Building Materials Used in Construction

A building material is a substance which is used for construction. There is a wide range of construction materials available in the market which a client should be aware of before he starts building his project on-site.

Using a specific material for the construction of a building can affect the total cost, quality, maintenance, cleanliness, aesthetics and stability of the project. For this reason, construction materials should be carefully selected for a particular site. Various naturally occurring matters are usually used as construction materials such as soil, sand, clay, wood, rock etc. Other synthetic materials are also used for building.

Some of the building materials used in Pakistan are:

Cement

Cement is one of the most common materials used for construction. It is a fine powder which serves as a binding element for other materials such as concrete blocks, tiles, and bricks. It is manufactured by a chemical combination of several substances such as limestone, sand, clay, shale, chalk, iron ore, silica and other constituents.

These substances are heated at high temperatures to make a hard rock-like mass that is then ground into a fine powder known as cement. When cement is mixed with water, it sets into a hard substance. There are various types of cement available used for different purposes such as Portland Cement, White Portland Cement, Rapid Hardening Cement, Colored Cement, Quick Setting Cement, Sulphate Resisting Cement and others.

Sand

Sand is an important material in the construction industry. It is a natural granular substance that is composed of finely ground rock and other minerals. Over long periods, large masses of rocks and minerals break down into smaller particles. The most common constituent of sand is silicon dioxide which is generally in the form of quartz. It is mixed with soil to make strong durable foundations for buildings. It is also used for making mortar and plaster where it is mixed with cement and water in different ratios.

It is also a significant component in the production of concrete. Sand to be used for construction purposes needs to be devoid of alkaline salt that can cause damage to the masonry work. Sand should also be free of sulphate ions that can destroy concrete and mortar.

Steel

Steel is another very important construction material. It is an alloy of iron and a small percentage of carbon. Steel is used as rebar, reinforcing bars used to increase the strength of a concrete structure in tension and expand the life span of a building. It is often used in the framework of a structure such as a column, beam, or slab.

Sometimes, stainless steel having some amount of chromium to make it resistant to corrosion is used in the structural footings to protect it from moisture and rust.  

Brick

A brick is a masonry block generally made up of dried clay with some other necessary ingredients such as sand, lime, and iron oxide. They are laid together in courses and interlocking patterns called bonds, fixed by mortar to build a strong durable structure.

Bricks are used to build walls, floors, arches, domes and other masonry works. There are different types of bricks such as mud bricks (air-dried bricks), fire bricks and chemically set bricks.

Stone

Stone is a hard naturally occurring solid mineral substance of a piece of rock. It is used as a building material to strengthen a structure. It is a strong and durable material. Some of the stones used in construction are marble, granite and limestone. Stones are also used on walls and floors to enhance the aesthetics of the exteriors and interiors.

Concrete

Concrete is a composite material that comprises cement, water, and fine and coarse aggregate. Sand is usually used as a fine aggregate and stone crush or gravel as coarse aggregate. When all these ingredients are mixed, they make a hard substance on drying to form concrete.

It is a very strong and durable building material with high compressive strength. As its tensile strength is low, reinforced steel bars are used to make reinforced concrete. There are different kinds of concrete used for footing and structure of a building such as Plain Cement Concrete (PCC), Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC), Reinforced Brick Concrete (RBC), High Early Strength Concrete, Pre-stressed Concrete and others.

Wood

Wood is a fibrous organic material found in trees and woody plants. There are three types of wood available such as softwood, hardwood, and engineered wood. Some softwoods such as pine, cedar, birch, ash, and beech are often used to manufacture windows and doors. Hardwoods such as teak, oak, mahogany, deodar (diyar), and maple are usually used on the walls, floors and ceiling.

Glass

Glass is a non-crystalline transparent material consisting of sand and silicate. It is used as glazing sheets to manufacture windows, doors, and partition walls. Glass tends to refract, absorb or transmit light into the interiors. Glass is used in buildings to connect with nature as well as enhance the aesthetics. There are different types of glass available such as annealed glass, tempered/toughened glass, laminated glass and others.