Bricks guide
Common, blue heart or face brick? How to choose bricks
By the BuildMate team ·
Most walls in Zimbabwe are built from burnt-clay red commons, but two commons at the same price can be very different bricks. Here is what to look for, and what to use where.
The kinds of brick
Red common brick
The everyday brick: burnt clay, fired in a kiln, sold by the thousand. It is made to be built with and then plastered, so what matters is that it is well fired and sound, not that its face is perfect.
Blue heart
Break a well-fired common and you may find a blue-grey core. That “blue heart” is left by a hot, thorough burn, and it is the best quick sign of a strong brick that takes up little water. Bricks from the cooler parts of a kiln come out paler, softer and more absorbent.
Rigid
A rigid brick keeps its shape and square edges and does not crumble when handled. Straight edges lay to a line faster, need less mortar to even out and leave fewer broken bricks on site.
Face brick
Face bricks are made to be seen: smoother, with even edges and colour, and left unplastered. They cost more than commons. Because colour varies from kiln to kiln, buy all the face bricks for one wall from the same yard, in one order if you can.
Which brick where
| Job | Choose |
|---|---|
| Foundations and walls below ground | Blue heart or rigid commons: hard fired, low absorption |
| Walls that will be plastered | Any sound, well-fired common |
| Durawalls and boundary walls left bare | Blue heart commons with good faces, or face bricks |
| Feature walls and fronts of houses | Face bricks, all from one yard |
Checking a load on delivery
- Count it. Count the pallets with the driver before offloading starts.
- Knock two together. Well-fired bricks give a clear ring; a dull thud means soft, under-fired brick.
- Look at the colour. An even, deep red is good. Pale orange or yellow patches point to under-firing.
- Check the edges. Corners should be square and not crumble when rubbed with a thumb.
- Look for cracks. A few broken bricks are normal in any load; many cracked ones are not.
Raise anything you find before the driver leaves, so it can be put right.
Compare before you buy
Every brick on BuildMate lists its yard, whether it is blue heart or rigid, and its measured size, with photos of the real bricks. Compare the bricks side by side, or work out how many you need.