ABSTRACT
The masonry industry within the United States is very complicated. There are various organizations representing different sections of the industry with many overlapping functions. From the outside it surely appears confusing. This chapter presents the evolution of the organizations representing the masonry industry within the United States in regards to structural code development. Standards for loads are developed by the American Society of Civil Engineers and The Masonry Society (TMS) develops the standard for masonry. The Technical Committee of Western States Clay Products Association concluded that a national standard for all masonry was necessary. TMS organizers quickly recognized the mistake, but the damage was done. Even though the TMS organizers tried to dispel the fear of competition, the majority of the masonry industry associations looked upon TMS with great suspicion and strong reserve for many years. The TMS Technical Committee completed the first draft of the masonry standard in time for the First North American Masonry Conference.
