Bricks are traditionally made in continuous production by forming a clay body into a desired shape, adding strengthening agents such as hay or straw to make the brick stronger and leaving it partially dried. Then the brick is fired. In modern manufacturing, brick is often formed in special-purpose furnaces and dried by controlled heating at high temperatures.
Bricks in Pakistan are characterized by their capacity to resist water. This means that the materials used for brick, i.e. clay and sand, are baked at high temperatures and the air is introduced into them. After a long process, these components become water-resistant, which makes them perfect for construction foundations in areas prone to flooding and rain. Bricks are the most critical element that is needed for any construction project. These components are involved in building up the framework of a house or any other structure.
The most common types of bricks that are available in Pakistan are clay brick and concrete blocks. Clay bricks are normally used in rural areas, as they are cheaper to acquire and use. They are useful as well because they possess flexibility; hence, it’s a lot easier for them to be fixed and placed. Concrete blocks, on the other hand, are much more popular in urban areas such as Karachi and Islamabad. Many people prefer them because they have a higher load-bearing capacity than clay bricks.
Types of Bricks
What makes brick such a valuable component of construction materials in Pakistan? To answer this question, let’s explore the different types of brick available.
Burnt Clay Brick
The burnt clay brick we use in modern construction is nothing like the baked clay brick used by our predecessors. In ancient times, a sort of flat-bottomed clay pot was buried in the ground and heated for weeks. When its molten contents were poured into a mold, the clay that remained was fired and hardened in a kiln. This “baked clay” was then used in the construction of everything from pottery to bricks. By building with this superior material, the ancient Japanese were able to build the massive castles, temples, and shrines that stand today. Burnt clay bricks are are made from clay that has been baked in a kiln.
All types of bricks are made from clay, but burnt clay bricks are made from clay that has been baked at extremely high temperatures. Baking the clay at such high temperatures makes the final product stronger, more durable, and more resistant against the elements and the weather in general.
Burnt clay bricks have been popular in construction for more than 4,000 years, and for good reason: they’re inexpensive, durable, and easy to make. The earliest known example of burnt clay bricks dates back to 3500 B.C. in the Middle East, but it wasn’t until the 18th century that Europeans began making them.
Categories of Red Brick
In Pakistan, burnt clay brick, also known as red brick or clay brick, is categorized in terms of its quality. These categories or types are:
- First class brick or Brick Awwal
- Second class brick
- Third class brick
Note: It is important to use high-quality brick to ensure the strong structural stability of the building. By using low-quality brick will result in seepages, possible cracks and instability of the building.
Sand Lime Brick (Calcium Silicate Brick)
Calcium silicate bricks are made of a compound that is a combination of sand, lime, water and pigments. As the name suggests, these are basically formed from the combination of calcium and silicate. The mixture is then molded into bricks, which are subsequently dried and cured by applying heat and pressure, unlike burnt clay bricks. These are very resistant to heat and weather conditions, which makes them ideal for masonry works. They can be used to form stylish structures which are free from cracks. These brickworks are generally ornamental works in buildings and for masonry tiles.
Advantages
- Calcium silicate bricks have a uniform shape and a fine appearance that makes them ideal for masonry structures.
- Gray mossy bricks have a smooth finish and can be used for load-bearing structures and can be used for decorative purposes.
- Building a structure out of calcium silicate brick may offer excellent strength.
- Colored sand-lime bricks can save you money by eliminating the need for painting or other finishing.
- Calcium silicate bricks have been used in interior walls to increase sound insulation.
- These bricks are highly effective at resisting fire and water.
- The waste of calcium silicate products is very low. A lot less mortar is needed, which means you can use fewer cement results in less cost incurred.
Concrete Bricks
Concrete bricks are made by pouring a concrete mixture into a mold shaped like a brick. A brick mold is usually a few bricks wide and long. Concrete is made of water, cement, sand, gravel, and water. The mixture is poured into the mold, and after a few hours, the concrete is hard. The brick are then removed from the mold. After clay brick, concrete brick is the most durable type of brick used in Pakistan. If the durability of a brick is important, a concrete brick will be a good option.
Advantages
The advantages of concrete brick are listed as below:
- Good quality
- Competitive price
- Strong ability to resist freezing and thawing
- Thermal insulation
- Lightweight and easy to carry and move
- Long time service life
- Durable
- No pollution to the environment
- Easy to use and install
Engineering Bricks
Engineering bricks are used when a large amount of strength is required in a small package. these bricks are used for a variety of different purposes, as they are stronger than regular brick and don’t break down easily. the engineering bricks have various features, such as low porosity and high resistance to water. therefore, they are often used for constructing damp-proof courses.
Fly Ash Brick
These bricks are made by mixing fly ash with clay and water to a uniform consistency in a brick press. These are produced in power generating plants as a by-product of burning coal. Fly ash is a fine powder generated when such coal is burned at temperatures between 1800°f-2000°f.
Fly ash bricks are the better building material for areas where earthquakes and high seismic activity are common, as they are less likely to crack. these bricks are an eco-friendly version of regular clay bricks but are made using fly ash from power plants rather than natural clay in standard brick manufacturing. this means that they are much stronger and more durable than standard clay brick and contain less water, so are cheaper to produce. in addition, fly ash bricks are lighter than standard bricks, making them easier to transport, and they are also highly resistant to erosion.
A-Class Brick Price in Pakistan
The price of 1000 bricks is around 11 thousand rupees (11000) or PKR 11 per brick. But it varies as per the location and quantity. In a 1 Kanal house construction in Pakistan, normally 150,000 bricks are used. It is also very important to test the quality of brick either it is of good quality or bad quality before purchasing. These are the few important tests to take before buying brick Awwal in Pakistan:
- A good quality brick weight is of 3 kg.
- Do a water sinking test. Put a brick in a small tub filled with water for the next 24 hours. Check if the brick weight is increased to 3.5 kg then it is a good quality brick but if the water absorption rate is higher than 15-20% then the brick quality is not good.
- A good quality brick uniform size is 4.5 x 9 x 3.
- Do a metallic sound bell test. Grab two bricks in each hand, and strike them together. A high-quality brick will never break and produce a metallic sound when strikes with something.
- Pick a brick and drop it from a 6 ft height and check if it doesn’t break it is of good quality.
- The strength of the brick is normally 1600-1800 PSI.
- The compressive strength of brick is 70 kg/m
- Do a nail scratch test to check whether the brick can withstand the pressure by using your thumb. If a brick’s surface can be scratched with a nail, then it should be treated as a poor quality brick.
Contact Tameerkaro for your Strong Building Construction
We leave no stone unturned in our quest to achieve excellence in all that we do. For the construction of strong structures from low to high-rise residential, commercial, and industrial facilities contact Tameerkaro today. Call 0300-0556666 or visit our website to send an online inquiry.