Cinder Block

Cinder blocks are made of concrete and coal cinders. In cinder blocks instead of sand or gravel, much of the aggregate filling material is coal cinder. These types of blocks are lighter than conventional concrete blocks. The strength of the cinder block is less compared to the concrete block.

The ash component makes cinder blocks very lighter than conventional concrete blocks, but they don’t have nearly the same tensile strength or pressure-bearing capacity.

Cinder blocks can be used for retaining walls, partition walls, and garden walls but they are not suitable for load-bearing walls in high-rise buildings.

Cinder is a generic name for ash. In ancient times, people used to burn coal. Fly ash is left behind when coal or similar fuels are burned. This fly ash is used to manufacture cinder blocks.

Difference Between Cinder Block and Concrete Block:

Cinder Block	Concrete Block
It contains fly ash.	It does not contain fly ash.
Cinder blocks made of cement, coal cinders, etc.	Concrete blocks made of cement, aggregate, etc.
It displays a hollow rectangular shape.	It displays a flattened structure.
They are lightweight.	They are heavy.
It does not have tensile strength.	They have some tensile strength.
Some building codes do not accept cinder blocks.	Concrete blocks are widely used throughout the world.
They are not much used nowadays.	Concrete blocks are widely used in the construction industry.
They are costly.	They have moderate cost.

Properties of Cinder Blocks:

• The appearance of a cinder block is like a concrete block.
• They are lighter compared to concrete blocks.
• They are not terribly robust, hence they are generally avoided used in some places.
• Susceptible to bending and buckling, 

Uses of Cinder Block:

• Cinder block used to construct security barriers.
• To construct the garden wall.
• To construct a retaining wall for low-rise buildings.
• To decorate the wall.
• To increase the building outlook.
• Cinder blocks also used to fix the doors and windows.