AbstractFor each rational number q=b/c where b≥c are positive integers, we define a q-brick of G to be a maximal subgraph H of G such that cH has b edge-disjoint spanning trees, and a q-superbrick of G to be a maximal subgraph H of G such that cH−e has b edge-disjoint spanning trees for all edges e of cH, where cH denotes the graph obtained from H by replacing each edge by c parallel edges. We show that the vertex sets of the q-bricks of G partition the vertex set of G, and that the vertex sets of the q-superbricks of G form a refinement of this partition. The special cases when q=1 are the partitions given by the connected components and the 2-edge-connected components of G, respectively. We obtain structural results on these partitions and describe their relationship to the principal partitions of a matroid.