In building materials stores, a wide range of bricks of various types, shapes, colors and sizes is presented. But it is not always easy for an inexperienced user to figure out what this or that type of product is intended for. For one type of construction, it is necessary to use only full-bodied brick building materials, for another, a hollow look is already used. Incorrectly selected goods will lead to a huge mistake in construction.
In this article, we will consider what a hollow brick is, what it is intended for, and we will review the most popular models of a building product.
Content
Hollow brick is a type of building material used to build houses, fences, garages, cottages and other buildings in which there is no heavy workload and pressure on the foundation. The maximum height of a structure consisting of this building material should not exceed 3 floors. Also, construction products are perfect for laying interior partitions. In addition to hollow, because of the appearance, this building material is often called slotted or multi-hollow.
Hollow building material is most often a rectangular product with multiple holes inside of different shapes and sizes. The presence of such voids significantly reduces the weight of the entire building structure, so the total load on the foundation becomes less.
In addition to low weight, the building material has another advantage - in comparison with other types, hollow has the best frost-resistant and soundproofing properties.
It is worth noting that the cost of a hollow building product is also much cheaper than other types, since much less material is used to manufacture a product.
The service life of the product is increased due to internal holes: cracks do not form in them, therefore, the destruction of the structure occurs after a long service life. Manufacturers claim that the operation of structures built from hollow building materials is up to 50 years.
In addition to the listed advantages, it is worth pointing out the existing disadvantages and limitations of brick blocks with voids inside. This building material cannot be used for foundation work.This is due to the fact that when water enters the holes, it remains in them, with a sharp drop in temperature, it freezes and puts pressure on the entire structure. As a result, cracks appear or the complete destruction of the brick block. For the same reason, it is not recommended to make masonry from hollow building products to create a basement.
Also, the material is not used for other structures that are subject to a sharp and frequent temperature drop - for example, a fireplace or stove. Cracks on the product due to such exposure are formed quickly, and the structure will not have a long service life. For masonry, in this case, a specially processed brick structure is used, which is able to withstand intense temperature conditions.
The main difference between the models is the material and method of manufacture. Let's consider these characteristics in more detail.
The most popular type of hollow structure is a ceramic product. The main material is clay, which undergoes a special heat treatment - firing. Such a building product has good frost-resistant properties and high strength. It is applied to external and internal works in construction.
Also on sale you can find silicate slotted goods. For its manufacture, a mixture of sand and lime is used with the addition of other impurities. The model differs from the ceramic in a lighter color. Most often, a silicate product is used as a facing building material. The cost of goods is lower than that of ceramic, but the general indicators of strength, frost resistance, and sound insulation are no worse.
Before buying silicate building materials, it should be borne in mind that its weight is heavier than that of ceramic, therefore, the improvement of the foundation should be more powerful.
Another popular option is porous or porous. During its manufacture, special additives are added to the clay-sand mixture, which form pores during the firing process. The result is a fairly light building material, while with excellent heat-insulating and sound-absorbing properties. Also, the product has several other important functions - fire resistance and environmental friendliness.
Despite its relatively small weight, the product is able to withstand a large load. Therefore, porous hollow brick is widely used for high-rise buildings for both personal and public purposes.
Another type of slotted material is clinker. To create it, a certain type of clay is mixed with mineral components. Further, the resulting mixture can be fired at a temperature of more than 1000 degrees. On sale you can find goods with different textures on the front side of the surface: glossy or matte, smooth or corrugated. Most often, the product is used for lining stoves or fireplaces, supporting structures or stairs. The building material is durable, practically does not absorb moisture, frost-resistant and, with all its advantages, has an attractive appearance.
We examined the most popular types of hollow bricks, which are used in the construction of various structures.
In addition, the brick structure can be divided according to its purpose: building or facing. The first option is used for laying internal partitions, external walls of a low structure.After that, the resulting buildings are clad: bricks with the best decorative data are used to decorate the facade. Such a product has an attractive appearance and an original shade and has the best indicators of frost resistance, strength or sound insulation. Facing material is designed to perform a decorative function: to hide the negative nuances of construction.
Slotted holes in the product can be washed in different shapes: rectangular, round, oval or square.
Their number and size indicate the percentage of voidness of the product. In other words, this indicator is responsible for weight, frost resistance, sound and heat insulation.
When studying the characteristics of building materials, the user is faced with some parameters unknown to him. Usually they indicate the strength of the product, size and other indicators important for construction. To select the desired type of material, you should understand the designations of these parameters. We recommend that you consider these criteria in more detail so as not to make a mistake when choosing a product.
The first factor that the buyer pays attention to is the strength grade. It has indicators from M50 to M300. It shows how much load a brick can withstand per square meter. For example, if the product is marked M50, then the maximum allowable weight per brickwork should not reach 50 kg. This indicator is suitable for the construction of small structures - a garage or a one-story building. For the construction of a 3-storey house, it is recommended to use the M150 strength grade. For high-rise buildings, this criterion must be even higher in order to support the entire load.
There are sizes that must comply with GOST.Therefore, the manufacturer indicates them in a specific index. On sale there are models of single, one and a half or double size. Single (1NF) is available with a height of 65 mm, a length of 250 mm, a width of 120 mm. For a one and a half model called 1.4NF, the following dimensions are indicated: height - 88 mm, length - 250 mm and width - 120 mm. The height of the double building product (2.1NF) is 138 mm, the length and width remain the same - 250 and 120 mm, respectively.
The index F is used to determine frost resistance. For hollow bricks, its indicators range from 15 to 50. This index shows how many freezing and thawing cycles a brick can withstand without showing external damage.
The choice of a plant that manufactures and sells construction products is also important. The most popular is the Mstera plant, which is located in the Vladimir region. The manufacturer is engaged in the manufacture of hollow and solid products of ordinary and decorative type. The catalog contains interesting models with different textures and colors. The products have all the necessary quality certificates.
Another Russian company is Braer. The range includes facing bricks of different sizes, ceramic blocks, tiles and stone for the border, as well as special mixtures for construction. The main office is located in Moscow.
Do not forget about the popular Kerma plant, whose main branch is located in Nizhny Novgorod. Facing and clinker types of bricks, tiles and mortars for laying building materials are made.
Kirovo-Chepetsky plant produces hollow and solid brick products of non-standard, attractive shades. The cost of goods is not the most affordable, but building materials have excellent quality and original design.
The Poromax line from the Slavic Brick factory also contains interesting colors of building material models for facade cladding. It should be noted that the plant is engaged in the production of non-standard sizes and shapes of bricks.
Before the final purchase of a building product, the above recommendations should be taken into account for the correct choice of products and their long service life.
You can purchase the required amount of hollow brick for masonry at any hardware store. Experts will help you choose the necessary material and calculate the required number of bricks for a certain area. In addition, employees can advise on all the characteristics that the product has.
You can also use the services of online stores. The cost on the site may be slightly less than at the points of sale of building materials. The product description also indicates all the information important for construction: dimensions, strength grade, type and cost of the product.
Having chosen the required quantity of goods, the user places an order online and indicates the city of delivery or even the address. But do not forget that the weight of a hollow brick is not small, so the delivery can go into a round sum.
The hollow building material is made of ceramic and is available in red color. Recommended for laying partitions inside the structure, building external and load-bearing walls.
The manufacturer of the product reminds that the product is not suitable for the construction of foundations, plinths and other structures that are often in contact with water or moisture. The service life of the brick will be significantly reduced, the guarantee for the product if it is used improperly does not apply.
The height of the building product is 140 mm, length - 250 mm, width - 120 mm, there are corrugated edges. The strength grade of the product is M150: this information indicates that brick should be used for the construction of low-rise buildings.
You can buy at a price of 52 rubles per item.
The production of building products is concentrated in the city of Vladimir at the Mstera plant. Dimensions of a unit of goods: length - 250 mm, width - 120 mm, height - 140 mm, which corresponds to a double size - 2.1 NF.
The brick has a corrugated surface and a standard red color. Made from ceramic. The strength grade is M150. The frost resistance index is F50, moisture absorption is 10%.
It is used for the construction of internal and external walls, but not for the plinth and foundation.
You can buy ceramic building materials from a Russian manufacturer for 39 rubles (the cost of 1 piece).
A ceramic product is used to build external walls, internal partitions, small structures in the form of a garage or extension.
Product color – red, production material – ceramics. Single size 1NF corresponds to the following dimensions: height - 65 mm, length - 250 mm, width - 120 mm. The strength grade is M150 - therefore, the load that a brick can withstand is 150 kg per square meter. m. This indicator demonstrates that it is undesirable to use the building material in question for building a house with more than 3 floors.
The cost of the goods is 29 rubles per unit.
Ceramic red building material, designed for cladding structures for various purposes - both private and public.
Hollow brick has a standard 1NF size (250x120x65 mm) and strength grade M200 - thanks to this indicator, it is possible to clad multi-storey buildings.
The frost resistance index is F100. You can buy the product at a price of 31 rubles.
The product is intended for construction both for external and internal walls of a structure or fences. Thanks to special processing, the building material can be used for laying fireplaces, stoves or other buildings with elevated temperatures. This model cannot be used for laying multi-storey buildings.
The product has the following dimensions: length 250 mm, width 120 mm, height - 65 m, which corresponds to the format according to GOST 1NF. The strength grade is M150, the frost resistance index is F75. The percentage of voidness of this product is 42%. Available in non-standard, terracotta color.
You can buy building materials from the domestic manufacturer NZKM (Novomoskovsk) at a price of 26 rubles apiece.
Ceramic building material is recommended for facing low-rise buildings inside and out. It can also be used for laying a fence and a stove - additional processing allows the material not to deteriorate during temperature changes.
Hollow brick has a smooth, even texture and an unusual burgundy color. Dimensions are standard for 1NF, strength grade corresponds to M150. The weight of a unit of goods is 2.4 kg.
The cost of a building product from the Russian well-known manufacturer Braer is 54 rubles.
In order for the selected building material to serve for a long time and be able to withstand a certain load, it is necessary to correctly decipher its characteristics. In the case of an irresponsible attitude to the choice of slotted bricks, the destruction of the entire structure is possible.
For the production of brick products, there are no complaints against domestic manufacturers - they do their job with high quality, produce durable building materials that fully comply with the stated requirements. This rating represents the most popular hollow brick models in 2022, which have only positive feedback from their customers.