3.

4 Types of Brick

Burnt Clay Bricks – Burnt clay bricks are the most commonly and widely used bricks. These
bricks can be made by pressing wet clay in moulds, followed by drying and burning process in
kiln. These very old and ancient building material are normally reddish in color. They are
categorized into four classes, which is First Class to Fourth Class. First class offered the most
strength and the best quality. They are typically used in general construction works that do not
require any attractive appearances. For example, they used in foundations, columns and masonry
works. Burnt clay bricks require rendering or plastering with mortar when they used in the walls.

Engineering Bricks – Engineering bricks are manufactured at very high temperatures. The
colours of these bricks are commonly red and blue. They also have high compressive strength
and excellent load-bearing capacity. These bricks are classified into Class A and Class B. Class
B are the more extensively used but Class A are stronger. They are made to increase the
structural and technical performance of a building or wall. Thus, they are more expensive than
other bricks. It mostly used in the constructions where strength, greater frost and water resistance
are significant. For example, damp proof courses, sewers, retaining walls, manholes and general
ground works.

Concrete Bricks – Concrete bricks, also called masonry unit (CMU) or concrete block. Concrete
bricks are made with a mixture of cement, gravel, sand and water. Generally, the concrete
mixture used for blocks has a lower proportion of gravel and water, but a higher proportion of
sand. They have various sizes, shapes and can be solid or hollow. Pigments can add to
manufacture different colours of brick during production. Concrete bricks can be used for
facades, fences, internal brickwork, damp-proof course level and offer an excellent aesthetic
presence. However, they are not suitable to use in below ground.

Face Bricks – Most of the face bricks are pressed bricks, produce with a technique that
compresses the selected clay. They have sharp edges, extremely smooth faces and ideally square
corners. Face bricks provided an attractive and beautiful appearance without rendering or
plastering the wall. They have a wide range of colours, sizes and textures. For instance, the
common colours of face bricks are red, yellow, grey, white and various shades of brown. These
bricks are used for the projects that require better look such as homes, commercial buildings, fire
places, school buildings and entry gates.

Reference

Juan Rodrigue. (2019, June 01). 5 Types of Materials Used for Bricks. Retrieved from
https://www.thebalancesmb.com/bricks-types-uses-and-advantages-844819

Stephen O'Connor. (2018, August 23). What is an Engineering Brick? Retrieved from
https://likestone.ie/2018/08/23/purpose-and-specification-of-an-engineering-brick/

Designing Buildings Wiki. (2020, October 29). Types of brick. Retrieved from
https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Types_of_brick

Monamy Mustaq. (2018, June 15). Types of Bricks – Detail Classification of Bricks.
Retrieved from https://civiltoday.com/civil-engineering-materials/brick/191-types-of-bricks

Bob Haring. (2018, March 7). Common Brick Vs. Face Brick. Retrieved from
https://www.hunker.com/12539937/common-brick-vs-face-brick