Brickmasons and Blockmasons

Overview

Brickmasons and Blockmasons has a national median salary of $62,120 per year, with +1.1% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block, and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances, to construct or repair walls, partitions, arches, sewers, and other structures.

Work Values

• Support
• Working Conditions
• Independence

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
• Construct corners by fastening in plumb position a corner pole or building a corner pyramid of bricks, and filling in between the corners using a line from corner to corner to guide each course, or layer, of brick.
• Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface.
• Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses.
• Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw.

Work Activities

• Handling and Moving Objects
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Getting Information
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Scheduling Work and Activities
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Detailed Work Activities

• Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
• Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished an associate's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Associate's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a high school diploma or equivalent.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Brickmasons and Blockmasons:

Video Resources