Cement Bricks Vs Red Brick

Most People often feel confused before constructing civil structures (houses or buildings) whether to prefer Red Bricks or Cement Blocks as the construction materials. Everybody wants durable and safe constructions as it is a one-time process, and there is no going back. Understanding the difference between the Red Bricks and Cement Blocks would be advantageous in making an effective decision before constructing or expanding structures.

The Making of Brick Materials

Red Bricks are made by burning or baking the mixture of clay, soil, and water in a kiln. The output of such a process offers high durability, resistance to fire, seismic activities, insects, etc.
Cement bricks are hardened with the help of concrete, sand, and aggregates (gravel, crushed stone, slag) as the output of chemical reactions. With the proper ratio of inputs, Cement Blocks can be made more efficient with high resistance to varying environments and external agents.

Availability of Grades and Types

Red Bricks

They are available locally in any required size and quantity, and they are available in different grades and types that differ in strength and usage.

1. Grades

First Class - Used for flooring, building permanent supportive structures such as arches, external walls, reinforced brickworks, and so on.
Second Class - Used for interior jobs except flooring, building compound walls, separation or partition walls, and so on.
Third Class - Used for building temporary structures and pavements.
Fourth Class - Further classified into Zhamas (Over burnt) and Pilas (Half Burnt). Both are used as aggregates during the construction of roads, foundations, floors, etc., as they have poor strength.

Cement Bricks

They are available locally in any required size and quantity, and they are available in different grades, ratios, and types.

1. Grades

Grade A - Can withstand higher loads with a minimum Block Density of 1500 kg/m3.
Grade B - Can manage medium to higher loads with a Block Density between 1100 kg/m3 and 1500 kg/m3.
Grade C - They are also called Solid Concrete Blocks with a Block Density of not less than 1800 kg/m3.

2. Types

Solid Concrete Blocks - Used in the making of load-bearing structures.
Hollow Concrete Blocks - Used in the making of load-bearing exterior and interior walls, and so on.
ACC Blocks - They are lightweight hollow blocks used in the construction of apartments, buildings, and so on.
Paver Blocks - Used in the making of driveways, sidewalks, petrol-bunk floors, and so on.

3. Ratio

The main components of cement bricks are cement (C), sand (S), aggregate (A), and water. The following are the most common categories of cement blocks based on the Concrete Mix Ratio (Composition of CSA) with 0.5 ratios of water.

M10- Composition of C : S : A is 1 : 3 : 6. It has a grade value of 1450psi, and they are used in the construction of sidewalks, driveways, and so on.
M15 - Composition of C : S : A is 1 : 2 : 4. It has a grade value of 2175psi, and they are used in the construction of flooring, groundworks, pavements, and so on.
M20- Composition of C : S : A is 1 : 1.5 : 3. It has a grade value of 2900psi, and they are used in the construction of foundations, flooring, bases or grounds of petrol bunks, mechanic shop floors, and so on.
M25 - Composition of C : S : A is 1 : 1 : 2. It has a grade value of 3625psi, and they are used in the making of any structures of construction and foundations as they are highly durable.
M30 - Composition of C : S : A depends upon the designer or team. It has a grade value of 4350psi, and they are used in the making of roads and highways as they are more resistant to varying environments and can withstand heavy traffic loads.

Note: Even with 40-50kg cement, a mason can make more no. of cement blocks, which may affect the durability of the cement blocks, sometimes.

Physical and Chemical Properties

Red Bricks

They show high resistance to heat in general (0.6 to 1 Watt per meter-Kelvin) which would be advantageous during summer.
Concerning different grades of Red Bricks, their Dry Density varies between 1600 to 1920 kg/m3.
The quantity of water required for curing would be more. The Water Absorption of less than 12% to 20% of its weight would be acceptable.
Recommended and Standard Compressive Strength of Red Bricks is 7 to 10 N/mm2.
As Red Bricks have an irregular and undistributed surface, the amount of mortar mix required to fix between bricks would be more.

Cement Blocks

They show less resistance to heat when compared to Red bricks (0.7 to 1.28 W/mK)
Concerning different grades of Cement Blocks, their Dry Density varies between 1800 to 2500 kg/m3.
The quantity of water required for curing would be more. The Water Absorption of not greater than 10% or 12% of its weight would be acceptable.
Recommended and Standard Compressive Strength of Cement Blocks is 4 to 5 N/mm2.
As Cement blocks have an even and flat surface, they require less mortar mix to fix in between blocks.
With proper C:S:A mixing, they are more durable, and in the case of low-grade C:S:A mixing, they might leave some cracks.

Cost of Bricks

Red Blocks

In general, the cost of red bricks in the market is cheap and affordable. While considering the overall requirement during the construction process, the demand for mortar mix, and the repairs if necessary, the overall cost would be higher.

Cement Blocks

Comparatively, the overall cost of Cement blocks is cheaper as the need for mortar mix is less, can be easily repaired, and does require less no. of blocks than Red bricks during construction.

Conclusion

We have covered almost every important piece of information to help you choose between reliable construction materials before building or expanding any civil structures.