stretcher bond
In bricklaying, an arrangement of bricks or stones laid lengthwise in successive courses, the joints of the one falling at the middle of that above and below.
stretcher bond: the most common brick pattern in masonry
Stretcher bond is a bricklaying pattern in which every brick is laid lengthwise, with its long face exposed to the exterior or interior of the wall. This is the dominant bonding method in modern construction, used wherever speed, economy, and structural simplicity are prioritized. Each course (horizontal layer) is offset so that the vertical mortar joint of one brick falls at the midpoint of the brick above and below it, creating a staggered, interlocking arrangement.
The offset pattern is critical to structural integrity. When the vertical joints line up one above another, the wall becomes prone to vertical cracking and shear failure along that plane. By staggering the joints, stretcher bond distributes loads laterally across multiple bricks and spreads stress more evenly through the mortar bed. The typical offset is half a brick length, though this depends on the brick dimensions being used.
When and where it is used
Stretcher bond works best in single-leaf masonry walls (one brick thick) or as the outer leaf of cavity wall construction. It is economical because it requires no cutting or special manipulation: bricks can be laid in a continuous line with minimal sorting. Cavity walls, common in cold climates, use stretcher bond on both the outer and inner leaves, with wall ties bridging the cavity to tie them together. Where thicker masonry is needed for load-bearing strength, alternative bonds such as English bond or Flemish bond, which incorporate header bricks (bricks laid with their short ends exposed), provide better lateral strength by locking across the full thickness of the wall.
Stretcher bond reaches its limits in load-bearing walls thicker than one brick (roughly 225 mm or 9 inches) because bricks laid lengthwise do not tie the wall together across its depth. In such cases, or where seismic loading is a concern, a proportion of header courses must be introduced to create mechanical locking. Modern building codes often specify the frequency of headers required; in some regions this may be one header course every five to six stretcher courses.
The name derives from the fact that a brick laid lengthwise along the wall is called a stretcher, as opposed to a header, which is a brick laid across the thickness of the wall with its short end showing. Stretcher bond is also known as running bond in North American usage.