Hollow Block Machine


Hollow Block

Before we start talking about the hollow block machine, first, we need to know exactly what hollow block is and where it is used.

A hollow concrete block is a block that usually has two or three hollow spaces between its walls, that is why it is called a hollow block. The number of hollow spaces depends on the width and length of the blocks and the bigger the size of the block is, the more it has hollow spaces in it.

Hollow blocks have different shapes and sizes according to your use. These concrete blocks are mostly used to build walls in the construction industry. If you only need information about the concrete blocks you can read the article ''What is a hollow block?''



In some countries like Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, the United Kingdom, Somalia, and Ethiopia, this type of block is called concrete brick or concrete masonry unit too and the machine, of course, is called concrete brick making machine. It is also called a block making machine or paver block machine as well. These are common names used for this machine, but the original name hollow block machine is more common.



A hollow concrete block is made of concrete, there are different standards of the mixture ratio of the mortar that is used to make hollow concrete blocks and there are different additives for the mortar as well. The mixture ratio determines the resistance and other characteristics of the hollow concrete block.

Another factor is water, if it is drinking quality water it won’t cause any troubles but using low-quality water with many minerals dissolved in it can cause some white lines and spots appearing on the block when it is dried. These blocks are usually used to build walls and they are covered with plaster or other covering products almost in all cases, so it won’t be a big problem if your water doesn’t have good quality.



You may ask why we need these hollow spaces in blocks. Actually, it is because of air, air traps winter's colder temperatures or summer's heat between the walls of hollow concrete blocks and forms a barrier that blocks the heat and cold from affecting your home. So, you will spend less energy to reach the temperature you desire.


Hollow Block Machine

There are generally two types of hollow block making machines:


 Mobile Hollow Block Machine


Mobile hollow block making machine is a simple machine which has limited capacity, as its name represents, it has the ability to move, it can produce hollow concrete blocks without pallets but molds are limited in capacity and in shape as well, so you don’t have many options to choose for producing different products.


Stationary Hollow Block Machine 



The stationary hollow block making machine is a bigger machine compared to the mobile hollow block machine, it has a large production capacity and of course, it is built in different capacities as well.

The capacity of the machine has an international standard:

The number of standard blocks that a block making machine can produce in one press determines the standard of the hollow block machine. Here are some examples:

  • A block making machine that produces 8 pieces of hollow blocks in one press is called a size 8 machine. Bess company has named it the PRS-800.



The minimum capacity of the stationary block making machine is 4 pieces of blocks in each press. It is called a size 4 machine. Bess company has named it the PRS-400.

Note that if you order a double-hopper machine to produce double-layer pavers the machine will be called a paver block machine. A paver block machine is different from a hollow block machine in terms of equipment and working system.


Hollow Block Machine Pallets

The stationary hollow block machine needs pallets to produce hollow concrete blocks. The size and thickness of the pallets differ due to the size of the machine.

For bigger capacities, you also need to increase the number of pallets to cover your production number. Because some pallets are stored in the curing section while the other pallets are used in the production line to produce hollow blocks. Normally If you are planning to use the machine for a one 8-hour shift, you will need 1000 pallets.




The smallest pallet in size is 60cm*75cm*4cm and the biggest pallet size is 140cm * 180cm * 8cm.


Necessary Elements For Establishing A Hollow Block Factory

 1. Land dimension:

The land needed for this purpose depends on your machine’s capacity and its automation level. But it should be more than 1500m2 for the lowest production capacity and full-automatic concrete block machine.

If you choose a semi-automatic machine you will need more area because in semi-automatic hollow block machine pallets are collected one by one after the press but in the automatic model first, five of them are stored on top of each other then they are delivered to the drying section together.




Of course, for bigger paver block machines, you will need more pallets, more space, and more workers so it will be wiser if you choose the automatic hollow block machine. In this way, some of the duties are done by robots instead of workers.




It is recommended to buy bigger lands if it is possible in your country because you may develop your business in the future and buy a ready-mixed concrete batching plant for construction purposes or even develop your own block making machine and add robots to your interlocking brick machine. In this case, you won’t need to buy land if you have enough budget to buy it in the first place. Different names are used for the hollow block machine, like interlocking brick machine or paver block machine to make you more familiar with the different names of this machine based on the use.


 2. Ingredients:

You should make sure that the ingredients are supplied to you locally and at a reasonable price because raw materials directly affect the final price of the product. Ingredients are:

1. Powdered Portland cement

2. Reasonable quality water

3. Sand

4. Gravel

This is the basic ingredient list for the mortar that is feed to your hollow block machine. In some countries the ingredients are different but the size of the ingredient should be below 5mm. The most expensive material above is cement. It is stored in cement silos and added automatically in the automatic model and it is stored in 30kg packages added by hand in the semi-automatic model.





3. Labor force:

For a semi-automatic machine, you will need about 9 people for your hollow block factory, they will feed the aggregate to the mixer, operate the hollow block machine, take the pallets to the drying section after they are pressed, gather the dried hollow concrete blocks from the pallets and finally feed the pallets again to the machine.




To reduce this number, we suggest that you buy an automatic pallet collecting system which is more accurate and faster as well. You will need 6 workers for your hollow block factory when you buy an automatic block making machine.

In this block making machine, the act of collecting the pallets, collecting the hollow concrete blocks for the pallets, taking them to euro pallets, and feeding the pallets to the machine is done automatically. Buying the full-automatic model is not recommended in countries that labor cost is cheap in them.




If the labor cost and land are expensive in your area, we recommend you buy an automatic machine.

 4. Hollow block machine:

The machine has different names, it is called brick making machine, hollow block making machine, even brick laying machine. They all mean the same. It is very important to choose your machine wisely, the machine you choose should be able to produce hollow concrete blocks, paving blocks, tiles, concrete gutters, curbstones, concrete hollow floor block, and grasscretes by changing the molds.




The hollow block machines that don’t have such a capability are not worth spending money on them. It is not logical to buy 3 machines to produce 3 different kinds of blocks. The machine you buy should be capable of producing all these blocks only by changing the molds. You can see our concrete block mold models for further details.

One of the most important things that you should consider is the hollow block machine’s quality. If you want to run this machine for 24 hours a day it should have premium quality. The quality of the machine prevents the failure of the machine and reduces maintenance services.

Of course, every working machine will stop working due to some failures, but the important thing is how many times it happens during a year and how many hours of production you will use. This is directly related to the quality of the machine and the quality of the equipment used in this machine.




The Block making machine usually doesn’t need roofing but if you have a roof over the machine it is so much better if the manufacturer company forces you to have a roof it means their machine doesn’t have the desired quality.

Some of these hollow block machines are designed double-hopper system. The second hopper is for producing double-layered paving blocks and it doesn’t affect hollow blocks and it is explained in another article related to the paving blocks.

Below you can see the production process of hollow blocks. You can also visit the Bess youtube channel for both animation and real videos.



5. Budget:

You should spend your budget wisely. You shouldn’t spend your whole budget buying the block making machine. Considering the expenses like shipment transporting the machinery and its insurance, using a crane to place your machine, buying aggregate, and paying the personnel for a few months if you are selling your products in installments is very important.



 6. Electrical energy:

The land that you are installing your hollow block machine on should be supplied with electricity. It is necessary for the production line because the machine runs with electricity. Choosing the machine, you should consider its electric consumption as well because today the energy costs are higher than before, this cost directly affects the final price of hollow concrete blocks.

Machines with higher efficiency are preferred these days due to the higher costs of energy. higher efficiency means the machines use less energy to do the same job. 





Hollow Block Machine Technical Characteristics

Hollow Block Machine Technical Details
Mortar Hopper and Capacity  Single Hopper /0.5 m³
Control System  Operator Control
Production Capacity  100-120 Pallets / Hour
Weight  6.500 Kg
Machine Dimensions  200 cm /550 cm / 250 cm
External Chassis Dimensions 150 x 150 x 6 mm Closed Profile
Vibration Force  36.500 Kg 
Lower Vibrator Motor Power  5,5 kW x 2 Pieces
Upper vibrator motor power  0.75 kW x 2 Pieces opt
Hydraulic Motor Power  5.5 kW
Hydraulic Oil Tank Capacity  350 L
Hydraulic Pressure 150 Bar
Vibration Cooling Capacity 22.000 Kcal
Total Power Usage  18 kW
Min - Max Product Height  5-25 cm
Wooden Pallet Dimensions  50 x 100 x 4 cm


Consider that this machine can produce 4000 pieces of hollow concrete blocks in an 8-hour shift. This model is the lowest capacity of production for stationary models. 

A premium-quality block making machine should be able to press 100-120 times on pallets in one hour. It means it presses a pallet in approximately 30 up to 40 seconds.

That’s why the factory suggests an automatic machine for bigger production capacities. some times workers can't handle the speed of the hollow block machine, especially in bigger capacities.


hollow block machine full plant



Hollow Block Machine Price

You may ask how much this machine costs after all and you are just going to have a list of hollow block machine prices but before that, you need to have in mind that these prices are for the year 2019 and it may differ from the factory to factory.

You can visit each product by clicking on its name:


Semi-Automatic Hollow Block Machine
Machine name Mini plant Maxi plant
PRS - 400
46.200 $ 81.100 $
PRS - 600 66.800 $ 105.100 $
PRS - 800 87.200 $ 131.000 $
PRS - 1000 126.900 $ 179.100 $



Automatic Hollow Block Machine
Machine name Mini plant Maxi plant
PRS - 400 69.000 $ 132.900 $
PRS - 600 88.900 $ 159.900 $
PRS - 800 109.300 $ 187.000 $
PRS - 1000 157.700 $ 245.000 $


As the calculations show 20% to 30% of each hollow concrete block is profit. It depends on the country and the expenses of each country too, but this percentage is normally true.

You can start your company on less budget by buying a semi-automatic hollow block machine and upgrade it in the future if you buy a machine which is upgradable. To get your own hollow blocks business plan according to your machine and country you can contact us.



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Bess manufactures concrete block machines, paving block machines and molds.



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