How to make your own bricks

The following equipment are needed when making your own bricks.

A good manual cement brick/block-making machine.

A 65 litre builder’s wheelbarrow.
A spade.
A sieve (this can be a strong piece of galvanised wire mesh with holes about 5mm square so the tip of your little finger can go through).
A strong water bucket.
Plaster sheets (such as clean dpc sheets).

What Materials Do I Need?

PPC SUREBUILD Cement 42,5 N is ideal for small scale cement brick/block manufacture. PPC SUREBUILD 42,5 N complies with SANS 50197-1. PPC SUREBUILD Cement 42,5 N with extra strength makes more concrete than regular general purpose cements.
Clean river sand.
Clean water – if you can drink it, it is suitable for brick/block making.

What Mix Proportions Should I Use?

When making cement bricks , begin by determining what mix to use:

Start by using Mix 2 (see image below).
After 7 days test for strength.
If greater strength is required, use Mix 1.

How Do I Mix Brick/Block Making Materials?

Sieve out lumps, stones, twigs or foreign objects from the sand.
Working with full wheelbarrows level to the top edges, lay the sand in a long, thin heap on a flat, clean, hard surface such as a metal sheet or a concrete slab.

3. Next add PPC SUREBUILD Cement 42,5 N with extra strength to the sand in the correct proportion (2 bags PPC SUREBUILD 42,5 N to every 8 or 10 wheelbarrows of sand, depending on the desired strength of the cement bricks ).

4. Mix PPC SUREBUILD Cement 42,5 N and sand together until uniform in colour.
5. Create a hollow in the centre and slowly add clean water while mixing.

To ensure the strongest cement bricks /blocks, you need to use a power-packed cement like PPC SUREBUILD 42,5 Nin the brick making process . This PPC Cement product has extra strength and yields more cement bricks than regular class 32,5 general purpose cements. With it you will achieve more for less!*