9 Types of Building Materials Used in Construction

Before designing the construction of a building, it's good to know in advance what building materials are needed. Not only natural materials used in construction, but also materials from factories.

Natural building materials get very little factory intervention, such as wood and glass. While manufacturing building materials are mostly processed in factories, such as pipes and cement. Each type has its own function.

For those of you who are planning to build or renovate a house, it's good to know the types of building materials. In addition to adding insight, you can at least know which building materials are suitable for your home.

1. Bricks

We certainly know brick as a building material for building walls. The bricks themselves are made from clay which is burned to a distinctive reddish color, or we usually call brick red. In addition, bricks also have many types.

Along with the development of technology, the use of bricks as building materials for walls began to decline in use. Its popularity began to be replaced by gypsum and bamboo. Bamboo and gypsum as building material for walls are relatively cheaper than bricks. Even so, bricks are still the most commonly used building material, especially because of their robustness.

2. Mud and Clay

The use of mud and clay, especially the amount, is very dependent on the building as desired. This also relates to the quality of the land used.

A mixture of mud on sand can make the strength of buildings weaker. It is recommended that mud and clay blend more smoothly with other building materials, such as concrete, so as not to leave cavities that can pass through buildings.

Conversely, clay is a building material that is very good at maintaining the temperature balance in the room. So when it's summer, the house will feel cool and in winter, the house will feel warm.

Mud and clay hold heat and then released from time to time. So that residents of the house will not feel a sudden change in temperature

3. Stone

Stone is a building material that is the longest used as well as the easiest to find. There are many types of stones that can be used as building materials, of course whether or not it depends on the purpose of construction.

Although stiff and heavy, stone is a very dense building material that can provide overall protection. Even so, rocks are also difficult to provide warm temperatures without using adequate heating.

As the oldest building material, stone walls have existed since humans began to build. But now, cement is used to glue stones to one another.

4. Straw

Like stones, straw is also the oldest building material. In addition, grass is a good heat retardant and easily harvested. Straw is a building material that is well known in most cultures in the world.

Tribes in Africa even use straw as the only building material for their homes. Whereas in Europe itself, thatched roofs on houses are very commonly used even though they entered the era of the straw industry. Straw is currently popular again. in the Netherlands for example, thatched roofs are found in many new buildings.

5. Wood

Wood is among the most commonly used building materials. Derived from trees or sometimes from fibrous plants, wood is produced into building materials, cabinets, boards, as well as furniture and other furniture.

Wood has a weight that can be adjusted, remains strong even though it is bent, and is more sturdy when compressed vertically. Wood is also suitable in all seasons. Wood as a building material is generally used to support the roof.

In the past, wood as a building material was directly used in the form of logs. Trees are just cut into the required size. But after the discovery of cutting machines, wood can be formed into various dimensions and shapes. This simplifies and speeds up the development process.

6. Cement

Cement is the most important building material. Without cement, other building materials such as bricks and concrete blocks cannot blend with each other. Cement is also the most vital building material in making very solid foundations.

Semen itself consists of 4 main elements, namely; limestone as the main component, clay which contains SiO2, Al2O3, and Fe2O3, silica stone which is added when clay has a small amount of SiO2, and the last is iron sand, which is added if clay contains a little Fe2O3.

7. Metal

Metal is one of the strongest building materials. Metal is usually used as a framework for the construction of large buildings such as skyscrapers, as well as building coatings. There are various types of metals commonly used as building materials. For example steel, which is a mixture of other materials with iron as the main component, suitable as a building structure.

Steel is a building material that is strong, flexible and durable. Even so, rust remains the biggest challenge. The mixture of aluminum and tin has a low density but is better at preventing rust than steel. Other metal materials used as building materials are titanium, chrome, silver and gold.

Titanium can be used for building structures, but the price is indeed much more expensive than steel. Whereas gold, silver and chrome are building materials that are not suitable for building structures, but are very beautiful as decorations.

8. Glass

Glass is a building material that can be used as a window. This clear and thin material has indeed been used as a coating on house ventilation since it was first discovered.

Glass allows residents to get light from the outside but still protected from the adverse effects of the weather. Glass itself is generally made from a mixture of sand and silica, so it's so fragile, or easily broken.

With technological sophistication, glass can now be transformed into a kind of curtain that can cover the surface of the building. Glass can also be used on the roof to get a beautiful view of the sky. An example is skylights.

9. Pipe

Although not including building materials that are useful in forming roofs, walls, or foundations, pipes still have an important role in construction. Pipes are used to connect drains and sewers, for example in bathrooms.

Pipes are made of materials that are resistant to low or high temperatures, so they can drain water well. Pipes are usually made of: carbon steel, carbon moly, ferro nickel, stainless steel, chrome moly, and the most popular, PVC.