Materials of Construction – Properties, Testing, and Standards Practice Test

Concrete hollow blocks are the standard rectangular masonry units used for walls and partitions. Their large size makes wall construction faster and more economical than using many small bricks, while the hollow cores reduce weight and provide spaces for reinforcement and grout, boosting strength, insulation, and fire resistance. Although bricks are also used for walls, they are smaller and laid differently, and “cinder blocks” is an older term often referring to concrete blocks with lighter aggregates; in modern practice, the widely used term for these blocks is concrete hollow blocks. Pavers, on the other hand, are intended for paving surfaces, not for building walls.