brickwork in first-class burnt clay bricks, in cement mortar 1:6, 230 mm thick wall, superstructure, measured per m³.
- U.1.2: Half-brick wall in fly ash bricks, cement mortar 1:4, measured per m².
- U.2.1: Blockwork in hollow concrete blocks, 400×200×200 mm, cement mortar 1:6, measured per m³.
- U.2.2: AAC block partition wall, 115 mm thick, with thin joint mortar, measured per m².
- U.3.1: Random rubble masonry in foundations, in cement mortar 1:6, measured per m³.
- U.3.2: Coursed dressed stone masonry in lime mortar, measured per m³.
- U.4.1: Reinforced brickwork with 8 mm dia bars at every fourth course, cement mortar 1:4, measured per m³.
- U.5.1: Coping in brickwork with M20 concrete capping, measured per linear metre.
- U.6.1: Fair-faced pointing in cement mortar, measured per m².
✅ In summary:
Class U covers all types of brick, block, and stone masonry works including walls, partitions, facing, copings, and reinforced masonry. Measurement depends on wall thickness (m³ for full walls, m² for partitions). BOQ must specify unit type, mortar, finish, and reinforcement clearly.
