How can you locate used firebrick?


Quick Answer

Used firebricks are found in the demolition of kilns, fireplaces and ovens they were originally used to construct. As a reusable material, firebricks are often harvested and re-sold via online sellers like Alibaba.com or from building material resale stores like Habitat for Humanity's ReStores.

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Full Answer

Firebrick is composed primarily of clay like ordinary building bricks but contains higher quantities of aluminum oxide and silicon oxide. These compounds, when baked in, create a denser, more refractory material that provides lower thermal conductivity, effectively concentrating energy in high-heat applications. Firebricks are designated as low, medium or high-duty depending on the concentrations of aluminum oxide and density of the material; high-duty bricks, for example, have aluminum oxide concentrations exceeding 50 percent of the material and a density above 150 pounds per cubic foot. This type can withstand temperatures up to 2650 degrees Fahrenheit.

Different types of firebricks are used for different applications. High-duty bricks, for example, tend to be more expensive and retain heat better. They are more commonly used for furnaces and kilns in high-temperature industrial applications. Medium-duty bricks, in contrast, retain heat to a lesser degree and are used more often for brick ovens and fireplaces. Light-duty firebricks are often used to insulate equipment instead, as they have poor thermal conductivity and hold little heat.

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