Masonry walls are not isotropic; they have less strength in bending in the vertical direction than in the horizontal. The design of two-way spanning masonry panels under lateral loads is therefore complicated and tedious.

The design tables in this book present a straightforward and practical approach to the design of rectangular lateral loaded panels under uniformly distributed loads. The tables give the ultimate load capacity of masonry panels of different sizes, properties and edge conditions. They cover both unreinforced and bed joint reinforced masonry panels. The basis of the preparation of the design tables is that presented in BS 5628 Part 1: 1992 and Part 2: 1995.

The load tables will improve the efficiency of the design process and be a considerable asset to the practising engineer.