A brick is the most important building material used to make walls, pavements and other element in construction. In olden days the term brick was used to refer a unit composed of clay, but it is now used to denote rectangular material made from shale, calcium silicate clay, clay-bearing soil, concrete or soil material. Bricks are usually merged by interlocking them or using mortar or by adhesives.
Block is typically larger than brick but is a similar term referring to a rectangular unit composed of aggregates of certainly designed mixtures depending on the strength required and is lightweight.
What is the difference between bricks and blocks?
The most important difference between blocks and bricks is in the size, composition, shape and weight. Blocks usually are bigger and lightweight and are made from concrete in comparison to brick. Blocks come in both solid and hollow format and are used where strength is important like a load-bearing wall.
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What is the difference between facing brick and common standard brick?
The main common difference between facing brick and standard common bricks is the appearance. Facing bricks are made with a smooth look as when it faces the world it should look good whereas on the other hand standard common bricks are strong and durable, but they do not have smooth facing.
Are Bricks and Blocks fireproof?
Concrete blocks have a build-in property of resistance to fire, so it does not require any additional fire protection to fire whereas bricks are usually made in fire kiln, so they have high resistance to fire. Most of the Bricks and blocks are fire rated A1 which are non-flammable in nature.
Types of concrete blocks used in building construction
- Hollow concrete blocks
- Solid concrete blocks
- Aerated concrete blocks
- Concrete stretcher block
Advantages of Bricks and blocks
- Strong
- Fire resistant
- Insect proof material
- Low maintenance
- Reliable
- Lightweight
- Water-resistant
- Frost resistant
- Combines thermal and acoustic properties
What is the R-value of the brick and block?
| Type | Size | R-Value |
| Common Brick | 4” | 0.80 |
| Face Brick | 4” | 0.44 |
| Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) | 4” | 0.80 |
| Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) | 8” | 1.11 |
| Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) | 12” | 1.28 |
| Granite | 1” | 0.05 |
| Sandstone / Limestone | 1“ | 0.08 |
Advantage of block over brick in construction
- Blocks are bigger in size then bricks
- Blocks are lighter than bricks
- It reduces the total weight of the building
- Heatproof and soundproof blocks can be used as per requirement
Originally published at https://build4less.co.uk/collections/bricks-and-blocks#category-desc.
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