Investors planning a masonry plant in the Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia or Africa usually start with one question: which line? A concrete block plant, an autoclaved brick plant and a fired clay brick plant all make wall materials, but they use different raw materials, need very different investment and suit different buyers. Efficiency starts with choosing the right one.
Three lines, three kinds of plant
| Concrete block / non-fired brick | Autoclaved brick | Fired clay brick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw materials | Cement, sand, crushed stone, fly ash, slag | Fly ash or sand with lime | Clay, shale, coal gangue, fly ash |
| Forming | Vibration and hydraulic pressing | High-pressure pressing | Vacuum extrusion |
| Curing / firing | Curing chambers, no steam | Autoclave (high-pressure steam) | Tunnel kiln |
| Typical output | 30–60 million bricks a year | 30–120 million bricks a year | 60–100 million bricks a year |
| Investment | Lowest | Medium to large | Largest |
| Typical buyer | County-level producers | Government-backed solid-waste projects | Commercial-scale building-materials groups |
Concrete block lines are the lowest-investment route. A hydraulic vibration block machine makes hollow blocks, standard bricks, perforated bricks and pavers — changing the mould switches the product — and the blocks cure without steam or firing. A line typically makes 100,000–200,000 standard bricks or 15,000–30,000 hollow blocks (390 × 190 × 190 mm) a day.
Autoclaved brick lines press fly ash or sand with lime and cure the bricks in autoclaves. They use industrial by-products at scale, which is why they are often built next to power plants or in circular-economy parks. Bricks reach strength classes MU10 to MU25.
Fired clay brick lines are the largest investment: the tunnel kiln is built on site, and the plant runs continuously at 250,000–300,000 bricks a day. They suit buyers supplying large urban housing markets.
What decides efficiency in a block plant
- Cycle time and mould strategy. Each forming cycle takes 12–20 seconds; output depends on how many blocks each mould makes per cycle and how quickly moulds are changed between products.
- Board handling. Elevators, transfer cars and an automatic lowerator and cuber keep the block machine running instead of waiting for manual handling. That is the main difference between a semi-automatic and a fully automatic line.
- Mix consistency. Accurate batching of cement, aggregates and by-products such as fly ash and slag keeps block strength and dimensions consistent — and lets you use cheaper local materials safely.
- Curing space. Blocks need enough curing time before stacking; undersized curing chambers limit output more often than the block machine does.
What decides efficiency in autoclaved and fired brick plants
- Autoclaved brick: press cycle (each cycle forms 26 standard bricks in 18–22 seconds on a 500–800-tonne double-sided hydraulic press), the number of autoclaves (two φ2 × 21 m autoclaves for 30 million bricks a year), and a boiler sized for autoclaves cycling one after another.
- Fired clay brick: the raw material decides the process — one-setting or two-setting, internal or external fuel — so test the clay first. Most firing heat usually comes from internal fuel mixed into the body; a well-planned kiln cross-section and automatic setting (setting machine or robot) decide output.
Test your raw materials before you choose
Whatever the line, local raw materials decide the mix, the curing or firing schedule and the final product. Send samples before the line configuration is fixed: it costs little and avoids expensive changes after the equipment is built.
Planning figures at a glance
- Block lines: a standard block machine ships in 30–45 days, a complete line in 2–3 months; 2–3 engineers on site for 1–2 months.
- Autoclaved brick lines: delivery in about 2–3 months; 3–4 engineers, including an autoclave and steam specialist, for about 3 months.
- Fired clay brick lines: 8–14 months from contract to firing; 2–4 engineers (kiln thermal, mechanical, electrical) for 3–6 months on a mid-size line.
These are typical figures; your output, products and site decide the final schedule.
Next step
See each line in detail:
- Concrete block and non-fired brick making machine line
- Autoclaved fly ash and sand-lime brick production line
- Fired clay brick production line
- Planning an AAC plant instead? See the AAC block production line and read our AAC block plant setup guide.
Send us your products, target output, raw materials and site. We respond within one business day.