Fired Clay Brick Production Line
Turnkey tunnel kiln brick plants for clay, shale, coal gangue and fly ash — from vacuum extrusion and automatic setting to kiln design, refractory masonry and firing commissioning.
Fired Clay Brick Production Lines We Supply
Fired Clay Brick Production Process
Raw material preparation → two-stage vacuum extrusion → automatic strip and blank cutting → setting onto kiln cars → drying → firing in the tunnel kiln → unloading and packing.
Tunnel Kiln: Design, Size and Output
Tunnel kilns are the standard for new brick plants: high output, a high level of automation and low production cost. Hoffmann ring kilns, an older design with high fuel use, are being phased out in China, and mobile tunnel kilns are a newer design still in limited use.
The kiln is built on site: a brick-built kiln body, lined with refractory brick and insulated with refractory fibre on the roof. Kiln body design, refractory masonry and commissioning are included in our turnkey scope — design, masonry, kiln drying-out, ignition and firing adjustment.
A tunnel kiln is usually at least 90 m long, with a firing zone of about 40 m and about 25 m each for preheating and cooling. The cross-section is matched to output: for example, a kiln 3.3 m wide fires about 70,000–90,000 bricks a day, and a kiln 4.2 m wide about 180,000–200,000. Wide-section kilns of 4.6 m and more, with waste heat from the cooling zone used for drying, serve larger lines.
One-Setting or Two-Setting Firing
- One-setting — wet bricks are set directly onto kiln cars and dried in a tunnel dryer with the same cross-section as the kiln, down to 6–7% residual moisture, then go straight into the kiln. It saves a setting step, but wet bricks are weak, so stacks are limited to about 7–14 layers and output is lower.
- Two-setting — wet bricks are dried in a tunnel drying chamber with a much smaller cross-section, then set a second time onto the kiln cars, by hand or by machine. Stacks of 14–19 layers are possible, and output is higher.
Raw Materials and Fuel
Clay, shale, coal gangue and fly ash are all used, as well as river silt and mine tailings; coal gangue with shale is the most common combination. Coal gangue typically makes up 30–70% of the body, and fly ash can reach 20–40%. The raw material decides the process route — one-setting or two-setting, internal or external fuel — so the first step is always to test your raw materials.
Most of the firing heat usually comes from internal fuel mixed into the body: coal, coal gangue, fly ash or slag. Bodies rich in coal gangue can be fired on internal fuel alone; otherwise external fuel tops up the heat — coal, natural gas, coal gas or biomass pellets. Firing temperatures are typically 950–1,050 °C, up to 1,150 °C. Where regulations require clean external fuel, we quote natural gas or LPG; where cost matters most, coal-based internal and external firing.
Fuel use varies widely from kiln to kiln. In a survey of 44 tunnel kilns for clay blocks, specific fuel consumption ranged from 802 to 2,625 kJ per kg of fired ware, averaging 1,424 kJ/kg (Zi Brick and Tile Industry International, 2025). Kiln design, insulation and the use of cooling-zone heat for drying matter as much as the choice of fuel.
Forming and Setting: Vacuum Extrusion and Robots
Two-stage vacuum extruders (extrusion pressure up to 4.0 MPa, vacuum to −0.092 MPa) form the clay column; hollow and perforated bricks must be vacuum-extruded. Automatic strip cutters and blank cutters cut the bricks, and an automatic setting machine (PLC-controlled) or a six-axis robot with custom grippers sets them onto the kiln cars. At the end of the line, fired bricks are unloaded and packed automatically.
Brick Types, Capacity and Standards
Lines are commonly built for 60–100 million bricks a year (standard brick equivalent), about 250,000–300,000 bricks a day. Typical products: standard bricks 240 × 115 × 53 mm, perforated bricks 240 × 115 × 90 mm and 270 × 130 × 118 mm, hollow blocks 390 × 190 × 190 mm, and 240 × 115 × 75 mm bricks for export markets. Changing the extruder die switches the line to another brick type.
Every line is configured to your raw materials, target output and fuel. Send us your capacity target and we will propose a configuration. For other plants, see our building material production lines.
- ASTM C62 (US) covers building brick — solid masonry units made from clay or shale — for structural and non-structural masonry.
- EN 771-1 (Europe) covers clay masonry units, LD and HD, for facing, rendered, loadbearing and non-loadbearing walls. It is adopted in the Gulf as GSO EN 771-1.
Tell us the brick sizes and the standard your market uses: the extruder dies, setting pattern and firing curve are set for them.
Which Brick Line Fits Your Project?
| 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 |
| Investment | Lowest; quick start | Medium to large | Largest; kiln built on site |
| Typical buyer | County-level — local producers and small building-materials businesses supplying housing in their area | Government-backed — projects that consume fly ash and other industrial solid waste, often next to power plants or in circular-economy parks | Commercial-scale — large building-materials groups supplying urban housing |
| Best for | A first plant for the local market, 30–60 million bricks a year | Large-scale use of fly ash or sand, 30–120 million bricks a year | Large clay-based plants, 60–100 million bricks a year |
| See the concrete block / non-fired brick line → | See the autoclaved brick line → | This page |
What to Send for a Quotation
- Target output (bricks a day or a year) and brick types, with sizes
- The product standard your market uses
- Raw materials: clay, shale, coal gangue, fly ash — with analyses, and whether you can send samples for testing
- Fuel available: coal, natural gas, LPG, coal gas or biomass, and any emission rules
- Power supply and site dimensions
- Destination country and target timeline
With your output target, destination country and timeline we can start, and you receive a written sourcing report within 48 hours of a complete requirement brief.
One Partner from Requirement to Running Line
- Requirement review — capacity targets, site conditions and budget
- Equipment selection and supplier matching — vetted Chinese manufacturers
- Plant layout planning — civil works drawings issued early
- Quality inspection and factory acceptance testing before shipment
- Export documentation and freight coordination
- Installation, commissioning and operator training
Frequently Asked Questions
Which raw materials can you use?
Clay, shale, coal gangue and fly ash, as well as river silt and mine tailings. Send us samples: the raw material test decides the process route and the fuel plan.
Is the kiln part of the supply?
Yes. Kiln body design, refractory masonry and commissioning are included in our turnkey scope, including kiln drying-out, ignition and firing adjustment.
Coal or gas?
Both. Most lines fire mainly on internal fuel mixed into the body, with coal, natural gas, coal gas or biomass as external fuel. We quote the option that fits your regulations and fuel prices.
How long does a project take, and who do you send?
For export lines, plan on 8–14 months from contract to firing, depending on civil works and shipping. We send 2–4 engineers — kiln thermal, mechanical and electrical — for installation guidance, kiln drying-out, ignition and the run-in period; for a mid-size line they stay on site for 3–6 months.
What do you need to prepare a quotation?
Your target output, brick types and sizes, raw material samples or analysis, available fuel, project location and planned timeline.
Request a Fired Clay Brick Line Proposal
Tell us your target output, brick types and raw materials. We respond within one business day.
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