Compressed Earth Block (CEB) is a kind of construction material created manually or with mechanical machines that forms a mixture of dirt, clay, and an aggregate in to a compressed block. CEBs have lately exhibited exceptional functioning characteristics in areas requiring personnel safety from disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes. The excellent characteristics of fire, insect, mold, and sound resistant makes the CEBs more popular in several applications. Production of compressed earth block is different from rammed earth in that the later employs a bigger formwork into which earth is filled and packed. Rammed earth is a method used for the construction of walls using mud, chalk, gravel, and lime.

Yes. When pressed at 30 tonnes, compressed earth bricks create a natural building material that is very dense which prevents water seeping into the center of the brick. In case of rain, only a surface layer of the brick becomes wet and the mechanical qualities will not be altered. We must of course avoid subjecting them to direct exposure to rain and water. For example, by installing an overhanging roof and protecting the walls at the foundation.

Compressed earth blocks require a soil that is 20-30% clay. All clays do not behave the same way (reactivity, mechanical strength, …). The quality of the brick needs to be studied on a case by case basis by conducting laboratory tests. However, most soils are capable of being compressed, the quality of bricks depend on the quality of the soil. The simplest test is to look around to see if there are traditional earth buildings in the area where you want to build. If there is, this is a good indication that the soil can be compressed.

It is necessary to insulate the foundation wall near the floor. This can be conventional (concrete L), as well as a stone bed. The stones removed from the soil to make the bricks can be used for this purpose. For the foundation, the same materials can be used. If you want to avoid using concrete, you can use a placed foundation as long as it is thick enough. To do this, layer crushed or rolled stone or rolled to a thickness of around 25 cm and line this with layers of insulators and soil, covered with terracotta tiles.

Compressed Earth Blocks are the main construction material used in the GVCS Compressed Earth Block Press (formerly called The Liberator).

CEB Construction is a powerful technique for empowering communities to produce on-demand housing.

The bricks do not require curing - so a machine may churn out bricks on-site that can be continuously added to the building. CEB lends itself to 100% onsite building material sourcing. The thermal insulation, sound insulation, and strength of the bricks are excellent.

CEBs can also be used in fences, cisterns, road paving, ovens, dams, thermal storage cisterns, silos, barns, dairy plant, bakery building, greenhouses, raised garden beds, etc.

A CEB building is not only healthy for the individual, but also for the planet. Soil, a CEBs primary ingredient, is a renewable, non-toxic natural resource. Requiring less transportation of materials, CEBs have a lower embodied energy than conventional building materials. It takes many times more energy to make concrete than it does to make comparable amounts of CEBs. Cement is made under extremely high heat and the pollution from manufacture of cement is a major contributor to global warming. Using wood for buildings or to fire bricks contributes to deforestation, which is a significant problem in much of the developing world. In addition to being good for the environment, energy savings are immediate because the thermal mass properties of CEBs results in lower heating and cooling requirements.

It depends on the actual size, but a small home requires 5,000 CEBs and the hand-operated press can produce 100 CEBs per hour or about 800 CEBs per day, with a work crew of seven people. Therefore, with one hand press it would be possible to produce the CEBs for a house in a week. The actual construction time will depend on the size and experience of the crew, but efficiency can be maximised by training in the use of construction systems such as story poles and thin slurry.