Reading Masonry Working Drawings and Coursing Tables

Why Masonry Working Drawings Matter

Before a single brick is laid, a mason must be able to read the documents that define exactly what gets built, where, and out of what. Masonry working drawings are the legal and technical record of the design. Misreading a dimension, missing a control joint, or misidentifying a bond pattern can mean tearing down finished work — wasting time, material, and money. Reading drawings accurately is a core NCCER competency and a daily on-the-job skill.

The Drawing Set: What You Will See

A typical masonry drawing set for a wall or structure includes at least three sheet types:

• Plan view — a bird's-eye cut through the structure showing wall layout, thicknesses, opening locations (doors and windows), and dimensions measured horizontally.
• Elevation view — a straight-on view of a wall face showing the vertical arrangement, bond pattern, coursing notation, opening heights, and any decorative details.
• Section detail — a vertical cut through the wall showing interior construction, ties, flashing, reinforcement, and how the wall connects to floor and roof assemblies.

Every sheet has a title block in the lower-right corner. The title block lists the project name, sheet number, drawing scale, revision date, and the name of the architect or engineer of record. Always confirm the scale before measuring; never assume it matches another sheet.

Reading the Scale and Measuring

Architectural drawings use a representative scale stated as a ratio, for example 1/4" = 1'-0". This means every quarter inch on paper equals one real foot. Use an architectural scale rule — not a standard ruler — to read dimensions directly. For masonry elevations, 1/4" and 1/8" scales are common. When two dimensions conflict, the written (numerical) dimension governs over a scaled measurement.

Masonry Symbols and Notation

On plan views, different hatch patterns indicate different masonry materials:

• Brick is shown with parallel horizontal lines or a standard brick hatch.
• Concrete masonry unit (CMU) uses a grid or block hatch.
• Grout or mortar fill is often shown with a stipple (dot) pattern.

On elevations, the bond pattern is shown by the way joints are drawn. Running bond shows uniform offset joints at every course. Stack bond shows all joints aligned vertically. Flemish bond alternates headers and stretchers in each course. The drawing notes or legend will confirm the intended bond.

Control joint locations are called out with a specific symbol — typically a dashed or chain-dotted vertical line on the elevation — and are dimensioned from a corner or reference point. Never skip or relocate a control joint; they are engineered to control cracking.

Coursing Tables and the 4-Inch Vertical Module

Standard modular brick is sized so that three courses of brick plus three mortar joints equal exactly 8 inches in height. This means each course (one brick plus one joint) equals 2-2/3 inches, and every three courses equal 8 inches. Practitioners express this as the 4-inch vertical module: every six courses of modular brick equals 16 inches, and every three courses equals 8 inches.

A coursing table is a reference that lists cumulative height for each course number, already accounting for the mortar joint. NCCER Level 1 and standard masonry references publish these tables. Using the table prevents accumulated rounding errors that would throw off window sill heights, lintel bearings, and wall-top elevations.

For a wall 6 feet (72 inches) tall using modular brick:

• 72 ÷ (8/3) = 72 × (3/8) = 27 courses total.

Always verify against the coursing table rather than relying on rough arithmetic alone.

Material Takeoff from Drawings

A material takeoff is a list of quantities derived directly from the drawings. For a brick wall section you need:

1. Gross wall area — length × height (in square feet).

2. Subtract openings — door and window rough openings are subtracted from the gross area.

3. Net wall area — gross area minus openings.

4. Brick count — standard industry practice uses approximately 6.75 modular bricks per square foot of single-wythe wall (this accounts for mortar joints). Your instructor or the NCCER module may provide the figure used in your program.

5. Add waste — a waste factor (commonly 5–10%) is added to the calculated brick count. The project specifications or your employer's standard will define this percentage.

6. Mortar — mortar quantities are estimated from standard tables based on wall area and joint thickness.

Record every calculation on a takeoff form so the instructor or a peer can check your math step by step.

Safety at the Drawing Table and in the Field

Reading drawings takes place in the shop and on the job site. On an active site:

• Wear your hard hat and safety glasses at all times in the construction zone, even when only reviewing drawings.
• Keep drawing sets away from scaffold edges and work areas where falling objects are a hazard.
• When translating drawing information to field layout, verify that control joint locations and reinforcement placement match the engineer's intent before you begin laying — errors are far cheaper to catch on paper than in masonry.
• If a drawing is unclear or dimensions do not close (do not add up correctly), stop and ask the foreman or supervisor. Never guess on structural or dimension conflicts.

Bringing It Together

Reading masonry working drawings is a disciplined, step-by-step process: confirm the scale, study each view in sequence, note bond pattern and control joints, build your coursing table, then do your takeoff. Every number on your takeoff form should trace back to a line or dimension on the drawing. Accuracy here protects you, your crew, and the structure.