What are the common types of blocks?

Ordinary clay, aerated concrete, non-fired bricks, fly ash bricks, etc

There are autoclaved silicate blocks, autoclaved aerated concrete blocks, concrete hollow blocks, and foam concrete blocks!

I. Splitting blocks: After two blocks are combined to form one larger block, which is then cured until it reaches a certain strength, a splitting machine is used to split it at the designated section, resulting in two separate blocks. Alternatively, the thickness of the splitting surface of a block is increased to a certain level; after it has been shaped, cured, and reached a certain strength, it is split at a designated section. One type is a splitting block for use in masonry, while the other is a splitting block for use in cladding. As a splitting block at a corner, it should have two splitting surfaces that are perpendicular to each other; as a splitting block for doorposts, it should have four splitting surfaces around its perimeter. 　　The splitting surface of split blocks, due to the differences in the cohesive and adhesive forces of their constituent materials, has an uneven texture that gives it a rough, rustic appearance. Moreover, by using pigments of different colors, colored aggregates, additives, and various mixing ratios, it is possible to replicate the colors and textures of various natural stones; as a result, its decorative effects are quite satisfactory. Abroad, split blocks are the most produced and used type among decorative blocks. The development of decorative blocks in our country also started with split blocks, and a variety of decorative patterns for such blocks can now be produced, including those with a fully split surface and those with grooved patterns. II. Textured blocks: These are blocks whose surfaces are treated by using mechanical hammers or high-speed shot blasting to break apart the cement mortar and gravel on the surface, exposing a new surface that is pitted as a result of this treatment. The pitted surface yields different decorative effects depending on the shape of the chisel head. Textured block can also mimic various natural stones depending on differences in color and aggregates; its decorative effect is similar to that of stone materials with flame-textured surfaces. III. Textured Striped Blocks: Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and intersecting strips about 1.5 mm deep are milled into the surface of the block, exposing a new surface that serves as the decorative layer; these are known as textured striped blocks. The milled stripes can be evenly distributed across the entire surface, or they can be divided into segments, thereby creating different decorative effects. The decorative effect of textured striped bricks is similar to that of chiseled stone, but they are finely processed and have a strong stone-like texture. IV. Polished Bricks Bricks are continuously ground using a grinder to create a smooth surface while revealing a certain amount of the stone texture; these are known as polished bricks. The variations in the size, shape, and coloring of the aggregate exposed by the polished blocks result in a diverse range of surface colors, giving an aesthetic effect similar to terrazzo as well as smoothly surfaced granite and marble. V. Sculptural Blocks Sculptural blocks make full use of the plasticity of concrete mixtures before they harden; these mixtures are poured into molds with grooves, ribs, blocks, or arcuate/angled shapes to give them the desired decorative form, and once demolded, they become sculptural blocks with various shapes. Walls constructed with each type of sculptural block can exhibit a regular pattern, while combinations of different sculptural blocks can give rise to new patterns. Therefore, sculptural blocks offer unlimited flexibility in the decorative effects of buildings. VI. Glazed Blocks These are decorative blocks made by combining low-temperature glazes with the concrete surface. Bricks are manufactured through processes such as shaping, glazing (by spraying or coating), firing and compounding, and curing. A low-temperature glaze has been developed, with a melting temperature of 850°C; the firing time is 2.5 to 3.0 hours, after which it is cured in water for three days to be completed. There are over a hundred different colors and varieties of glazed building blocks available abroad, offering a rustic decorative effect. The United States has specifically established **standards** for such blocks. VII. Perforated lattice blocks: These blocks are also made by utilizing the plasticity of concrete mix, which is poured into molds with various lattice patterns. Although these blocks are primarily designed for aesthetic purposes, they can serve as partition walls to create a quiet environment, while also facilitating views between the interior and exterior. They provide shade and protection from wind, as well as allowing for ventilation. Checkerboard bricks are used to decorate the facades of houses, divide rooms, build garden fences, and create decorative walls in courtyards. 　　It is easy to see that there are mainly three methods for producing the aforementioned decorative concrete blocks: one is to use specialized machinery to further process the surface of the blocks after they have been formed and cured, such as splitting, texturing, grooving, or polishing the blocks ； The second is various sculpture blocks and lattice blocks molded using special mold boxes ； Third are glazed bricks, including various bricks with colored coatings on their surfaces. The above was downloaded from the Internet and is for reference only.

Types of decorative concrete blocks (from the Internet, for educational purposes only). Since its invention, cement concrete has been one of the most important structural materials in construction projects and is widely used. With the progress and development of science and technology, as well as the improvement in people’s understanding, cement concrete has found new applications and entered the category of decorative materials. 　　Cement concrete has unique advantages as a decorative material. Firstly, raw material resources are very abundant; the main materials include cement, sand, stone, pigments, etc., and industrial waste residues and tailings such as fly ash and coal cinder can also be utilized ； Second, there are mature processes for mixing and manufacturing concrete products, and concrete as well as its products possess good performance and durability ； Third, concrete mixtures are easy to color; by mixing different colored pigments or aggregates of various colors with the concrete ingredients, decorative concretes and products in different colors can be produced ； Fourth, fresh concrete has good plasticity, allowing concrete products of various shapes to be created using molds of different designs – round shapes can be made, square shapes as well, with an endless variety of forms possible ； Fifth, the surface of concrete after setting and hardening is highly workable; it can be split, chiseled, ground, or crushed, allowing for the creation of various surface textures, especially ones that mimic those of natural decorative stones. It is thus an ideal material for creating natural-looking landscapes ； Sixth, it has a wide range of applications, and can be used in industrial and civil buildings, municipal projects, transportation, landscaping, water conservancy and other civil engineering works, as well as in sculpture crafts ； Seventh, by further processing ordinary concrete and products into decorative concrete products, the value of these products doubles, allowing enterprises to achieve better economic benefits. 　　Decorative concrete products, including decorative blocks, represent one of the trends in the development of cement concrete products today. To promote its initiation and development in our country, two national academic seminars on decorative concrete products were held in December 1989 and December 1994, with decorative blocks being one of the topics discussed. China’s technical advancement plans for the building materials industry during the \"Eighth Five-Year Plan\" and \"Ninth Five-Year Plan\" periods, as well as the development plans for construction blocks in China during those same periods, all included decorative blocks in their development strategies. **The Building Materials Bureau has issued multiple directives for the development of scientific research projects related to decorative blocks and related technologies, and has established industry standards for decorative concrete blocks. China’s Well-Off Housing Demonstration Project in 2000 included block construction and block-based buildings, as well as decorative blocks and decorative block-based buildings, among the three types of building systems. With the innovation of wall materials, decorative concrete blocks, as a new type of multifunctional wall material, are set to see significant development. Types of decorative concrete blocks As building materials, developed countries abroad use concrete blocks as one of the main materials for walls, with decorative concrete blocks accounting for a certain proportion among them. In addition to the advantages of ordinary concrete blocks, decorative blocks combine decoration, waterproofing, insulation, heat resistance, and sound absorption, endowing them with multiple functions. “The industry standard for \"decorative concrete blocks\" classifies these blocks into facing blocks and building blocks; the building blocks are further divided into solid and hollow types, resulting in three main categories. Each category offers a variety of designs. China has developed several types of decorative blocks as well as the related processing equipment and production technologies. This section focuses on decorative concrete blocks and their types. I. Splitting blocks: After two blocks are combined to form one larger block, which is then cured until it reaches a certain strength, a splitting machine is used to split it at the designated section, resulting in two separate blocks. Alternatively, the thickness of the splitting surface of a block is increased to a certain level; after it has been shaped, cured, and reached a certain strength, it is split at a designated section. One type is a splitting block for use in masonry, while the other is a splitting block for use in cladding. As a splitting block at a corner, it should have two splitting surfaces that are perpendicular to each other; as a splitting block for doorposts, it should have four splitting surfaces around its perimeter. 　　The splitting surface of split blocks, due to the differences in the cohesive and adhesive forces of their constituent materials, has an uneven texture that gives it a rough, rustic appearance. Moreover, by using pigments of different colors, colored aggregates, additives, and various mixing ratios, it is possible to replicate the colors and textures of various natural stones; as a result, its decorative effects are quite satisfactory. Abroad, split blocks are the most produced and used type among decorative blocks. The development of decorative blocks in our country also started with split blocks, and a variety of decorative patterns for such blocks can now be produced, including those with a fully split surface and those with grooved patterns. II. Textured blocks: These are blocks whose surfaces are treated by using mechanical hammers or high-speed shot blasting to break apart the cement mortar and gravel on the surface, exposing a new surface that is pitted as a result of this treatment. The pitted surface yields different decorative effects depending on the shape of the chisel head. Textured block can also mimic various natural stones depending on differences in color and aggregates; its decorative effect is similar to that of stone materials with flame-textured surfaces. III. Textured Striped Blocks: Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and intersecting strips about 1.5 mm deep are milled into the surface of the block, exposing a new surface that serves as the decorative layer; these are known as textured striped blocks. The milled stripes can be evenly distributed across the entire surface, or they can be divided into segments, thereby creating different decorative effects. The decorative effect of textured striped bricks is similar to that of chiseled stone, but they are finely processed and have a strong stone-like texture. IV. Polished Bricks Bricks are continuously ground using a grinder to create a smooth surface while revealing a certain amount of the stone texture; these are known as polished bricks. The variations in the size, shape, and coloring of the aggregate exposed by the polished blocks result in a diverse range of surface colors, giving an aesthetic effect similar to terrazzo as well as smoothly surfaced granite and marble. V. Sculptural Blocks Sculptural blocks make full use of the plasticity of concrete mixtures before they harden; these mixtures are poured into molds with grooves, ribs, blocks, or arcuate/angled shapes to give them the desired decorative form, and once demolded, they become sculptural blocks with various shapes. Walls constructed with each type of sculptural block can exhibit a regular pattern, while combinations of different sculptural blocks can give rise to new patterns. Therefore, sculptural blocks offer unlimited flexibility in the decorative effects of buildings. VI. Glazed Blocks These are decorative blocks made by combining low-temperature glazes with the concrete surface. Bricks are manufactured through processes such as shaping, glazing (by spraying or coating), firing and compounding, and curing. A low-temperature glaze has been developed, with a melting temperature of 850°C; the firing time is 2.5 to 3.0 hours, after which it is cured in water for three days to be completed. There are over a hundred different colors and varieties of glazed building blocks available abroad, offering a rustic decorative effect. The United States has specifically established **standards** for such blocks. VII. Perforated lattice blocks: These blocks are also made by utilizing the plasticity of concrete mix, which is poured into molds with various lattice patterns. Although these blocks are primarily designed for aesthetic purposes, they can serve as partition walls to create a quiet environment, while also facilitating views between the interior and exterior. They provide shade and protection from wind, as well as allowing for ventilation. Checkerboard bricks are used to decorate the facades of houses, divide rooms, build garden fences, and create decorative walls in courtyards. 　　It is easy to see that there are mainly three methods for producing the aforementioned decorative concrete blocks: one is to use specialized machinery to further process the surface of the blocks after they have been formed and cured, such as splitting, texturing, grooving, or polishing the blocks ； The second is various sculpture blocks and lattice blocks molded using special mold boxes ； Third are glazed bricks, including various bricks with colored coatings on their surfaces.

The blocks I’ve seen seem to be mostly coal cinder bricks; I didn’t realize there were so many different types of blocks. Come and take a look; the harvest is quite good.

The dimensions of ordinary bricks are 240 mm × 115 mm × 53 mm, and they are classified into 6 strength grades – MU30, MU25, MU20, MU15, MU10, and MU7.5 – based on their compressive strength (newtons per square millimeter, N/mm2). Clay bricks are made from locally available materials, are inexpensive, durable, and possess advantages such as fire resistance, heat insulation, sound insulation, and moisture absorption; they are widely used in civil engineering construction. Broken bricks can also be used as aggregate for concrete. To overcome the drawbacks of ordinary clay bricks, such as their small size, high weight, and high clay consumption, there is a trend toward developing bricks that are lightweight, high-strength, hollow, and larger in size. Gray sand brick is made by combining lime with quartz sand, sand, or fine sandstone in appropriate proportions, grinding them together, mixing with water, pressing them into shape using a semi-dry method, and then curing them through autoclaving. Fly ash bricks are made using fly ash as the main raw material, with additives such as coal gangue powder or clay serving as binding materials. They are produced through processes of mixing ingredients, shaping, drying, and firing, thereby allowing for the effective utilization of industrial waste residues and saving fuel. Sintered shale bricks, as a new type of energy-efficient building wall material, can be used for constructing load-bearing walls. They possess excellent thermal properties, conform to construction modular standards, reduce losses during construction, and improve work efficiency ； A porosity rate of over 35% can reduce the weight of the wall, thereby saving on foundation construction costs. Compared with ordinary sintered porous bricks, it features heat preservation, thermal insulation, light weight, high strength, and efficient construction. This product is made from shale, using a production process that involves high-vacuum extrusion with brick-making machines and simultaneous firing. There are also aerated concrete blocks, ceramsite hollow concrete blocks, etc.; these blocks are primarily used in enclosure structures.