When is a queen not a queen?

When is a queen not a queen? When she's a brick.

Worcester Guildhallfigure of Queen Anne
(ell brown on Flickr)

Several years ago, I got into a discussion with an architect about the size of brick he wanted for a project. He said he wanted modular brick; I asked for a specific size, and he simply repeated modular. I knew it wasn't quite that simple, so to prove the point, I compiled a list of brick names and sizes I got from several brick companies.

Although I knew there would be differences, I was surprised how many there were (see the list below - and that's not all). Now, some might argue that the differences aren't all that important; after all, the three lengths of Norman brick - 11-7/16, 11-1/2, and 11-5/8 inches - are all considered nominal 12-inch. Similarly, 3-1/2 and 3-5/8 inches would be considered nominal 4-inch.