Product Information
The products for masonry construction are locally available through established local suppliers or direct from the many manufacturers.
Concrete blocks can either be aircrete or aggregate. These have different manufacturing processes that result in different densities and properties. Manufacturers of aircrete and aggregate blocks can be found through their specialist product groups: Aircrete Products Association and Concrete Block Association respectively.
Bricks and other clay products are also universally available and locally manufactured in the UK, see Brick Development Association.
Masonry walls rely on more than bricks/blocks and mortar. Much of the innovation has come from developments in the ancillary products such as wall ties, insulation, lintels, cavity closures.
Aggregate blocks cover a wide spectrum of solid, cellular (void does not go fully through block) and hollow...
Aircrete (aerated) blocks are the lightest of the family of concrete blocks and correspondingly have the highest insulation value, making them a popular choice for both internal walls and in foundations.
They are used in structural applications for low-rise construction, as components of curtain walling in higher buildings and for partitions.
About three quarters of all mortars used in the UK today come from factory-produced sources as opposed to being mixed on site...