Know the Lingo

Before I continue to talk about sorting Lego, I want to share the lingo. Knowing what an element is helps so much when sorting. Also if you have someone helping you find an element, having both people know what something is helps in communication. So, what are some of the elements called? There are bricks, plates, tiles, slopes, windscreens, bars, wedges, wings, and many more. I will be covering the terminology that was been made by sites like peeron.com and bricklink.com. Lego has their own terminology that can be a little confusing.


Bricks are the basic thick element. In fact the 2 x 4 red brick is the most common Lego out there. Bricks start at a size of 1 x 1 and can be as large as 8 x 16. When I say dimensions like 1 x 1, I am referring to the space the brick takes up, counted in studs. Dimensions are always read low to high. The brick pictured is a 2 x 4 not a 4 x 2.


Plates are the thinner element. 3 plates stacked on top of each other equal the thickness of one brick. Plates run the size of 1 x 1 to be as long as 16 and as wide as 10. Large 24 x 24 plates are called Base plates.



Slopes are the angled version of a brick. Slopes are measure a little bit differently on peeron and bricklink. The element pictured is called an 18 4 x 2 Slope Brick. The 18 refers to the degree of the slope. Also note that slopes are called by the direction of the slope. The one pictured is 4 x 2 because the slope is travelling up the longer (4) side. A 2 x 4 slope would look like this:

That is a 33 2 x 4 slope. When I look for slopes I don't think of the angle degree. But you should know the difference between a 4 x 2 and a 2 x 4.


Tiles are completly flat in most cases and are the ones that can be a pain to find. Tiles will mostly be 1 stud wide. The only sizes of a tile are 1 x 1 - 1 x 8 and 2 x 2. Tiles are usually have a pattern printed on them, so finding a tile with the right print makes it even harder.

Those are the basic groups of elements everyone should know. Now if you want to get more advanced you will know rounds, corners, turntables, wedges, inverted, clips, and canopies.

all pictures courtesy of peeron