Guide for Selecting Non-Fired Brick Making Machines: Learn to Choose the Right Equipment Based on Capacity, Raw Materials and Application Scenarios

2026/01/30 15:48

With the in-depth advancement of green and environmental protection policies, the development philosophy of "protecting farmland, saving energy, and using local materials" has taken root in people's minds. As a new type of wall material replacing traditional clay bricks, unfired bricks are widely applied in municipal engineering, civil construction, road construction and other fields by virtue of their advantages of waste utilization, land conservation and energy saving, driving a sustained rise in market demand. As the core equipment for producing unfired bricks, the rationality of its selection directly determines production efficiency, product quality and comprehensive costs. Many buyers, due to a lack of professional knowledge, blindly pursue "high configuration" or "low price", which ultimately leads to a mismatch between equipment and production needs, resulting in overcapacity, raw material waste, frequent failures and other problems. To this end, this article compiles a practical guide for selecting unfired brick making machines, teaching you to accurately choose suitable equipment from three core dimensions—production capacity, raw materials and application scenarios—to maximize benefits.

I. Clarify Production Capacity Requirements and Match Equipment Specifications

Production capacity is the primary prerequisite for selecting an unfired brick making machine. It needs to be reasonably calculated based on one’s long-term production planning, order volume and market demand to avoid "overusing small equipment" or "underusing large equipment", while balancing production efficiency and cost control. Different production capacity requirements correspond to different specifications of equipment, with the core distinctions lying in forming methods, automation levels and main machine configurations, which can be specifically divided into three levels:

Small-scale production capacity (500-2000 standard bricks per hour)

Suitable for small brick factories, individual operators or temporary brick-making needs at construction sites, with a daily output of ≤20,000 pieces. For such needs, small semi-automatic unfired brick making machines can be selected. These machines are mainly operated manually or semi-automatically, mostly adopting ordinary vibration forming, featuring a compact structure, small floor area, low investment cost, no need for professional operators and convenient maintenance. It should be noted that small equipment is suitable for short-term, small-batch production; if there is a plan for capacity expansion in the later stage, it is recommended to reserve upgrade space in advance.

Medium-scale production capacity (2000-6000 standard bricks per hour)

Suitable for medium-sized brick factories and regional building material suppliers, with a daily output of 20,000-60,000 pieces, balancing output and flexibility. It is recommended to select medium fully automatic unfired brick making machines equipped with a PLC control system, which can realize semi-automatic operation of raw material proportioning, mixing, forming, brick output and other links. The forming pressure is ≥25MPa, and the product strength can reach above MU15 grade, suitable for various conventional brick types such as standard bricks and hollow bricks. Such equipment has moderate energy consumption, and the labor cost is reduced by about 30% compared with small equipment, making it suitable for the initial stage of large-scale production.

Large-scale production capacity (more than 6000 standard bricks per hour)

Suitable for large building material enterprises and large-scale brick factories with a stable daily output of ≥60,000 pieces and steady orders. A complete set of large fully automatic unfired brick making machine production lines is required, covering fully automated equipment for the entire process including raw material pretreatment, batching, mixing, high-pressure forming, automatic palletizing and curing. The forming method adopts high-strength static pressure + servo vibration forming, the installed capacity of the main machine can reach more than 70KW, and the maximum production capacity of standard bricks can reach 19,000 pieces per hour. Such equipment has a solid waste utilization rate of more than 60%, eligible for relevant tax incentives, with high production efficiency and stable product quality. However, it requires a high investment cost and a professional operation and maintenance team, making it suitable for long-term large-scale production.

Warm Reminder: When calculating production capacity, reserve a 10%-20% redundancy to cope with emergencies such as order fluctuations and equipment maintenance; at the same time, combine with local market demand to avoid equipment idleness caused by blind pursuit of high production capacity.

II. Combine Raw Material Characteristics and Select Suitable Configurations

The core advantage of unfired bricks is that they can be produced using a variety of industrial waste residues and natural raw materials, with extremely wide sources of raw materials. The characteristics (hardness, moisture content, particle size, activity) of different raw materials vary greatly, directly determining the selection of the core configuration of the unfired brick making machine. Only when the equipment is accurately matched with the raw material characteristics can the product forming quality be ensured, and raw material waste and equipment loss be reduced.

First, clarify the types of raw materials available. Common raw materials for unfired bricks are divided into three categories:

1.Industrial solid waste, including fly ash (Grade Ⅰ-Ⅲ), coal gangue, furnace slag, steel slag, tailings slag, etc. Such raw materials need to be crushed to less than 10mm in advance, and their activity must be tested to ensure compliance with the requirements of the "pozzolanic reaction" and guarantee the brick strength;
2.Natural raw materials, including natural sand, coastal mud, stone powder, etc. The mud content of ordinary sand shall not exceed 3%, and stone powder can be used for colored surface materials with a mud content of less than 5%;
3.Auxiliary materials, including 325#-525# cement, lime, gypsum and admixtures (expansive agent, water reducing agent, etc.), used to adjust the setting speed and strength of bricks.
Second, select equipment configurations according to raw material characteristics:
1.High-hardness raw materials (e.g., construction waste, coal gangue, steel slag): Equip with supporting raw material pretreatment equipment (crushers, screening machines), and select unfired brick making machines with strong pressing force (forming pressure ≥30MPa) to ensure that the raw materials can be formed under high pressure after full crushing, avoid loose bricks and insufficient strength, and reduce the wear of the main machine molds to extend the service life of the equipment.
2.High-moisture raw materials (e.g., sludge, wet fly ash, coastal mud): Select equipment with forced mixing + drying functions to dehydrate and dry the raw materials first, controlling the moisture content at 10%-15% (the optimal forming moisture content) to prevent brick cracking and mold sticking during forming; if the moisture content of raw materials fluctuates greatly, an automatic water control system can be matched to achieve precise regulation of raw material moisture content.
3.Mixed use of multiple raw materials (e.g., fly ash + furnace slag + stone powder): Select equipment with high batching accuracy (batching error ≤±1%) and equipped with multi-bin batching machines to realize precise proportioning of different raw materials and ensure uniform quality of each batch of bricks; at the same time, match with a twin-shaft mixer to fully mix raw materials and auxiliary materials and improve brick compactness.
4.Uneven raw material particle size: Equip with multi-stage screening equipment to classify raw materials by particle size, remove impurities and large particles, ensure uniform particle size of raw materials entering the forming main machine, and avoid uneven forming pressure caused by particle size differences, which may lead to incomplete brick edges and corners and unqualified strength.
Warm Reminder: Before purchasing, you can bring raw material samples for equipment test runs to directly check the forming effect, confirm the adaptability of the equipment to the raw materials, and avoid selection errors in the later stage.
III. Fit Application Scenarios and Lock in Equipment Types
Different application scenarios of unfired brick making machines have different requirements for equipment mobility, brick type adaptability, environmental protection requirements, etc. It is necessary to lock in the appropriate equipment type based on the core pain points of one’s own application scenarios to avoid "functional redundancy" or "insufficient functionality".
Scenario 1: Fixed-site production (e.g., brick factories, building material processing plants)
No equipment mobility is required for such scenarios. Priority should be given to fixed unfired brick making machines, which can be matched with fully automatic or semi-automatic production lines according to production capacity requirements to realize large-scale and standardized production; if the site area is limited, compact equipment can be selected to optimize the site layout and improve space utilization; at the same time, environmental protection requirements should be considered, and models equipped with dust treatment and noise control equipment should be selected to comply with local environmental protection emission standards and avoid environmental violations.
Scenario 2: On-site brick making at construction sites (e.g., road construction, real estate construction)
The core demand for such scenarios is "convenient mobility and rapid commissioning". It is recommended to select mobile unfired brick making machines, which can be directly towed to the construction site without fixed installation and can start production after power-on, reducing brick transportation costs (avoiding brick damage caused by long-distance transportation); at the same time, select small or medium models that adapt to the temporary power and water supply conditions of the construction site, featuring convenient operation and quick response to construction needs.
Scenario 3: Multi-functional production needs (e.g., simultaneous production of standard bricks, hollow bricks, permeable bricks)
Such scenarios require unfired brick making machines with strong brick type adaptability, equipped with replaceable molds. Through replacing different molds, rapid switching of multiple brick types can be realized without additional equipment purchase, reducing investment costs; at the same time, ensure the stable forming pressure of the equipment to adapt to the forming requirements of different brick types (e.g., permeable bricks need to reserve permeable pores, and the forming pressure needs to be precisely controlled).
Scenario 4: Remote areas / unstable power supply scenarios
For such scenarios, the energy consumption and adaptability of the equipment should be considered. Select models with low energy consumption, which can be matched with a backup generator interface to cope with sudden power outages; at the same time, select equipment with convenient maintenance and easily purchasable wearing parts to avoid affecting the normal operation and maintenance of the equipment due to inconvenient logistics in remote areas.
IV. Supplementary Purchase Tips and Avoid Common Misunderstandings
In addition to the above three core dimensions, the following points should be noted when purchasing an unfired brick making machine to avoid common misunderstandings:
1.Do not blindly pursue "low-cost equipment". Low-cost equipment often has problems such as poor quality of core components and simple craftsmanship, leading to frequent failures in the later stage, high maintenance costs, and even affecting production progress;
2.Pay attention to the after-sales service of the equipment. Select manufacturers with timely after-sales response and sufficient supply of spare parts to avoid economic losses caused by the inability to repair the equipment in a timely manner when failures occur;
3.Combine with one’s own financial strength to reasonably select equipment configurations. Priority can be given to the scheme of "configuring on demand and reserving upgrades" to balance practicality and expandability and avoid capital waste.
In summary, the core of selecting an unfired brick making machine is "matching on demand". Only by clarifying production capacity requirements, fitting raw material characteristics and adapting to application scenarios can one select cost-effective and highly adaptable equipment, achieving the optimal balance of production efficiency, product quality and comprehensive costs. It is hoped that this purchase guide can provide practical references for the majority of buyers, help everyone avoid purchase misunderstandings, select the right equipment, carry out production well, and achieve steady development in the green building materials industry.