Ceramic bricks are one of the most common materials used for masonry, but what kind of ceramic is used in making bricks? It is important to know the composition of the ceramic brick that you purchased so that you will know what to expect from the product. When building a house, or any structure, it is important to choose the best quality, and you can only determine this by knowing the composition of the materials that you will be using. If you are thinking of using ceramic bricks for your house, you can check out the article below to find out more about its properties and what you can expect from using this kind of brick for your home construction.
Which type of ceramic is used for making brick? Earthenware is ceramic that is used for making bricks. They are lighter and easier to work with as compared to other types of bricks. Ceramic bricks have high-performance characteristics and can last for a long time.
Why are bricks made of ceramics? What are the advantages that you can get from using ceramic bricks for your home construction? How can you choose the best ceramic bricks? These are some of the questions that you need to ask when you start planning on using ceramic bricks for your home construction. In this article, we will answer those questions and we will also discuss other questions that are commonly asked regarding ceramic bricks.
Which Ceramic is Used to Make Bricks?
Earthenware is the type of ceramic that is used to make bricks. Traditionally, the term brick has been used for the units composed out of clay. Ceramic bricks are one of the common materials in building and used for the construction of foundations, masonry capital walls, and many more. Because of its universal form and high-performance characteristics, the structure built is strong and can last for a long time.
Why are Bricks Made of Ceramics?
Ceramics are used for making bricks because they are lighter and easier to work with as compared to stone. They are aesthetically attractive, waterproof, and can resist high temperatures. Ceramics are also durable and sometimes, can last longer than stone. By using different clays, bricks can be made in different colors.
What are the 3 Types of Ceramics?
The three main types of ceramics are earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. Generally, ceramics describe objects that are formed with clay, hardened by firing, and decorated or glazed. Clay is a natural material that is produced by weathered rock. It is malleable, soft, and will permanently harden when baked at high temperatures. You can also check out this article that we have written that talks about how to make matte porcelain tile shiny. We have shared tips and methods on how to keep your porcelain tiles shine and shimmer.
Below are the three main types of ceramics.
Earthenware
Earthenware is clay fired at relatively low temperatures between 1,000 to 1,150 degrees. This will produce a hardened but brittle material that is slightly porous. Hence, it cannot be used to contain water. To remedy this, the object is covered with a glaze before it is fired in the kiln for a second time to make it waterproof.
Stoneware
This is made from certain clay that is fired at a higher temperature of 1,200 degrees Celsius. This produces a more durable material with a dense stone-like quality. The end product is waterproof and does not need to be glazed.
Porcelain
This comes from refined clay that is fired at a very high temperature of approximately 1,200 to 1,450 degrees Celsius. The finished product is an extremely hard and shiny material that is often white and translucent in appearance. An interesting fact is that most modern toilets are made of porcelain. Check out this article titled, what are toilets made of for more information.
Why are Ceramic Bricks a Popular Building Material?
Ceramic bricks have many technical characteristics that make them a popular material for building and construction. These characteristics include thermal conductivity, strength, porosity, frost resistance, density, and water absorption. Let us take a look at these characteristics below.
Frost Resistance
This refers to the ability of the material to tolerate freezing without damage and thawing in water. This is indicated by the symbol F and shows how many freeze-thaw cycles can transfer to the material before the start of destruction. The more cycles the material can sustain, the higher the quality.
Thermal Conductivity
This will have to depend on the porosity of the product. Thermal conductivity refers to the ability of the material to conduct a certain amount of heat through a square meter per unit of time. The lower the figure means that the better heat is stored indoors during winter and the less hot air during summer.
Strength
It shows the ability of the ceramic material to withstand mechanical shock. This is determined by the limit of internal stress in the process of testing the bending, tension, and compression of the material. The most durable brands of ceramic bricks are modifications M300, M250, and M200.
Water Absorption
This depends on how the material can absorb and retain moisture. High moisture content can reduce the technical specifications of the ceramic brick. For solid ceramic brick, the GOST saturation moisture level should not exceed 8% and the core 6%.
Porosity
This shows the degree of filling of the brick structure with pores in terms of percentage and has a direct impact on the strength, thermal conductivity, and cold resistance of the material. Clay composition is mixed with sawdust, coal, peat, and crushed straw to increase pore formation.
Density
Brick density is the mass of material in one cubic meter. This value is inversely proportional to the porosity value and is also considered one of the most vital characteristics of thermal conductivity.
What are the Advantages of Using Ceramic Bricks for Your House Construction?
Ceramic bricks are a popular choice for building and construction because it is affordable, strong, and can last for a long time. Ceramic bricks are also easy to work with. Aside from that, it creates a stunning aesthetic look for your home. Below are some of the advantages that you can get when using ceramic bricks for your house construction.
- Ceramic bricks have high strength and frost-resistant indicators which makes them an ideal building material in the construction of houses and buildings in any climatic zone.
- Exceptional sound insulation properties make ceramic brick an essential material for the construction of anteroom partitions when constructing apartment buildings.
- Low water absorption prevents the absorption of excess moisture and allows it to dry quickly after the rain.
- They can be used in the construction of furnaces and chimneys due to their high thermal stability.
- The decorative qualities of ceramic bricks provide many opportunities when implementing bold designs.
How to Choose Ceramic Bricks?
The top things that you need to consider when choosing bricks are quality and technical characteristics. Familiarize yourself with the labeling of products and accompanying documentation so that you can determine the properties of the material. Take note that it is more difficult to determine the quality of products and because the overall strength of the structure that you will build and its performance properties will depend on this factor, there is a chance that you will make mistake here.
When purchasing ceramic bricks, you can take a few bricks from the pallet and hit them with the handle of the trowel. A product that is of high quality will produce a long, resonant, and slightly metallic sound. On the other hand, if the product is lof ow quality, the sound will be short and deaf. If at least one of the tested bricks makes a deaf sound, it is wise not to purchase the products. Another way to test the product would be to split it with a hammer. A high-quality ceramic brick will split into large parts while the low-quality ones will crumble to dust.
✅ Video – How to Choose Good Quality Bricks
UltraTech Cement shared the video below on YouTube. It talks about how to choose good quality bricks. Bricks can affect the aesthetics, quality, and durability of your home so you need to make sure that you purchase high-quality bricks. Watch the video below for more tips and information.
Compressed Earth Block Vs. Brick
The main difference between compressed earth blocks and brick is in their composition and the way that they are made. Compressed earth blocks are made of soil, molded, and air-dried. On the other hand, bricks are made of clay, molded, dried, and fired into a kiln to harden. You can check out this article that we have written titled, compressed earth block vs. brick for more tips and information.
Is Brick a Ceramic?
Bricks are ceramic. Ceramics are classified ca nonmetallic and inorganic materials essential to our daily lifestyle. They are generally made by taking mixtures of clay, earthen elements, water, and powders, and shaping them into desired forms. Once it is shaped, it is fired in a high-temperature oven called a kiln. Next, they are covered in a decorative, waterproof, paint-like substance known as glazes.
What Type of Clay is Used for Bricks?
The main component of bricks contains natural clay minerals that include kaolin and shale. A small amount of barium, manganese and other additives are also added to the clay to produce different shades and colors. To improve the chemical resistance of the bricks to the elements, barium carbonate is used.
Which Types of Bricks are Good for House Construction?
The common types of bricks used for house construction include Sun-dried or unburned clay bricks, burnt clay bricks, fly ash bricks, concrete bricks, engineering bricks, and sand-lime or calcium silicate bricks. The different kinds of bricks that are used in masonry construction are based on materials like clay, lime, concrete, and many more. Filed field identification of bricks for their uses, properties and sustainability for different construction works is essential.
Conclusion
In this article, we have learned that earthenware is used when making ceramic bricks. We have also learned that there different kinds of bricks are used for building and construction. We hope that this article has helped you learn more about ceramic bricks. Make sure that you consider all the information that you have learned when choosing the right ceramic bricks for your home construction. Thank you for reading!