Ever stumble across a house listing or read a proposal from a builder and see the term “brick veneer”? Like many people, you may picture cheap, plastic faux brick, like the kind used on a movie set. But this is one of the most common misconceptions about brick and residential construction. In reality, brick veneer is one of the most common masonry applications used in America. The term describes how the brick is installed, not whether the brick itself is real. Below, we break down brick veneer vs. structural masonry, and define some of the most common masonry terms used today. 

Material Composition: “Real” vs. Faux Brick 

Traditional brick is made from clay and shale and fired in a kiln. Materials that look like clay brick but are made from molded polymers and plastic are considered faux or imitations of genuine clay brick. You may also come across concrete brick, a cement-based unit shaped like a brick.This counts as masonry, but it’s a different material, typically lower in compressive strength and higher in water absorption.

brick veneer vs structural masonry

Brick Application Types: Veneer vs. Structural Masonry

Brick masonry falls into two primary application types, both of which can look identical from the street. 

Brick veneer is a non-load-bearing, exterior siding application. The brick is attached to structural wood or steel framing with wall ties, serving as a noncombustible exterior barrier that resists impact, weathering, rot, and insect damage. The drainage cavity between the structural wall and brick allows moisture to drain out through weep holes at the base, while flashing directs water away from the wall.

brick veneer vs structural masonry
This image shows a “real” brick being applied as a veneer.

Structural masonry is a load-bearing wall system in which a brick or concrete block forms both the building’s structure and its exterior wall. The application consists of multiple interlocking layers of brick or block, creating a thick wall with substantial load-bearing capacity. Visually, the masonry may be seen on both the exterior and interior, with the interior face historically left exposed or finished with plaster. This method is most commonly found in historic buildings, infill projects, industrial lofts, and certain architectural projects. 

brick veneer vs structural masonry
This image shows a structural solid brick masonry wall being built using a traditional Flemish bond pattern

Common Brick Sizes  

Face brick, full-depth brick, full-bed brick, thin brick, and standard brick are terms that describe how thick a brick is and how it is used on a wall, while names like King and Queen describe a brick’s face size. 

For example, thin brick is similar to tile in terms of thickness. It is essentially the face of a full-depth clay brick and is commonly available in Modular and Queen sizes. 

Table of Contents

Most Common Brick Sizes

Queen shows up most often in residential work because it’s a happy medium in size, covering more space per brick, which can trim labor in regions where masonry is priced by the brick. Visually, these are hard to tell apart without prior knowledge, all providing a traditional brick appearance. 

Brick Styles: Textures & Manufacturing Techniques 

Brick manufacturers use terms such as wire-cut, smooth, cut-and-roll-back, and antiqued to describe a brick’s surface and edge appearance. Many of these textures are created by passing the wet, unfired brick beneath patterned rollers during manufacturing. Some rollers also distress the edges to simulate the appearance of tumbled brick. We use a wide range of proprietary textures, ranging from lightly scuffed surfaces to heavily distressed finishes. (See our lineup.) 

By contrast, authentic, or true, tumbled brick is more labor-intensive to produce and far less common among large manufacturers today. Rather than receiving a repeating surface pattern from a roller, the wet brick is physically tumbled before firing. This process naturally chips the edges, softens the corners, and creates unique variation from one brick to the next. US Brick is one of the few manufacturers still making brick this way, with each brick in the Heirloom Collection tumbled, hand-blended, and stacked. 

Self-Building or Have Questions About Materials? 

Knowing the differences between material and application types makes it easier to read building plans and truly understand what to select when building your own home. If you still have questions, stop by one of our showrooms or send us a message. We’re always here to help.