Pick up almost any LEGO® piece and you could probably call it a "brick." It is the word we all use for the whole hobby. But once you start building seriously (completing a set, hunting a missing piece or sourcing parts for your own creation), you quickly realise that "brick" is just one category among many. Plates, tiles, slopes, jumpers, Technic pins: each has its own name, its own job, and its own part number.
Knowing the difference is not trivia. It is the difference between searching for "that flat bit" and ordering the exact element you need in one go. This guide breaks down the main LEGO® part types in plain language, so you can look at a piece, name it, and find it without the guesswork.
Why knowing your brick types matters
Every LEGO® element has an official name and a part number, and the two go hand in hand. Sellers, catalogues and parts shops are all organised around those names. If you can tell a plate from a tile, you can describe what you need accurately, compare prices for the right item, and avoid ordering the wrong piece. It also makes reading instructions and following along with other builders far easier. Once the vocabulary clicks, the whole system suddenly makes sense, and if you ever need to track down the exact code, our guide on how to find LEGO part numbers picks up where this one leaves off.
The building blocks: bricks and plates
Almost everything starts with two families of part. Get these two straight and the rest falls into place quickly.
Bricks
The classic brick is the piece everyone pictures: a solid, chunky element with studs on top and tubes underneath that grip the studs below. Bricks are measured by their studs, so a "2x4 brick" is two studs wide and four studs long. They come in everything from a tiny 1x1 to long beams, and they are the workhorses of structure and walls. When people talk about the "standard" LEGO® height, they mean a brick.
Plates
A plate looks like a brick that has been squashed flat. It has the same stud pattern and is measured the same way (1x2, 2x2, 2x6 and so on), but it is exactly one third the height of a brick. Plates are used for floors, layering, adding detail and joining sections together. They are arguably the most versatile parts in the whole system, precisely because they are so thin.
The rule that ties them together
Here is the single most useful fact in LEGO® building: three plates stacked equal the height of one brick. That relationship is what makes the system so flexible. It lets you mix bricks and plates and still keep everything aligned to the grid, which is why experienced builders think in plates as a unit of measurement, not just as a part.
Finishing the surface: tiles, slopes and curves
If bricks and plates are the skeleton, this next group is the skin: the parts that make a build look finished rather than studded all over.
Tiles
A tile is essentially a plate with no studs on top, leaving a smooth, flat surface. Tiles are how builders create clean floors, screens, signs and polished finishes. Because they have no studs, nothing connects on top of them, which is exactly the point. There are also "jumper" plates, which sit between the two ideas: a 1x2 plate with a single stud in the centre, so whatever you attach to it sits half a stud off the usual grid.
Slopes
Slopes are angled pieces used for roofs, ramps and any sloping surface. They come in many angles, and there are two broad kinds worth knowing: standard slopes, which angle outward, and inverted slopes, which angle the other way for overhangs and undersides. Slopes are measured by their footprint and their angle, so naming both helps you find the right one.
Rounds, cones and curves
Beyond the angular pieces sits a whole family of curved and rounded parts: round plates and bricks, cylinders, cones, domes and "curved slopes" that give modern sets their smooth, sculpted look. These are what move a model away from a boxy shape and toward something organic. They are also where colour and rarity start to matter a lot, since a curved piece in an unusual colour can be surprisingly hard to find.
The connectors: studs, jumpers and building sideways
Some parts exist purely to let other parts attach in clever ways. The most important idea here is building sideways, often called SNOT, short for "Studs Not On Top." Special elements such as brackets, headlight bricks and pieces with studs on their sides let you turn the building direction ninety degrees, so detail can face outward or downward instead of only up. You do not need to master SNOT to enjoy LEGO®, but recognising these connector parts explains how detailed models achieve their smooth, every-side-finished look.
Specialist parts: Technic, hinges, clips and bars
Finally there is the world of functional and specialist elements. Technic parts (the beams with holes, pins, axles and gears) are built for movement and mechanisms rather than stacking. Hinges and turntables allow rotation; clips and bars let parts grip one another or hold accessories; and there is a near-endless catalogue of specialist pieces made for one specific purpose in one specific set. You will not memorise them all, and nobody expects you to. The trick is knowing they exist so that when you meet an unfamiliar piece, you know it has a name and a number waiting to be looked up.
LEGO part types at a glance
| Part type | Key feature | Typically used for |
|---|---|---|
| Brick | Full height, studs on top | Walls, structure, the backbone of a build |
| Plate | One third of a brick's height | Floors, layering, joining sections |
| Tile | Flat, no studs on top | Smooth surfaces, signs, finished look |
| Jumper | Single stud in the centre | Half-stud offsets, fine detail |
| Slope | Angled face | Roofs, ramps, overhangs |
| Round / curve | Cylindrical or curved | Organic shapes, smooth styling |
| Technic | Holes, pins, axles, gears | Mechanisms and movement |
Common LEGO® piece names
These are names you will see again and again in catalogues and building instructions. The number after each name is the part number (design ID), which is often moulded in small print onto the piece itself.
- Brick 2x4 (3001): the classic brick everyone pictures.
- Plate 1x2 (3023): one of the most common parts in any collection.
- Tile 1x2 (3069): a 1x2 plate without studs, for smooth surfaces.
- Cheese slope (54200): a tiny 1x1 slope, named after its wedge-of-cheese shape.
- Headlight brick (4070): a 1x1 brick with a stud on one side, a favourite for building sideways.
- Jumper plate (15573): a 1x2 plate with one stud in the centre, for half-stud offsets.
- Grille tile (2412): a 1x2 tile with ridges, used for vents, grilles and railings.
- Bracket 1x2-1x2 (99781): an L-shaped plate that turns the studs ninety degrees.
Type the number into our search bar to find it in every colour we stock.
How to identify a part you don't recognise
Met an odd piece you cannot name? Start with its shape family from the list above, count its studs to get a rough size, and note its colour. That three-part description (type, size and colour) is usually enough to search a catalogue and land on the exact element. From there you can read off its part number and order replacements with confidence. Our guides on finding LEGO part numbers and replacing missing pieces walk through that process step by step, and if you are drowning in unsorted parts, the organising your LEGO parts guide will help you find anything fast.
Find the exact parts you need
Once you can name a part, buying it becomes simple. At CrocoBricks we stock a huge range of individual LEGO® elements (bricks, plates, tiles, slopes and specialist pieces), so you can complete a set or gather parts for your own build from a single shop with one shipment. If you would rather not hunt across multiple sellers, browse our LEGO parts collection or read more about buying LEGO parts online from one specialist store.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a LEGO brick and a plate?
Both have the same stud pattern and are measured the same way, but a plate is one third the height of a brick. Three plates stacked equal one brick in height.
What is a LEGO tile?
A tile is a flat piece with no studs on top, giving a smooth surface. It is used for clean floors, signs and finished-looking surfaces where you do not want anything to connect on top.
What does the size like "2x4" mean?
It refers to the studs: a 2x4 part is two studs wide and four studs long. The same numbering applies to bricks, plates and tiles, which makes comparing sizes easy.
What are Technic parts?
Technic parts are the elements with holes, pins, axles and gears. They are designed for building mechanisms and movement rather than stacking like standard bricks.
How do I find a part's number?
Identify its type, size and colour, then search a LEGO® catalogue to match it. Our guide to finding part numbers explains exactly how to read them off pieces and instructions.
CrocoBricks is an independent LEGO reseller and is not affiliated with, authorised or sponsored by the LEGO Group. LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group.
