Dimensions / Building materials / Concrete blocks / Bond beam block
A bond beam block is a hollow unit whose webs are depressed, knocked out or cut so a horizontal channel runs along the course for bars and grout; a lintel (U or channel) block also has a solid bottom to hold the grout (CMHA). It is the size of the standard unit: Basalite’s 8 × 8 × 16 bond beam is 7-5/8 × 7-5/8 × 15-5/8 in and 40 lb, the same as its stretcher. The channel in Angelus’s 8 in precision unit is about 4 × 2-1/2 in, smaller in its split-face unit (3-1/2 × 1-1/2 in). Every bond beam is grouted: County allows 0.20 cu ft per 8 in unit, and a grouted 8 in course weighs 58 lb/ft in normal weight (CMHA). Lintels bear at least 4 in on the wall at each end.
| Size (8 in unit) | Channel (Angelus precision) | Grout per 8 in unit (County) |
|---|---|---|
| 7-5/8 × 7-5/8 × 15-5/8in | 4 × 2-1/2in | 0.20cu ft |
Sources: Basalite, Angelus Block, County Materials. Checked October 2026.
An 8 in bond beam course with its grout order, a lintel over a 36 in opening and an open-bottom course over mesh are filled in; change the width, the course, the opening or what is under it.
Counts, modules and tolerances follow CMHA notes and the makers’ printed rules; nominal sizes include one mortar joint. No bar sizes or structural design here.
County Materials allows 0.20 cu ft of grout for each 8 in bond beam unit: a 40 ft course is 30 units and takes 6 cu ft (0.22 cu yd). You ordered 7 cu ft.
County’s lintel units take more: 0.32 cu ft at 8 in, 0.56 at 12 in.
A 48 in lintel over a 36 in opening rests 6 in on the wall at each end, at least the 4 in that CMHA and the VA specification ask.
The VA asks 4 in of bearing at both ends; CMHA calls 4 in typical.
Plastic or metal screening or expanded metal lath in the bed joint under an open-bottom bond beam holds the grout (CMHA, UFGS).
UFGS: grout barriers under bond beams unless the wall is fully grouted or solid-bottom units are used.
Selling bond beam and lintel blocks? Photograph the unit from the end so the channel shows, mark width, height, channel width and depth and the web height in SizeMarker, and send the picture with your quote.
Mark a photo| Form | What it is |
|---|---|
| Depressed (reduced) webCMHA | Webs cast lower than the face shells, so bars and grout run along the course |
| Knock-out webCMHA; Westbrook | Webs removed before the unit is laid; Westbrook lists it as KO/BB |
| Lintel, U or channel blockCMHA | U-shaped with a solid bottom, laid open side up so the grout stays in it |
| Open or solid bottomErnest Maier; Titan; Superlite | Open bottoms take vertical steel; closed bottoms keep the grout in the course |
| Double open-end bond beamBasalite; Angelus | Open at both ends, for vertical bars at 8 in on centre; the most common shape in California |
| Cut from a standard unitCMHA TEK 05-11 | Webs notched 2-3/4 in (70 mm) deep; the cut bond beam needs at least 4 in (102 mm) of height |
Sources: CMHA · CMHA · Westbrook · Ernest Maier · Titan America · Superlite · Basalite · Angelus Block · CMHA
| Unit | Size | Weight | Per pallet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basalite 8x8x16 bond beamThis page | 194 × 397 × 194 mm (W × L × H) | 40 lb | 90 |
| Basalite 6x8x16 bond beam | 143 × 397 × 194 mm | 27 lb | 120 |
| Mutual 8-8-16 lintel | 7-5/8 × 7-5/8 × 15-5/8 in | — | — |
| Mutual 8-8-8 lintel | 7-5/8 × 7-5/8 × 7-5/8 in | — | — |
| Kuhlman 8 in solid bond beamDistributor | 8 × 8 × 16 in nominal | 52 lb | 60 |
| Anchorage 8 in split bond beamAlso solid bottom | 8 × 8 × 16 in nominal | 49 lb | 75 |
| Anchorage 12 in split bond beam | 12 × 8 × 16 in nominal | 59 lb | 50 |
| Ernest Maier bond beamOpen or closed bottom | 6, 8, 10 and 12 in wide | — | 144, 108, 90, 72 |
| Austral 20.20 knockout bond beamAustralia | 390 × 190 × 190 mm | 12.6 kg | 108 |
| Fabemi bloc linteauFrance | 500 × 200 × 200 mm | 19.20 kg | 60 |
| Kilsaran U blockIreland | 440 × 215 mm face, 215 mm thick | — | — |
Sources: Basalite · Mutual Materials · Kuhlman · Alaska DOT&PF · Ernest Maier · Austral Masonry · Fabemi · Kilsaran
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Channel, precision 8 inAngelus drawing | 4 × 2-1/2 in; double open-end 4-3/8 × 2-1/2 in |
| Channel, split-face 8 inAngelus drawing | 3-1/2 × 1-1/2 in; double open-end 3-7/8 × 2-1/2 in |
| Grout per bond beam unitCounty Materials | 6 in 0.16, 8 in 0.20, 10 in 0.27, 12 in 0.33 cu ft |
| Grout per lintel unitCounty Materials | 6 in 0.19, 8 in 0.32, 12 in 0.56 cu ft |
| Grout per bagCMHA TEK 04-02A | An 80 lb bag fills 2.7, 2.0 and 1.6 ft of 6, 8 and 12 in bond beam, waste included |
| Grouted course, 8 in highCMHA TEK 17-01D | Normal weight 43, 58, 73, 88, 118 lb/ft for 6, 8, 10, 12, 16 in; lightweight 38, 51, 65, 80, 108 lb/ft |
| Grout slumpCMHA TEK 03-02A | 8 to 11 in (203 to 279 mm) when placed |
Sources: Angelus Block · Angelus Block · County Materials · CMHA · CMHA · CMHA
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Web exemptionCMHA; NCMA | C90’s minimum web area leaves out the part to be grouted, so reduced-web units still comply |
| Always groutedCMHA TEK 02-02B | Bond beam and lintel units are fully grouted, so walls can use the design values for grouted standard units |
| Where they goCaltrans; CMHA TEK 14-06 | The top course of each 4 ft lift in Caltrans sound walls; no more than 48 in on centre to meet the stack bond rule |
| Grout stopCMHA; UFGS | Solid-bottom units, or screening or lath in the bed joint; roofing felt should not be used |
| BarsVA; UFGS, unless the drawings say otherwise | VA: two No. 5 bars in bond beams; UFGS: at least two No. 4 bars in lintels, run past each side of the opening 40 bar diameters or 24 in, whichever is greater |
| Lintel bearingCMHA TEK 17-01D; VA | At least 4 in (100 mm) at both ends, so a 40 in opening takes a 48 in lintel (our arithmetic) |
| Weight against the stretcherMakers (our comparison) | Equal at Basalite (40 lb); heavier in the Anchorage split list (49 against 43 lb); lighter at Austral (12.6 against 14.1 kg) |
Sources: CMHA · NCMA · CMHA · Caltrans · CMHA · CMHA · UFGS · US Department of Veterans Affairs · CMHA · Basalite · Alaska DOT&PF · Austral Masonry
The same as the standard unit: an 8 × 8 × 16 in bond beam is 7-5/8 × 7-5/8 × 15-5/8 in (Basalite prints 194 × 397 × 194 mm and 40 lb), and 6, 10 and 12 in widths are made too.
A bond beam block has depressed or knock-out webs and an open channel; a lintel (U or channel) block also has a solid bottom, so the grout stays in the unit (CMHA).
County allows 0.20 cu ft per 8 in unit (0.16 for 6 in, 0.27 for 10 in, 0.33 for 12 in); in CMHA’s table an 80 lb bag fills 2.0 ft of 8 in bond beam, waste included.
Where the design shows them. Caltrans puts one at the top of each 4 ft lift of a sound wall, and CMHA accepts bond beams no more than 48 in on centre for the stack bond rule.
Long enough to bear at least 4 in on the wall at each end (CMHA, VA): the opening plus 8 in, so a 40 in opening takes a 48 in lintel.
That is a design matter. Specifications print defaults that hold unless the drawings say otherwise: two No. 5 bars in VA bond beams, at least two No. 4 bars in UFGS lintels.
A buyer of bond beam and lintel units asks for the size, the web form (depressed, knock-out, open-end or solid bottom), the channel width and depth, the unit weight and the pallet count, and whether split-face versions are made. Mark those on a photo of your own unit with SizeMarker, like the picture at the top, and share one card in WhatsApp or WeChat.
