Under clause 5.6.8 of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions, a Deemed-to-Satisfy Provision, an articulation joint is a vertical joint between masonry elements, not less than 10 mm wide and filled with flexible sealant. That clause requires these joints at set positions in masonry walls, except on sites classified A or S. This note quotes that clause, the conditions on using it, and the South Australian schedules checked.
What does articulation joint mean?
The Housing Provisions glossary has no entry for “articulation joint”, but defines articulated masonry as “Masonry construction in which special provisions have been made for movement by articulation.” Clause 5.6.8 then describes the joint: “Articulation joints between masonry elements must have a width of not less than 10 mm”, and must be “filled with flexible sealant” supported during installation by a compressible foam or polystyrene filler, or a purpose made backer rod.
The clause applies to masonry generally. Clause 5.2.5 calls it up for masonry veneer, clause 5.3.7 for cavity masonry, and clause 5.4.4 for single leaf unreinforced masonry. For single leaf unreinforced masonry walls with engaged piers and return walls, clause 5.4.2(1)(f) adds: “Articulation joints must be located within 300 mm of vertical supports in accordance with 5.6.8.”
Articulation joint vs expansion joint: what is the difference?
Under clause 5.6.8 one joint does both jobs. The explanatory information states: “For the purposes of 5.6.8, the vertical articulation joint also performs the function of a contraction or expansion joint.” Neither “expansion joint” nor “contraction joint” has a glossary entry, and clause 5.6.8 sets no separate spacing for either.
The text also uses “control joint”, which has no glossary entry either. Clause 5.6.2(5) requires one at vertical junctions where panels of clay units are mixed with panels of concrete or calcium silicate units, and clause 5.6.8(2)(e) places an articulation joint “at control or construction joints in footings or slabs”. Trade usage of these words may differ, so read the term on a drawing with its detail.
When does the NCC require articulation joints?
Clause 5.6.8(1) states: “Vertical articulation joints must be provided in masonry walls in accordance with (2), except in walls constructed on sites where the soil classification is A or S (see 4.2.2).” The explanatory table in clause 4.2.2 describes Class A as “Most sand and rock sites with little or no ground movement from moisture changes” and Class S as “Slightly reactive clay sites with only slight ground movement from moisture changes”.
The site classification matters twice. Volume Two clause H1D5 allows Parts 5.2, 5.3 and 5.4 only where “the building site soil classification is A, S or M in accordance with AS 2870”, along with conditions including wind, footings, alpine areas and earthquake design, and H1D5(1) adds a condition on the framing for veneer. For accessories, H1D5(6) allows Part 5.6 where the wind class is not more than N3, the building is not in an alpine area and Appendix A of AS 1170.4 contains no specific earthquake design requirements for it. So, among the classes the Parts 5.2 to 5.4 route lists, Class M is the one left in by the exception in 5.6.8(1).
Outside those conditions, H1D5 lists AS 3700 and AS 4773.1 and AS 4773.2 as Deemed-to-Satisfy routes, and a Performance Solution is another route, assessed by the relevant authority assessing the building work. This note does not describe those Standards. What applies on a Class H, E or P site is for the designer and that authority.
How far apart are articulation joints under the NCC?
The spacing depends on the openings in the wall. For “straight, continuous walls with openings less than 900 mm x 900 mm or walls without openings”, clause 5.6.8(2)(a) sets joints “at not more than 6 m centres and within 4.5 m, but not closer than 470 mm of all corners”.
For “straight, continuous walls with openings more than 900 mm x 900 mm”, clause 5.6.8(2)(b) sets joints “at not more than 5 m centres and located so that they are not more than 1.2 m away from openings”.
Clause 5.6.8(2) also requires a joint “where the height of the wall changes by more than 20%”, at the position of the change; “where a wall changes in thickness”; “at control or construction joints in footings or slabs”; and “at junctions of walls constructed of different masonry materials”. Clause 5.6.8(3) states: “Articulation joints must not be located adjacent to arched openings.”
What else in the NCC refers to articulation?
Wall ties: Table 5.6.5c places ties “At both sides of the articulation joint within 300 mm from the joint”. Clause 5.3.4 deals with internal masonry walls in cavity masonry construction: where they intersect with other walls they are either bonded at the junctions or provided with an articulation joint in accordance with 5.6.8.
Footings: the Part 4.2 tables list articulated and non-articulated walls in separate rows, and do not say how the joints in clause 5.6.8 relate to those rows. For a strip footing on a Class M site, Table 4.2.15c gives articulated masonry veneer D 450 mm, B 300 mm, and masonry veneer D 500 mm, B 300 mm; articulated full masonry D 600 mm, B 400 mm, and full masonry D 900 mm, B 400 mm, with reinforcement varying by row and subject to the table’s notes. Table 4.2.14c has the same rows for stiffened rafts on Class M sites. Those tables apply only within the limits on Section 4 in H1D4(2). The footing design and drawings for a particular house show the wall type assumed and where any joints go.
Does South Australia change the articulation joint rules?
No South Australian change to clause 5.6.8 was found. The South Australian variations listed on the ABCB’s Housing Provisions index, read on 2 November 2026, are to Parts 4.2, 9.2, 10.2 and 13.1 and its referenced documents, and the Part 4.2 variations replace clauses 4.2.8 and 4.2.10, not the footing tables above.
The South Australian schedule to Volume Two varies Part H1 only by deleting H1P2 (buildings in flood areas); the notice on that deletion reads “Part H1 does not apply in South Australia.”, and the ABCB’s Part H1 page attaches it to clause H1P2. SA H2D4(2) lists AS 3700 or AS 4773 Parts 1 and 2 for weatherproofing of masonry, Part 5.7 is not listed, and the clause does not mention articulation joints.
The ABCB records that NCC 2025 was published on 1 May 2026, and lists South Australia as “BCA: 1 May 2027 / PCA: 1 May 2026”. Which edition applies to a particular application is for the relevant authority or building certifier to confirm.
Common Questions
What is an articulation joint in brickwork?
Under clause 5.6.8 of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions, a Deemed-to-Satisfy Provision, an articulation joint is a vertical joint between masonry elements, not less than 10 mm wide, filled with flexible sealant supported by a compressible foam or polystyrene filler or a purpose made backer rod. The glossary defines articulated masonry as masonry construction in which special provisions have been made for movement by articulation. A Performance Solution is another route.
What is the difference between an articulation joint and an expansion joint?
The explanatory information to clause 5.6.8 of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions states that, for the purposes of that clause, “the vertical articulation joint also performs the function of a contraction or expansion joint.” The clause does not set a separate spacing for expansion joints, and the glossary has no entry for the term. Trade usage may differ, so read a joint shown on a drawing with its detail.
How far apart should articulation joints be under the NCC?
Clause 5.6.8(2) of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions, a Deemed-to-Satisfy Provision, sets not more than 6 m centres, and within 4.5 m but not closer than 470 mm of all corners, in straight, continuous walls with openings less than 900 mm x 900 mm or no openings. In walls with openings more than 900 mm x 900 mm it sets not more than 5 m centres, not more than 1.2 m from openings. Joints are also required at listed changes in wall height, thickness or material and at control or construction joints in footings or slabs. The clause excepts walls on sites classified A or S. AS 3700, AS 4773 and a Performance Solution are other routes.
Do all brick walls need articulation joints?
No. Clause 5.6.8(1) of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions, a Deemed-to-Satisfy Provision, requires vertical articulation joints in masonry walls “except in walls constructed on sites where the soil classification is A or S”. Separate clauses can still call for a joint, such as a control joint where clay and concrete or calcium silicate panels meet under clause 5.6.2(5). A wall designed to AS 3700 or AS 4773, or by a Performance Solution, follows that route instead. The site classification report and the drawings show what applies to a house.
Do articulation joints apply to brick veneer?
Yes, on the Housing Provisions route. Clause 5.2.5 of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions states that vertical articulation joints in masonry veneer are to be installed in accordance with clause 5.6.8, which excepts walls on sites classified A or S. Clause 5.3.7 says the same for cavity masonry. Volume Two clause H1D5 sets conditions on using Part 5.2, including a site classification of A, S or M, and also lists AS 3700 and AS 4773. A Performance Solution is another route.
Do articulation joints affect the footing design?
The Class M tables in Part 4.2 of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions list articulated and non-articulated masonry in separate rows, with different figures in several of them; the tables do not say how the joints in clause 5.6.8 relate to those rows, so that is for the footing designer. Table 4.2.15c, for strip footings, gives full masonry D 900 mm and articulated full masonry D 600 mm, both B 400 mm, subject to its notes. These are Deemed-to-Satisfy figures that apply only within the limits in Volume Two clause H1D4(2); AS 2870 and AS 3600 are the other listed routes, and a Performance Solution is another route.
Sources
- NCC 2022 ABCB Housing Provisions — Part 5.6 Masonry components and accessories (clauses 5.6.1, 5.6.2, 5.6.5, 5.6.8)Accessed 2026-11-02
- NCC 2022 ABCB Housing Provisions — Part 5.2 Masonry veneer (clause 5.2.5)Accessed 2026-11-02
- NCC 2022 ABCB Housing Provisions — Part 5.3 Cavity masonry (clauses 5.3.4, 5.3.7)Accessed 2026-11-02
- NCC 2022 ABCB Housing Provisions — Part 5.4 Unreinforced single leaf masonry (clauses 5.4.2, 5.4.4)Accessed 2026-11-02
- NCC 2022 ABCB Housing Provisions — Part 4.2 Footings, slabs and associated elements (clause 4.2.2, Tables 4.2.14c and 4.2.15c)Accessed 2026-11-02
- NCC 2022 ABCB Housing Provisions — Schedule 1 Definitions, Glossary (Articulated masonry)Accessed 2026-11-02
- NCC 2022 ABCB Housing Provisions — Schedule 8 South Australia (variations index)Accessed 2026-11-02
- NCC 2022 ABCB Housing Provisions — Schedule 8 South Australia, Part 4.2 (SA 4.2.8, SA 4.2.10)Accessed 2026-11-02
- NCC 2022 Volume Two — Part H1 Structure (clauses H1D4, H1D5)Accessed 2026-11-02
- NCC 2022 Volume Two — Schedule 8 South Australia, Part H1 StructureAccessed 2026-11-02
- NCC 2022 Volume Two — Schedule 8 South Australia, Part H2 Damp and weatherproofing (SA H2D4)Accessed 2026-11-02
- ABCB — NCC 2025 state and territory adoption informationAccessed 2026-11-02
This page describes legislation as it stood on the access dates above. It is not legal advice about any particular property.
Planning a rebuild or new build in Adelaide? Start with a free initial consultation.