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Home Glossary Header
Masonry noun

Header

/HED-er/

Also known as: header brick, header course, through header

A brick laid with its short end (header face) visible on the face of a wall. Headers bond the wall together by running through its full thickness. A course of bricks laid all as headers is called a header course. Contrast with a stretcher, which is laid lengthways.

In traditional solid brickwork, headers appear every few courses depending on the bond pattern to tie the wall leaves together. In modern cavity wall construction, headers are rare on the face as the two leaves are tied separately with wall ties. Flemish bond alternates headers and stretchers in each course.