Chapter 21 is a signpost
IBC 2021 Chapter 21 prints few masonry numbers. Most sections point to another document.
- Grout: IBC §2103.3 reads "Grout shall comply with Article 2.2 of TMS 602."
- Units: §2103.1 sends masonry units to TMS 602 Article 2.3.
- Reinforcement: §2103.4 sends metal reinforcement and accessories to TMS 602 Article 2.4.
- Construction: §2104.1 requires masonry construction to comply with TMS 602 or TMS 604.
The trap is the neighbouring article numbers: grout 2.2, units 2.3, reinforcement 2.4. ASTM C270 Table 2 is the mortar proportion table, never a grout rule.
Adhered veneer mortar
IBC 2021 §2103.2.4 calls for ASTM C270 Type N or S mortar for adhered veneer. Type M (the strongest, 2500 psi) and Type O (the weakest, 350 psi) are not listed, alone or together.
Cold and hot weather
Chapter 21 of IBC 2021 prints no cold- or hot-weather rules. §2104.1 requires construction to comply with TMS 602 or TMS 604, and the cold-weather rules live in TMS 602. The trap is §2104.3: it was the cold-weather section in IBC 2009 and was removed in later editions, so citing it is a common error. Chapter 17 and ASTM C270 Table 1 (the mortar property table) hold no weather requirements.
Inspection and quality assurance
Two sections, two slightly different answers:
- §2101.3, special inspection: "shall be as defined in Chapter 17", or an itemized testing and inspection program that meets or exceeds Chapter 17 may be provided. A contractor's own quality control plan with no code reference does not satisfy it.
- §2105.1, quality assurance program: must comply with the inspection and testing requirements of Chapter 17 and TMS 602.
TMS 604 appears only in §2104.1 as an alternative construction standard, not as the quality assurance reference. OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart Q is worker safety, not a code quality program.