The main disadvantage of stretcher bond is its inherent limitation in creating effective bonding for full-width thick brick walls.
The stretcher bond, while being the simplest repeating pattern in brickwork, presents a significant drawback concerning its structural integrity in certain applications. Its primary limitation is that it cannot make effective bonding with adjacent bricks in full width thick brick walls.
This fundamental issue means that stretcher bond is not suitable for constructing walls that require substantial thickness or load-bearing capabilities. Instead, this bonding pattern is optimally suitable only for one-half brick thick walls. For instance, it is commonly and effectively used for the construction of half brick thick partition walls, where its simplicity, speed of construction, and minimal material requirements are advantageous. For any walls demanding greater stability, transverse strength, or the ability to support heavy loads across their full width, alternative brick bonding patterns that incorporate headers or other methods for tying courses together must be utilized.
