Stainless Steel Slip Ties for Movement Joints with Sleeves

Slip ties for movement joints are a straightforward but critical component in any brickwork or masonry build where vertical expansion joints are required. These stainless steel debonding ties allow a wall panel to expand and contract freely along the joint plane, while still providing lateral restraint against wind load. Without them, movement joints are either structurally compromised or rely entirely on the adjacent wall ties to do a job they were not designed for.

Each tie has a perforated end, which bonds into the mortar bed on one leaf, and a plain end, which sits inside the debonding sleeve on the other side of the joint. The sleeve prevents the plain end from bonding to the mortar, so the tie can slide as the masonry moves. That sliding action is what makes the whole system work. Leave a 10mm gap at the end of the tie within the sleeve to give the brickwork room to expand without the tie bottoming out.

Where Stainless Steel Slip Ties Are Used in Masonry Construction

These slip ties for movement joints are used wherever a vertical expansion joint is incorporated into a brick or blockwork panel. On longer runs of brickwork, movement joints are typically needed at intervals to prevent cracking caused by thermal expansion, moisture movement, or structural settlement. The ties are installed in the mortar bed joints at 300mm vertical centres along the joint, with conventional cavity wall ties placed either side of the joint to maintain lateral stability across the full panel.

The ties suit both new build and remedial work. In new build cavity walls, the slip ties are built in as the wall rises. In retrofit situations, where an expansion joint is cut back into an existing wall, the same ties can be installed as part of the remedial repair. The stainless steel construction means there is no concern about long-term corrosion in either exposed or cavity conditions.

Working Alongside a Movement Joint Build-Up

These ties are one part of a complete movement joint detail. Traditional vertical movement joints also typically involve a removable timber batten during construction to maintain a consistent joint width, followed by a compressible filler or fire-stopping material once the structure is complete. The slip ties handle the structural side of the joint; the filler handles weather exclusion and, where required, fire performance. Neither replaces the other, and both need to be detailed correctly for the joint to perform as intended.

Available in 175mm, 200mm, 225mm and 250mm lengths to suit different cavity and wall configurations. Each size is supplied with its debonding sleeve as standard. Buy individually to make up a specific quantity, or in boxes of 250 for larger projects where the price per tie drops considerably. At these lengths, the ties cover the most common cavity widths encountered on UK residential and commercial masonry construction.