Split Face Omni Block is reversed / rotated in the wall, why?

The illustration immediately below depicts the “standard” orientation of the Omni Block block and corresponding rebar placement. This is the correct orientation for all models of Omni Block except when split face block is used (see second illustration below).

The reason that split face Omni Block is reversed or rotated (so that the normal interior of the block becomes the exterior) is solely due to manufacturing concerns. The long cell side of the stretcher block does not split well and there is too much breakage (“cull rate”) during the splitting process. Therefore, the block molds are set-up so that the two interior sides abut each other and are effectively split from one another. This is the only reason that split face Omni Block is reversed or rotated.

The System 12, Seismic 12 and Omni Brick 12 models are not affected by this requirement. This situation only applies to the System 8 and the Omni Brick 8.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
If split face block is used anywhere in the wall, all of the block MUST be oriented the same as the split face block in order for the vertical rebar to maintain continuity in the appropriate cells.