Concrete Block Retaining Wall Engineering

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What Is a Masonry Retaining Wall?

Concrete block (masonry) retaining walls use reinforced concrete blockwork — typically 200mm or 300mm hollow core blocks — filled with grout and reinforced with vertical steel bars. They're the strongest gravity-type retaining wall and suitable for retained heights up to 3+ metres.

Engineering Design Considerations

Block size and reinforcement — Block size (200mm vs 300mm) depends on wall height. Vertical reinforcement (N12, N16, or N20 bars) is spaced based on the design loads, typically every 400–800mm. Horizontal bond beams with reinforcement are required at intervals.

Foundation design — Masonry walls require a continuous reinforced concrete strip footing. Footing width and depth depend on wall height, soil bearing capacity, and surcharge loads. The footing must resist both sliding and overturning.

Core filling — All cores containing reinforcement must be filled with grout. For taller walls, all cores are typically filled to add mass and improve stability.

Drainage and waterproofing — Agricultural drain behind the wall base, free-draining gravel backfill, and weep holes through the wall at regular intervals. Waterproof membrane on the soil face to protect the masonry from moisture ingress.

Expansion and control joints — Masonry walls require control joints at maximum 6m centres to accommodate thermal and moisture movement. Joint locations are specified on our drawings.

Design Standards

We design masonry retaining walls to AS 4678 (earth-retaining structures) and AS 3700 (masonry structures). Both standards must be satisfied for council approval.

Pricing

Masonry retaining wall engineering typically starts from $800+GST due to the additional complexity of reinforcement design and footing calculations.