UK Standard

BS EN 13139 — Aggregates for Mortar (Building Sand)

BS EN 13139 — Aggregates for mortar

In short: BS EN 13139 is the standard for aggregates used in mortar, including soft building sand whose fine rounded grains give mortar its workable, 'fatty' consistency.

What BS EN 13139 covers

It covers building (soft) sand used for bricklaying, blockwork and repointing mortar.

Building sand to BS EN 13139 should be used for mortar; sharp sand (BS EN 12620) makes mortar harsh and is for beds and concrete instead.

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Calculators that use BS EN 13139

Sand Calculator

Sharp sand, building sand and ballast volumes with cement-bag estimates for any mix ratio.

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Mortar Mix Calculator

Sand and cement quantities for any mortar mix ratio and wall area.

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Official source: BSI Knowledge — BS EN 13139. Figures on this page are a plain-English summary for estimating purposes — always refer to the published standard for compliance.