CENTRAL BUILDING RESEARCH INSTITUTE, ROORKEE-247667 (INDIA)

BUI DING RESEARCH NO E

B.R.N.7

PRECAST STONE MASONRY BLOCK WALLING SCHEME

INTRODUCTION semi-skilled workers and minimum machinery. The

In some parts of the country, stone is available in technique has been successfully used for load bearing
abundance and forms the chief walling material. Walls are and non-load bearing walls upto 3 storeys by various
conventionally made in the form of random rubble organisations in different parts of the country where stone
masonry and the thickness is generally 380 to 450 mm. At is easily available. At a few places, factories have been
some places, even 300 mm thick random rubble masonry established by entrepreneurs where, these blocks are
walls have been constructed with slightly higher cost as it readily available just like other building materials/
requires more skilled labour and time. The thickness are
I however, massive which are mainly dictated by practical
components.

considerations and to some extent structural

considerations. The amount of mortar, which has low
compressive strength compared to stone is about 35
percent of masonry and often the joints are not properly
filled . Such walls are generally pOinted on the external face
to provide stone texture while the internal face is plastered.
Average thickness of the plaster required is 20 to 25 mm
because of the unevenness of stones . The construction
besides requiring excessive content of materials and time
it calls for more skilled labour.
The Central Building Research Institute has carried out
studies for reducing the thickness and the level of skill
Fig. 1 Precast Stone Masonry Block
normally required in random rubble masonry walling.
Precast stone masonry blocks using stone spalls and lean
This note describes the methods of production and
cement concrete with natural stone texture on one face of
physical properties of the blocks, economic data of
the block (Fig . 1) has been developed. These blocks can
materials and labour and construction details.
be easily produced at construction site of factory with
Size OF BLOCKS PRODUCTION OF BLOCKS
Considering ease in handling and other requirements,
nominal length and height of the block are kept 300 mm
and 150 mm respectively with three widths as 200 mm, 150
mm and 100 mm. Actual block dimensions are kept short
by 10 mm to accommodate mortar joint. These blocks
weigh from 90 to 180 N. To get stone texture on the outer
face of wall, the blocks are cast such that the bottom face
during casting forms the exposed face when laid in wall i e.,
the width of block is kept as the height of moulds and the
height of block is kept as width of the mould . Different
textures, such as, exposed pebble or crushed aggregate
Fig . 2 Special block with recess for vertical reinforcement
can also be formed on one face by putting them on the top
Moulds
face during casting . Recommended dimensions of blocks
The blocks are cast either in Individual steel moulds of
and moulds of single block are given in Table-1.
fixed type (Fig. 3) or split type (Fig. 4) or gang moulds of si
TABLE - 1
blocks (Fig. 5). For mass production of blocks, Gang
Size of Blocks and Internal Dimensions of
moulds of multi-pockets for 72 blocks as shown in Fig 6. 0
Single Moulds.
48 pockets with special sizes of blocks as shown in Fig
SI. Block Size (mm) Mould can be used. A flat mould of 1800 mm x 1800 mm s
No. Dimensions (mm) consisting of metallic strips running In orthogona
directions was fabricated to produce the nominal size
Nominal Actual Internal
300 mm x 200 mm x 150 mm blocks.
L B H L B H L B H

1. 300 200 150 290 190 140 290 140 190

2. 300 150 150 290 140 140 290 140 140

3. 300 100 150 290 90 140 290 140 90

Apart from the sizes mentioned above, 1/3, 1/2,213 and 3/4 Fig. 3 Fixed type steel mould (Dimension in mm)
length of blocks are also made for breaking the joints in
alternate courses. These blocks can be cast in the same
moulds by putting a partition of 4 mm thick steel plate or
IJ ..........
separate moulds can be made. Further, to accommodate
vertica l reinforcement against seismic forces In walls,
special blocks of 290 x 90 x 140 mm and 190 x 90 x 140
mm with a semi circular recess on one face (Fig. 2) can be
made.
Fig. 4 Split type mould (Dimension in mlJl>
2
 6 . .••••• '_." •• • ••• . • • ••• .• •••••••

5f;(y/ON OIl y. Y .. ! 'LA'E5 '"'" IMIOC II..... '. tot s tAlI ~"OLl
~"" "UllOm". END VIEW

110 110 140

~. S. PAR"",," "LA'!
,.0
P\AtES J too. Jto XIHlI" ....'

P \ A H

Fig, 5 GANG MOULD OF SIX BLOCKS

The size of mould for 48 blocks was 1200 mm )( 1200 mm Materials

with provision of extra slots for producing special blocks of The stone blocks are made of lean cement concrete and
lower sIzes. stone pieces 50 to 250 em, obtained efther from querry or
Casting Platform by breaking river boulders so that at least one face is a flat
A smooth flat and hard surface Is required for casting the surface. The stones should be hard, sound, durable and
blocks. The casting platform is made with 30 mm thick free from Impurities .
•
1:3:6 cement concrete, finished smooth with neat cement, 10 mm and down crushed stones or natural aggregate,
and laid over a base of either brick soling (70 mm) or lean free from impurities, conforming to IS 383-1970 should be
concrete 1'8'16, A castIng platform of about 80 sq.m. is used. Since the concrete used is lean, and lacks in fine
required for production of 500 blocks per day with the particles with loss of plasticity and work ability, The sand
group of single moulds or 600 to 700 blocks with the use of should have fine particles, 15-20% passing IS Sieve No
the gang moulds. 300 micron and 5-15% passing IS Sieve No. 150 micron.

Fig . 6 Gang Mould for Casting 72 Blocks Fig. 7 Gang Mould for 48 Blocks with provision of
special sizes '.

3
 At places where such sand is not available, the v) In the remaining top portion, arrange small stone
proportioning of sand and aggregate should be suitably pieces of 50 to 70 mm size with gap of about 15 mm in
between every stone. Put the lean concrete on top
adjusted by a few trials to have good workability and
each mou IdJpocket to about 25 mm extra height.
plasticity at green stage. In areas where flyash is available vi) Put a plate vibrator on top of 4 to 5 individual mould
and is conforming to IS : 3812 - 1981. This may be used as filled up with concrete and vibrate for satisfactol)
substitute for the fine particles of sand. Grading of the compaction. (Fig. 8)
The plate vibrator can be placed on the single Gan
combined aggregate should be such that the fineness
Mould as shown in Fig. 9 for production at ma
modulus is between 3.S and 4 . construction site .
Cement should be ordinary portland cement or portland
pozzalana cement complying with relevant indian standard.
Water should be free from harmful chemicals and salts to
avoid efflorescenece.
Concrete Mix
Concrete mix should be lean and generally of proportion
1:5:8 (cement : sand : coarse aggregate) having a slump of
15 to 20 mm for producing blocks of compressive strength
more than SO kg/cm 2 • However, different mix proportions of
1:3:S, 1:4:7. 1:5:8 can be used as per necessity. Slightly
over sanded concerate mix is suggested to provide better Fig . 8 Compaction by plate vibrator
finish to the blocks. It is to be noted that with the use of
stone spalls, there is saving in cement with higher
compressive strength and lower drying shrinkage,
Casting of Blocks
i) Clean the platform and moulds properly. Apply, any
lubricating oil (grease and kerosene 1:4 by weight)
inside the moulds in the beginning once a day. Also
apply it on the platform where the blocks are to be cast.
ii) Place group of individual moulds or gang moulds side
by side in a row with gap for demoulding,
iii) Arrange large size stone spalls at the bottom of the
Fig. 9 Casting of Blocks with multi-pockets Gand Mould
moulds such that there is a minimum gap of 15 mm
vii) Remove any surplus concrete over the mould and
between any two stone pieces and between stone
finish level with trowel.
pieces and mould to provide proper concrete in the
viii) Demoulding is started 5 to 10 minutes after casting
gaps. Generally two stone pieces 100 to 120 mm size with single moud depending upon the weather. The
are placed in each single mould or pocket of Gang individual fixed type moulds are lifted by placing a flat
Mould. timber piece on top of block cast and keeping it
pressed by thumb (Fig. 10). Split type moulds are
iv) Fill the gaps between the stone pieces and moulds
opened by removing the pins and separating the
with lean concrete by trowelling and roding up to top of sides. The six blocks gang mould can be demoul~d
the stone pieces. by opening the bolts and nuts from the endlpieces and
4

- - -- - - ---- ._ ....
 f irst removing longit udinal side plates and xi) To remove the metalic strips in the 72 blocks Gang
subsequently the partition plates (Fig . 11). The gang Mould during demoulding after casting an innovative
mould can also be lifted up along with its partition scissor clamp was developed (Fig . 13) which grips the
plates by placing special frame work of steel plates
metalic strips automatically from the top flat cast
and G.!. pipe (Fig . 12) over the cast blocks and
keeping the same pressed while pulling up the mould . surface of the concrete without any damage to the
edges of the blocks.
xli) After 24 to 48 hours depending upon weather, the
blocks are slightly pushed to break bond and
afterwards lifted. These are taken for curing and
stacked on level ground having layer of sand such that
each days production is accommodated In single or
double layer. Stacks of blocks upto 5 to 6 are arranged
over the blocks which have been cured for 3 days.
These blocks are cured by frequent sprinkling of water
over the stacks for 2 weeks and air cured for another 2
to 4 weeks depending upon weather so that the blocks
Fig. 10 Pulling of fixed type mould
are dry before they are laid in the wall (Fig. 14).
xiii) For quality control, three blocks out of every 1000 be
tested for compressive strength after providing proper
capping as per test procedure laid down in IS 2185­
1979.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Compressive Strength
Stone Masonry Block is a hetrogeneous unit consisting of
stone spalls of different shapes, sizes, texture and lean
cement-concrete . The bond of concrete with stone spalls is
influenced by grading and type of sand and coarse
aggregate as well as the texture of stone. Bond is also
affected by the consistency of concrete and the manner it
is compacted . The bond of concrete with stone spalls, its
Fig. 11 Demoulding gang mould of six blocks proportion and quality in the block and position of
placement of the stone pieces greatly influence the
IX) The opened single moulds are rearranged in a row and performance of the block under load. Because of so many
subsequent casting continued in the same way as variables the strength varies considerably. The variation
described above. can, however, be narrowed down to ± 20 percent if the
x) Casting of special blocks is done in the same way by blocks are cast by compaction of concrete by vibration . In

. ,1 using partition plates and recess or cut piece as the

case maybe.
view of above, it is desirable to cast a few blocks at site
using trial concrete mixes with local materials. These

I,
5
 G. ~ ",,[ J1-~mm.
11",,,, e 101, !. ADO
wELoeo 10 G. t I'P!
J7'5mlll. ~ G. ~ PH
4mm IHICK M. So """'II

to---i 1-- 04. S. ROO 1l/nm.()

welOEO ~ 1-
~T-P~
IlO It 130 J~ 130 \~I 130 \'1 IJO Ijc=o!:,]Q.....
1 1
ElEVATION DE1AII. .,.'B'(PlAN)

- 12MI1\.. M. ~ 1100

MM. THICI( 104. S. PLA"

t
~ ~
1)0 n 130
__________
~ .30
~
~ IlD
ns~o
1)9'
_______________ 4­
1)0 I­

~ DE'AJ!. AT ' A'

Fig. 12 Pressing device for pulling up gang mould

should then be tested to arrive at the actual compressiv

strength. From this data concrete mix should be decided
get the blocks of deSired strength. For general guidan
compressive strength of blocks tested in the laboratory i
given in Table - 2.
Table 2 - Compressive strength of Stone Massonry Blocks

SI. Concrete Block Average Compressive strength

No. mix Prop. Dimens (N/mm2)
byvol iron in Manual Compaction
Cement: mm compaction* by Vibration**
Fig . 13 Demoulding with removal of metalic strips using
1. 1:3:6 x 100 125
auto-grip scissor clamp~. 0
0)
2. 1'4:7 ...­ 85 110
x
0 0
3. 1:5:8 0) v
...­ 70 90
N

* Standard deviation 20 and Coefficient of variation 25%

** Standard deviation 15 and Coefficient of variation 13%

Water Absorption
The tests carried out in the laboratory on blocks cast with
1:5:8 cement concrete mix have shown that water
absorption of 6% and 4 % are for manually compacted and
vibrator compacted blocks respectively.
Drying Shrinkage
Fig. 14 Stacking of cast blocks Drying shrinkage for similar blocks ranges between .033 to
.038 per cent.
'.
6
Moisture Movement iv} The blocks, after being cast, should be water cured for
Moisture movement for the same type of blocks ranges two weeks and air cured for another two to four weeks.
between .021 and .028 per cent. These values are within They should be dry before being used and in no case
the specified values of IS Code. these shall be laid in masonry within one month of their
being cast.
Tolerance
v) The blocks should be dry at the time of being laid in the
Maximum variation in the length should not be more than
wall. Wetting may generally not be necessary.
±5mm and maximum variation in height and width not
Consistency of the mortar used should be adjusted to
more than ± 3 mm .
suit suction of the block rather than the blocks being
Structural Design
wetted to suit the mortar. However in hot and dry
Wall made of these units is designed like any other
climate the blocks should be wetted on the surface
masonry wall. Masonry is now designed on stress concept
only by sprinkling water in order to reduce suction of
and Indian standard code of Practice No. IS:1905-1987.
moisture from mortar.
"Structural use of unreinforced masonry" gives the values
vi} For breaking of vertical joints in alternate courses,
of permissible stresses In masonry corresponding to
smaller length blocks (depending upon the wall
various combination of bricks and mortar composition.
length) should be used . Masonry bonds for various
The same values may be considered for the design of
wall thicknesses at comers and junctions are shown in
stone block masonry. A large number of 3 storeyed
Figs. 15 to 18 and as described below :
buildings with load bearing walls have been constructed
with these units in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradel'lh and
hilly areas of Uttar Pradesh. Provision of vertlcal
reinforcement at comers and openings for seismic forces
can be easily provided by using special blocks with
recess . This type of construction is far superior against
seismic forces compared to random rubble masonry.
Masonry Construction
Most of the construction features for buildings with these
blocks are similarto.those of conventional block laying but
with a few differences which should be kept in mind to
obtain the best results. These are described below:
(a) Comer & T-Junction of 200 )( 200 mm Wall
i) Cutting of these blocks is not possible. Buildings
should thus be planned to suit block dimension l.e. all
lengths of walls, openings, spaces between openings,
etc. should be in multiples of 100 mm and all heights,
in multiples of 150 mm .
ii} Blocks of required strength should be cast by proper
selection of concrete mix out of the mixes
recommended .
iii) Mortar for laying the blocks should not be leaner than
cement: sand (1 :6) and where good quality lime is
available lime · surkhi or lime: Cinder (1 ·3) or ALPM :
-1% L ~~t1 ~/~
(b) Comer & T -Junction of 150 )( 150 mm Wall I ,
sand (1 :2) or composite mortars may be used.
Fig. 15

7
 wall is provided in alternate courses by providing 2/3
size blocks In case of 200 mm thick walls as shown in
Fig . 15 (a) and 15 (b) respectively.
b) In case of T junction of 200 mm x 100 mm and 100 mm
x 100 mm walls, the joints are staggered by using

1/3rd and 2I3rd length blocks in alternate courses as

shown in Fig. 15 (c) and 15 (d) respectively.
(c) Comer & T-Junction of 200 x 100 mm Wall c) For 200 mm to 150 mm and 150 mm to 100 mm wall
· ... r junctions, where block to block bonding is not
practicable, bonding is achieved by providing 200 mm
long 6 mm dia. bars in alternate courses. Arrangement
for 150 to 100 mm wall junction is shown in Fig. 15 (e).
For embedding the metallic ties, only cement mortar is
used.

... ~
.. d) Bonding for 300 mm with 300 mm wall is shown in
Fig. 15 (t) .
e) Arrangement of the blocks in the walls with pillasters
(d) Comer & T-Junction of 100 x 100 mm Wall are shown in Fig. 16andFig. 17.
f) Bonding for 200 mm th ick wall with special blocks with
groove for vertical reinforcement at comers and
openings is shown in Fig. 18.

(e) Corner & T -Junction of 150 x 100 mm Wall

Fig. 16 300 mm Pillaster with 200 mm Wall .

g,
N.
g,
N.
o~-'-I
0,
.....
g·~·4-~~~~~~~TT~~.r
g
~+-I~~~~~~~~~~~
1200 1200 12OO l2OO I

(f) Comer of T -Junction

Fig. 15 Details of Bonds in Stone Masonry Block Walling

a) At T junction of 200 mm with 200 mm and 150 mm with ,.

Fig. 17 400 mm Pillaster with 200 mm Wan.
150 mm walls, a vertical joint at the centre line of cross

8
 Table 3 - Thermal Performance of Stone Masonry
Block Walls

51. Wall U-Value Thermal Perf-

No. Thicknes Kcal/hrfC/m2 ormance Index
(mm) (T.P.)

1. 100 3.750 186

2. 200 2.668 132

3. 300 2.288 (96)

Fig. 18 Bonding at Corner and Door Opening for Vertical
Reinforcement 4. 400 (1.931) (71 )
vii) Bearing of lintel should be 100 mm on either side. To
5. 100 Block + 50
match the top level of precast lintel with the block
AirGap+ 100
height. in situ concrete of required thicknes should be Block with ties (1.790) (95)
provided at the bearing ends.
Specified values for heat Insulation of non-industrial
viii) Double scaffold should be used without holes in the
buildings is 2.00 K Cal I hr I °c I m2 and thermal
masonry for supporting the scaffolding.
performance index should be 100 as per IS 3792-1978.
ix) Mortar joint on the external face should be finished The figures in bracket satisfy the thermal standard . It may
with pointing. To cover any services between exposed be seen that only 300 mm and above thick stone masonry
stone pieces and surrounding concrete. sufficiently block walling or cavity wall of 100 mm leaves provide the
wide layer of mortar should be applied and finished required thermal insulation . However for other walls these
level. Internal face mayor may not be plastered. In values can be improved by providing light colour
case of plaster, the mortar used may be 1:6 (C:S), whitewash treament on external face and shading
1:1:6 or 1:1:6 (Cement: Lime : Sand) of 10 mm arrangements. Thus only the extemal wall facing west be
thickness . either made 300 mm thick or protected by shading with
verandah etc. while all other external walls be made
x) The plugs for fixing service pipes and electrical fittings
200 mm thick.
etc.. should preferably be inserted at the joints in the
masonry. Where large openings are required for Rain Penetration Test
sanitary fittings. full block be left without mortar during Wall Panels of 2.5 m x 1.25 m and 0.2 m thickness made
wall construction. In case of opening is required after with 1:6 cement sand mortar pointed on extemal face with
construction. a full block should be taken out and the 1:3 cement sand n ,:::lrtar and internal face plastered 12 mm
gap filled with lean cement concrete after providing the thick with 1:6 cement sand mortar were subjected to spray
fittings through the wall. Space for nitches or fixing of water at the rate of 4.5 litres I minute and a pressure of
electric switch board etc. should be created by using about 1.05 N/mm2 as per Technical paper 47. Division of
thinner blocks (100 mm). Building Research, National Research Council, Ottawa,

FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE Canada For comparison 230 mm brick wall panel built in
1:6 cement sand mortar internally plastered with 1:6
Thermal Performance cement sand mortar 12 mm thick and pointed externally
with 1:3 cement sand mortar was also subjected to same
Thermal performance of stone masonry block walling of
test. The results are given in Table 4.
various thicknesses is given in Table 3.
"
9
 Table 4 - Rain Penetration Test on wall panels Comparison of Cement Consumption
Duration in Wet area % Wet Area % These blocks are cast w ith cement as bonding material
hrs. of Block of Brick Wall and thus it is often thought that this technique would
Masonry consume more cement as compared to brick masonry
Wall
walling or random rubble stone walling. A comparison of
2 3
consumption of cement for different types of walling is
0.5 First appearance First appearance
given in Table 6 .
of dampness at of dampness at
a point a point It may be seen that 200 mm thick stone masonry block

Small patch Very small patch walling plastered on one side and pointed on the other
consumes only about 10% more cement as compared to
2 8 6
230 mm brick wall plastered on both faces . In case, the
4 18 24
intemal face of stone masonry block walling is not
6 23 47
plastered cement consumption will, more or less, be the
8 58 60 same as that in brick masonry. But as compared to random
12 68 77 rubble masonry walling , this technique provides a saving
13'12 71 81 of about 25% in cement.
32 Full Panel Full Panel Advantages
Stone block masonry has the following advantages :
It may thus be seen that the performance of stone masonry 1. It does not call for heavy capital investment
block walling against rain penetration Is similar to that of 2. The use of stone spalls saves cement consumption
brick wall when the bricks are of compressive strength 12 and also provides strength to the blocks even with lean

N/mm2and water absorption 12%. Rain penetration can be concrete mix which works as a binder only. It also

checked by plastering the extemal face and or taking the reduces the cost of blocks .
3. Because of prefabrication consistency and better
measure of filling the junctions between exposed stone
quality of units are achieved.
pieces and lean concrete with 1:6 cement sand mortar. In
4. Wall thickness is reduced to 150 or 200 mm only,
areas of high rainfall, it is advisable to plaster inner face thereby saving of materials and cost both in foundation
with integral water proofing compound mixed in the mortar and super structure. It also makes larger usable floor
in order to check dampness on the internal face. area as compared to random rubble masonry walling.
5. The blocks being of larger size, productivity in laying is
COST ECONOMICS
increased and wall is built at a faster rate .
To work out cost of construction with this technique, basic
6. One face of the block being in stone texture, it gives
data giving the requirement of labour and materials, both
natural stone appearance of rubble masonry and
for production of blocks and for masonry construction is various archItectural aesthetics . It has also been
given In Table 5. By putting the prevailing rates, the cost of possible to make hexagonal blocks with stone texture
walling at any place where stone is easily available can be (Fig. 19).
calculated. This construction system provides an 7. Internal plaster can be eliminated with proper care
economy of 15 to 20% in the walling cost against during production and laying . However. if plastering is

conventional methods of construction, viz., random rubble done, the thickness required is only 10 to 12 mm .
8. As against random rubble masonry, this ~alling
masonry.
10
 Table 5 - Basic Data for Material and Labour Requirements

ITEM Nominal Thickness of Block

200mm 150 mm 100 mm
1 2 3 4
Nominal size block (mm) 300 x 200 x 150 300 x 100 x 150 300 x 150 x 150
Actual size of block (mm) 290 x 190 x 140 290 x 140 x 140 290 x 90 x 140
Concrete mix proportion by volume
(Cement: Sand: 10 mm and down
graded coarse aggregate) 1:5:8 1:5:8 1:5:8
PRODUCTION
(a) Mould
i) Fixed open box type No 1 1 1
M.S. Plate 4 mm thick (m2) 0.16 0.12 0.08
Fabrication & welding charges L.S . (Rs.) 20 15 13
ii) Split type No. 1 1 1
M.S. Plate 4 mm thick (m2) 0.17 0.13 0.09
12 mm dia pin 250 mm long No. 2 2 2
Fabrication & welding charges L.S . (Rs.) 25 20 16
iii) Gang Mould of six No . 1 1 1
M.S. Angle 35 x 35 x 6 mm (Meter Length) 4.5 4 .3 4.15
MS Plate 4 mm thick (m') 0.85 0.63 0.45
12 mm dia M.S.
Bolts 30 mm long (Nos.) 8 8 8
Fitter (Man days) 1.5 1.25 1.1-
Welder (Man days) 1 1 1
Helper (Man days) 3 2.5 2
(b) Casting of Blocks (No.) 100 100 100
I) Materials
Cement (Bags) 1.55 1.15 0.78
3
Sand (m ) 0.28 0.21 0.15
Coarse aggregate (m3) 0.44 0.33 0.23
3
Stone pieces (m ) (Stack volume) 0.37 0.27 0.15
Ii) Labour·
Mason (Man days) 0.30 0.25 0.20
Unskilled worker (Man days) 2.12 1.75 1.40
Production per day by gang of one mason
and 7 unskilled workers (Nos.) 330 400 500
Sundries :
Cost of casting platform and mould oil
etc. L.S. Rs. (for 100 blocks) 1.10 0.90 0.70
MASONRY WORK (10 m2):
Materials :
Precast Stone Masonry blocks (nos.) 222 222 222
Mortar (m' ) 0.20 0.15 0.10
Labour for foundation and plinth:
Mason (Man days) 1.30 1.1 0.90
Unskilled worker (Man days) 2.60 2.2 1.80
Extra for super structure upto floor two level:
Mason (Man days) 0.20 0. 18 0.10
Unskilled worker (Man days) 0.50 0040 0.20
* The above labour includes casting, lifting, curing and stacking the blocks within a lead of 10m.
Note : (1) The cost of scaffolding, T&P, water, contractor's profit and overheads are to be added extra.
(2) The labour for transportation of blocks from stack to construction site has been included for a lead of 50 m
only. For every additional 50 m lead 0.40, 0.30, 0.20 man days of unskilled worker may be added for 100
nos. of 200 mm, 150 mm and 100 mm thick blocks respectively. 1

11
 provides Improved performance against rain water
penetration/seepage.
During last 20 years, more than 50,000 houses and other
buildings have been constructed with these units in almost
all parts of the country, specially in Andhra Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh, J & K, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan, West Bengal and hilly areas of Tamil Nadu and
Uttar Pradesh. Some buildings where stone masonry
block walling has been used are shown in Figures 20 to 24 .

Table 6 - Cement consu.mption for alternative

2
walling-10 m Fig. 20 Building with Stone Masonry Blocks & Bricks

Cement Consumption (bags)

230 mm 200 mm thick 300 mm
Item thick precast RR
brick stone masonry stone
wall block wall wall

1 Blocks 3.44
2 Mortar (CM/1 '6) 2.95 0.91 4.95
3. Plaster (20 mm
in CM 1:6) 0.75 0.75
4 Plaster (20 mm
inCM 1:6) 1.15 2.24
5. POinting (in CM
1:3) 0.20
Total 4.85 5.37 7.19

Fig.21 Industrial Building

Fig. 19 Wall with Hexagonal Blocks Fig. 22 Workshop Building with Curved Wall
12
 Fig . 23 Three storey Residential Building.

Fig. 24 Shopping Centre in Shantinagar (CBRI) Colony.

Prepared by J.S. Sharma, S.P.S. Bedi, Published by: Central Building Research Institute
B.K. Jindal and G.c. Sofat Roorkee-247667
Revised by B.N. Hira E-mail director®cbrimail. com
Printed August 2004 Website : www.cbrLorg
•
Edited by : Dr Atul Kumar Agarwal & Shri Dinesh, Sclentfsts, Printed at: Paramount Offset Printers 7. Avas Vlkas. Roorkee Ph. 261778, i64117

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