Raw Materials:
Our entire cob block and cob brick range are made from 100% natural materials and boast no additives or hardeners. Barley straw, clayey sub-soil and water are the only ingredients necessary…and this recipe for un-fired earthen building mediums has been very much the same for 1000’s of years. There are local and geographical variations, however the clay and binder content remain a staple.
Manufacturing:
There are varying methods of making cob blocks and some are perhaps not quite as successful as others. With the correct ratios of raw ingredients, pretty much anyone can form a cob product either by hand or in a mould. Here at Earth Blocks Ltd we have two purpose-built machines that produce our cob product range. Affectionately named Karen our largest machine produces our standard cob blocks and shaped cob blocks, whilst Demelza (slightly smaller) produces our cob brock and cob brick range. (Manufacturing Equipment Protection and copyright prevents us from displaying pictorial evidence). Both machines are hydraulically operated. Karen currently produces 54 standard cob blocks an hour and averages 45+ for our shaped cob blocks. Demelza currently produces 60 standard cob bricks/cob brocks an hour and averages 50 for our shaped and ‘specials’ cob product range.
Quality Control:
Effectiveness, uniformity and quality of product is fundamental to us here at Earth Blocks. Mindful that a good product is a worthy product, we can confidently endorse our cob blocks to the designer, buyer and user. Sure, now and again we have a rogue product from one of the machines, however these products do not make the shelf and are recycled into further batches of cob product.
Usability:
As with all of our cob product range, our cob blocks are formed to ensure a continuity of dimensions. Such attention to the manufacturing [and storage] allows for a cob product to deliver cost efficiency at installation ie minimal mortar bed thicknesses. Ill-formed and/or mis-shaped cob blocks are not only user unfriendly, there could be structural implications with their compromised integral strength.
If you would to see the full range of our cob products, a free downloadable brochure is available here.