[110][111] Unfinished casing blocks of the pyramids of Menkaure and Henutsen at Giza suggest that the front faces were smoothed only after the stones were laid, with chiseled seams marking correct positioning and where the superfluous rock would have to be trimmed off.[112]
The height of the horizontal layers is not uniform but varies considerably. The highest of the 203 remaining courses are towards the bottom, the first layer being the tallest at 1.49 metres (4.9 ft). Towards the top, layers tend to be only slightly over 1 royal cubit (0.5 m; 1.7 ft) in height. An irregular pattern is noticeable when looking at the sizes in sequence, where layer height declines steadily only to rise sharply again.[113][114][115]
So-called "backing stones" supported the casing which were (unlike core blocks) precisely dressed as well and bound to the casing with mortar.[citation needed] Now, these stones give the structure its visible appearance, following the partial dismantling of the pyramid in the Middle Ages. 