Foam Concrete Blocks - Building the Perfect Home

Foam concrete is one of the varieties of cellular concrete, essentially an artificial stone obtained as a result of the hardening of a mixture of cement, sand, foam, and water. Under the action of a foaming agent, numerous air bubbles form in the cement mixture, which give the concrete its distinctive thermal conductivity and strength properties.

As a foaming agent in foam concrete production, both organic protein compounds and synthetic foam concentrates can be used.

Unlike aerated concrete (gas concrete), the aeration of the cement mixture in foam concrete production is achieved not by a chemical reaction but by mechanical mixing.

Foam concrete can be produced directly on-site and poured immediately into formwork, or it can be formed into foam concrete blocks. There are three methods of producing foam blocks:
- curing in cassette metal molds;
- cutting from a foam concrete mass;
- curing in special molds followed by automatic demolding.
The choice of a particular molding method depends on the required production capacity and the available equipment.

In Russia, foam concrete began to be used in the construction industry in the 1950s as roof insulation. In the 1990s, with the emergence of new technologies, industrial production of foam concrete blocks became possible as an independent building material with high consumer properties:
1. Durability: foam concrete does not age, rot, or change under the influence of atmospheric precipitation;
2. Insulation: using foam concrete as a building material reduces heat loss through walls by 20–30%;
3. Eco-friendliness: foam concrete releases and absorbs moisture from interior spaces, creating a microclimate characteristic of wooden houses. At the same time, foam concrete does not emit any harmful substances.
4. Ease of installation: lightweight foam blocks allow much faster wall laying compared to brickwork. Foam concrete blocks are easy to saw and drill for laying cable channels and other technical needs.
5. Economy: the dimensional accuracy of foam blocks eliminates thermal bridges and allows reduction of plaster thickness, and the lightness of the material enables savings on heavy foundations.
6. Fire safety: foam concrete blocks have the first fire-resistance class, withstanding temperatures up to 1200°C. In other words, they do not burn and reliably protect against fire.
7. Transportation: thanks to their lightness and compact packaging, transporting foam concrete blocks is significantly cheaper than other building materials.
8. Versatility of application: foam blocks can be used to erect interior and exterior walls, floor slabs, lintels, and foundations.
9. Low cost: foam concrete is significantly cheaper than traditional building materials.