In This Post:
– Colour inspection
– Absorption test
– Crushing strength test
– Hardness test
– Structure test
– Sound of bricks
– Shape and size test
– Efflorescence on bricks
Don’t compromise on the quality of construction materials used when building your dream home. The question that arises here is how to find out that the raw material is up to the standard or not. Luckily, we have several ways to determine its quality. In this blog, we will be specifically discussing the different ways to check the quality of bricks to ensure a sturdy foundation for your house.
Ways to Check the Quality of Bricks before Building Your Home
Collapsed roof and damaged walls are some of the consequences of using substandard construction materials. As we know, bricks are used in load-bearing walls – both exterior and interior walls. Therefore, it is important to spend some time in ascertaining the quality of materials before using them in building your dream house. Let the bricks you plan to buy go through these tests before you make the final purchase:
- Colour inspection
- Absorption test
- Crushing strength test
- Hardness test
- Structure test
- Sound of bricks colliding
- Shape and size
- Efflorescence on bricks
Let us now discuss these in detail
Colour inspection
Make sure the bricks you are buying have a uniform colour. There should be no light and dark shades and all the bricks should have the same colour. This shows that the bricks are of a superior quality and can stand the test of time.
Absorption test
This test determines how much moisture a brick can hold and whether the bricks can withstand extreme weather conditions like heavy rainfall or not. To check the quality of bricks, we will weigh the brick before and after it is immersed in water for 24 hours. The amount of water absorbed should not exceed more than 20% of the dry bricks.
Crushing strength test
This requires a compression testing machine. Place the brick inside the machine and apply load on it until the brick breaks. Note down the value when the brick was broken and determine the crushing strength value of the brick. The minimum crushing strength of brick is 3.50N/mm2. If it is less than 3.50 N/mm2, then don’t use the bricks in construction.
Hardness test
Use a sharp nail or make scratch marks on the bricks. A good brick is resistant to any scratches and marks on its surface. If the brick does not hold any scratch marks, then it is called as a hard brick
Structure test
This is perhaps the simplest of tests to check the quality of bricks. Pick any brick from the cluster and break it into two parts. Observe the inside structure of the bricks, which should appear homogeneous. There should be no lumps in the bricks.
Sound of bricks colliding
Another way of testing the quality of bricks is to strike two bricks together and listen to the sound it generates. If the brick does not break and there is a clear ringing sound then this means that the bricks are of superior quality.
Shape and size
The size and shape of the bricks are of great importance when building a house. It should be of the same equal size to ensure good quality construction. The best bricks for construction should be rectangular in shape and the brick size should be length – 19cm, breadth – 9 cm and height – 9 cm.
Perform a simple test by stacking around 20 bricks along its length, height and breadth. If all the bricks appear of the same size then they are qualified for the construction site.
Efflorescence on bricks
Make sure there isn’t any salt residue on the surface of the bricks. Since it is not clearly visible, you’ll need to perform a small test for it. Here’s how you can do it: place the bricks in a water bath for 24 hours and let it dry in the shade. Observe the surface of the bricks closely, if you find grey or white colour deposits, it means that there are soluble salts on the bricks, which is not fit for construction.
So, these were some of the easiest ways of choosing good quality bricks. You can also read our previously written post on types of bricks used for construction in Pakistan. If you want to know how much it costs to build a residential unit, then check out our detailed blogs on construction cost required to build a 5 marla, 10 marla and 1 kanal house in Pakistan. We have also separately covered the grey structure costs of a 5 marla, 10 marla and 1 kanal house. Subscribe to the Zameen Newsletter appearing on the right hand side of the page. Stay tuned to the Zameen Blog, the best real estate blog in Pakistan. Shared your valuable feedback on blog@zameen.com
