How are Bricks Made in Australia?

How are Bricks Made in Australia?

Bricks have long been known as one of the most durable and highly used building materials in the construction industry. As well as the timeless aesthetic value, bricks are renowned for their load-bearing properties, durability and economical benefits. For these reasons and more, bricks have been a go-to for many homes across Australia for decades.

The process of making bricks might be a long one, but thanks to modern technology and automation processes, we are able to make the process more efficient to produce the premium quality bricks we are known for at Krause Bricks.

We thought we’d give you a glimpse behind the scenes – if you’re wondering how are bricks made in Australia, this one’s for you:

The Brick Making Process

Below is a breakdown of the brick manufacturing process:

·      Extraction

To begin the process, raw materials like clay and shales are required to be extracted. Equipment such as scrapers and shovels are used for the process. We source the majority of our clay from the uniquely rich local claypits around our home in Stawell, Victoria

·      Crushing

The acquired raw materials are then collected, segregated by type, and crushed in machines to reduce its size to about 10 cm. There are a variety of different brick types required for construction projects, and depending on the need, various type of clays are added to the crushed mix.

Next, the conveyor belts carry this crushed material and take it for secondary crushing. This process is often referred to as grinding, and the particle size is further reduced.

·      Shaping

 The material is then shaped to form the bricks as we know them. In order to form the shape of bricks, two methods can be used – pressing and extruding.

For the pressing method, a steel mould is used for the compression process to produce bricks that have smooth and sharp edges, along with a small depression on the top.

The extrusion method is the most-commonly used one and it produces wire-cut bricks. The clay and raw material used is mixed with 18 to 25 percent water and a column of the mixture is placed onto a conveyor and shaped using a wire cutter. Patterns and textures can be added as per the requirements of the customer.

·      Drying

The brick drying process varies based on the process used to shape the bricks. During the extruding process, the bricks are perforated in order to reduce the time required to dry, fire, and cool the final product. Pressed bricks are stacked in the kiln by hand, and a fire or exhaust from an adjacent kiln is used to dry the bricks.

·      Firing

The term ‘firing’ is used to describe ‘baking’ and setting the bricks after they have been shaped and dried. During the firing process, the bricks are baked between 1000 and 1200 degrees Celsius, with the temperature varying depending on the clay used and aesthetic required. If we’re going for lighter bricks such as our Ghost or Mid-Blend colors, the firing process will use lower temperatures, whereas higher temperatures are used to produce darker colors such as Grampian Blues or Nero.

A kiln is a type of furnace used for the firing process. The three basic types of kilns available in Australia are – Down Draught kilns, Hoffman kilns, and Tunnel kilns. At Krause bricks we use XXX kilns, fueled by natural gas.

·      Final stages

The final stages of the brick manufacturing process involves blending and packing. After the fired bricks have cooled and are unloaded from the kiln the blending process takes place, which involves mixing different colours and adding the same to the bricks to produce the desired results.

In summary - the core process of making bricks has remained consistent over thousands of years, however technological improvements in recent years has allowed for more elements of the process to be automated. At Krause Bricks, we combine the old-school brickmaking methods passed down through three generations with the latest technological advancements, allowing us to produce the highest quality bricks possible at a commercial scale.

If you’d like to discuss your next residential or commercial project, Krause Bricks are here to help! As a family run business with decades of brick manufacturing and design under our belt, we’re always happy to share our experience and advice with you. Contact us to learn more about our wide range of premium bricks or to discuss your next project. You can also see some of our previous residential projects here and commercial here!