cement blocks vs brick which one is stronger?

Question

In the Caribbean countries, the houses are made of cement blocks only to withstand years of use. Here in the US the houses and residential buildings in New York City use bricks and wood. Which one is stronger and if cement is stronger why would the US use bricks and wood instead of cement blocks.

Answer 1

We use wood in the US because it is cheap, and the modern American house is engineered to last only 25 years. Apparently homebuilders figure we hate old stuff.
To be fair, it's also a matter of market. Homebuyers don't want to pay that much more for a concrete house, so it's hard to blame the homebuilders for wanting to make a buck.
Concrete blocks are structural, and bricks are used only as a facade in modern buildings; they are not structurally sound. Wood frame structures also are flexible, making them good in earthquakes (which we worry about here in California). New forms of concrete construction are starting to gain popularity. Look for Concrete Homes Magazine to see some great styles.

Answer 2

Red Brick Vs Cement Brick

Answer 3

Bricks are best for looks and have been the means of most building for over 3 thousand years. Cement blocks have been around for almost the same amount of time. They basically started being formed and used after natural rock became more expensive to cut and transport. Cement blocks were created to replace solid rock and baked bricks as a cost saver. Even in the days of old, there were shortages of quality materials. The Roman engineers use to use cement block and formed concrete for the interior of many public works projects, bridges and building and use a more decorative brick, slate or solid rock exterior to finish a project. The bottom line is costs. Both brick and block do the same job with approximately the same strength. Cement blocks cost less and with todays extra reinforcement methods (such as re-bar), they are designed with spaces to include modern reinforcement

Answer 4

Cement Blocks. Interestingly, in Germany where my husband is from, they would never build with the wood and metal stud type construction we do here. Of course older buildings made of stone and brick here the entire supporting walls. As others have written, stone and brick are used in modern buildings in the US as fascia over the underlying structure. German homes are built to last for generations and they use a very sophisticated cast cement type block and then apply the exterior over it. My in-laws have been horrified to see how people here allow contractors to build their homes and are amazed that people stand for it.

Answer 5

Bricks are stronger, but they are much more expensive than cement blocks.

There are brick buildings that have been around for hundreds of years. (But they are several bricks thick)

Cement blocks are bigger, & much faster to build with.

In the warmer climates wood will rot sooner & you have insects that live in the wood too.

Answer 6

In the Caribbean countries, it is much warmer the year round. Cement is stronger than brick, however, brick and wood allows for insulation and if done correctly, brick and wood can be as strong as concrete.

Answer 7

Cement is much stronger than any kind of brick, its cheaper than most too.

Answer 8

depends....a brick i stronger by itself cause it is dense and doesnt have a space between it, the weak points come from the moartar they use.....i personally would feel safer with cement blocks because of the building tequnique, not by the strength of its own

Answer 9

1

Answer 10

Cinder blocks are easy to make, and as strong as steel. The reason we refrain from their use is simply for aesthetic purposes. We use them in the manufacture of commercial buildings, but we prefer the look of red brick for fascia and accents.