Concrete Blocks
More information about Concrete Blocks
What are concrete blocks used for?
Concrete blocks are a vital building material used in a wide variety of construction applications, and at Selco we’ve got a fantastic range of trade-quality dense concrete blocks and lightweight concrete blocks for you to choose from, depending on the needs of your latest project.
Concrete blocks are known by many names - cement blocks, breeze blocks, cinder blocks and more. They’re made from a mixture of cement, sand and gravel, and are usually used in the construction of floors, walls and foundations because of their fantastic durability and high compressive strength. Building bricks made of clay or stone are more susceptible to cracking or breaking when exposed to high pressure than concrete builders' blocks.
What types of concrete blocks do we have available?
Your customer’s needs, budget and the type of project at hand will determine the type of concrete building blocks needed. If you’re looking for sturdy concrete blocks for structural and load bearing needs, our strong, Dense Concrete Blocks are an excellent choice for cavity and solid wall construction, as well as internal load bearing walls. Or, the 100mm Thermalite Hi-Strength 7.3N Block is an exceptionally strong and hard-wearing yet lightweight concrete block for applications where loading conditions need a 7.3N/mm² building block.
Our range of Thermalite concrete blocks offer a great level of thermal insulation and moisture resistance , but if you’re particularly looking for insulating thermal blocks, the 100mm 3.6N Thermalite Shield Block can be used in internal and external walls and foundations, offering supreme thermal performance.
For quicker and easier construction, the tongue and groove interlocking design of the 300mm 3.6N Thermalite T&G Trenchblocks makes fitting the blocks together much simpler and removes the need for mortar to be used on prep-ends.
Get your concrete blocks at exclusive trade prices
You can order your concrete building blocks as well as other building bricks and blocks straight to your job site through our free Click & Deliver service, or you can save time and pick up at your local branch using our Click & Collect service.
FAQs
The weight of a concrete block depends entirely on its size and density. Concrete blocks can weigh anything between 12kg-45kg.
First, work out the areas of both the wall you’re building and one of your concrete blocks (you can find the area by multiplying the height by the width). Next, divide the area of the wall by the area of one concrete block to work out the number of blocks you’ll need.
The size of a concrete block can vary greatly depending on its brand and purpose, but the overall size of a standard concrete block is 440mm x 100mm x 215mm in the UK.
Concrete blocks and cinder blocks are not waterproof. Some concrete blocks may have varying levels of water resistance, but in general concrete blocks are permeable by water and water vapour so you’ll need to install some waterproofing.
You can cut your concrete block with a hammer and chisel for smaller jobs, or you can use a circular saw or angle grinder with a masonry/concrete-cutting blade for precise, clean cuts.