Fired bricks, primarily handmade solid bricks, are one of the most common building materials in Nepal. Approximately five billion bricks are produced annually in Nepal. Unlike solid bricks, hollow fired bricks have holes within them. Depending on the type and number of holes, they are also referred to as perforated bricks. The holes reduce the amount of clay needed for their production and decrease fuel consumption during firing, making them more resource-efficient and environmentally friendly than solid bricks. Additionally, the holes provide resistance to heat transfer, enhancing the thermal performance of the buildings constructed with hollow bricks.
This Manual for Hollow Fired Brick Production is designed to serve as an essential resource for brick entrepreneurs, supervisors and individuals involved in, or interested in, starting the production of hollow or perforated bricks in Nepal. It offers practical guidance on manufacturing hollow fired bricks, covering topics such as the selection and preparation of raw materials for brick manufacturing, mechanical equipment for brick production, steps on the mechanical green brick production process for hollow bricks, guidelines on the firing process, quality control measures, and troubleshooting.
This manual aims to lay a groundwork for the transformation of the Nepalese brick sector towards resource-efficient and environmentally friendly brick production practices. The authors welcome ideas and suggestions for improving the quality of this manual in future editions.
The manual has been prepared by the BUILDING Energy Efficiency in Nepal (BEEN) project, funded by the European Union (EU) under the SWITCH-Asia Grants Programme. The BEEN project is being implemented by a consortium of organizations led by the University of Innsbruck, Austria, in partnership with MinErgy Pvt Ltd, Nepal, Greentech Knowledge Solutions Pvt Ltd, India, and Asociación Española de Normalización (UNE), Spain. The project aims to promote sustainable building practices and improve energy efficiency in buildings in Nepal through retrofitting of existing buildings, construction of new energy-efficient buildings, and capacity building of building professionals and stakeholders in the country.
