Hollow blocks, which have holes that take up more than one-quarter (and usually

more than half) of their cross-sectional area, are used when building boundary
fences and other large structures. The holes make them lighter and can be useful
when running wiring or piping through them.

Raw Material 39 cm x 19 cm 30 cm is the standard size of hollow concrete blocks.

- A mixture of powdered Portland cement
- Water
- Sand
- Gravel
- Concrete block machine.
Concrete used for blocks has a higher percentage of
sand and a lower percentage of gravel and water.

Manufacture of cement concrete hollow blocks

- Proportioning Advantage
- Mixing - High durability.
- Compacting - Able to withstand a high level of loading.
- Curing - High fire resistance
- Drying - No salinity
Disadvantages

- Maintenance cost is high.

- Concrete blocks have a low bearing capacity as the average mass of wall decoration
materials is reduced, and the load-bearing capacity is usually decreased.
- It is hazardous to hang huge things on walls.
- Hollow blocks are porous, so there is a high chance of water seepage.

- It is used in exterior load-bearing walls

1. Moisture Movement: Not more than 0.09%
2. Water Absorption: Not more than 10%
3. Drying Shrinkage: Not more than 0.06%
4. Compressive Strength: Approximately 2,000 to 4,000 psi
5. Density:
For Grade A: 1500 kg/m3
For Grade B: 1100 kg/m3 to 1500 kg/m3
- It is used in interior load-bearing walls
- It is also used in curtain walls
- It is used in partition walls and panel walls
- Backing from brick, stone, and other facing
- Fireproofing over a structural member
- Fire-safe walls around stairwells, elevators
- Piers, column and retaining walls, etc.
- Boundary fences
The hollow concrete blocks can be categorized into the following four types:

1. Grade ‘A’ ( Hollow )

- These are load-bearing units and can contain the lowest block density of 1500 kg/m3. The hollow concrete blocks can be prepared for
the lowest compressive strengths of 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, and 7.0 N/mm2 for 28 days.

2. Grade’ B’ ( Hollow )
- These are also utilized as load-bearing units and can contain a block density of 1500 kg/m 3 but not less than 1000 kg/m3. These can be
prepared for the lowest compressive strengths of 2.0, 3.0, and 5.0 N/mm2, respectively, for 28 days.

3. Grade’ C’ ( Hollow )
- These grades of concrete blocks are utilized as non-load-bearing units and can contain a block density of less than 1500 kg/m 3 but not
less than 1000 kg/m3. These shall be prepared for the lowest average compressive Strength of 1.5 N/mm2 at 28 days.

4. Grade ‘D’ ( Solid )

- Solid concrete blocks can contain a block density of a minimum of 1800 kg/m3. These can be prepared for the lowest compressive
strengths of 4.0 and 5.0 N/mm2, respectively.