20 Examples of Construction Materials

The Construction materials are those raw Materials or, usually, manufactured products that are necessary in building construction work or in civil engineering works. They are the original components of the construction or architectural materials of a building or other types of constructions. For example: granite, marble, lead, wood.

Since remote times, the human being has managed to improve his quality of life by making use of the elements and compounds of the nature, and that has led him to innovate in terms of buildings to make them more comfortable, more resistant to catastrophes and more up to date with scientific and technological advances. In this process, he has had to learn about construction materials and their use, to know how to choose or create the most suitable for each occasion.

In this process, mixtures, new and synthetic materials, and smart designs have had a privileged place in the history of architecture and civil engineering. Many of the construction materials are manufactured products of primary industries, while others are treated raw materials or in a semi-raw state.

It can serve you:

Properties of building materials

Since a wise choice guarantees a better architectural result, there are some essential properties of building materials to which attention is paid:

Types of building materials

There are four types of construction materials, depending on the type of raw material from which they are manufactured:

Examples of building materials

1. Granite. Known as "berroqueña stone", it is an igneous rock formed essentially by quartz. It is widely used to manufacture paving stones and to make walls and floors (in the form of slabs), cladding or countertops, given its attractiveness and the finish of its polish. It is an interior stone, due to its decorative potential.
2. Marble. In the form of slabs or tiles, this metamorphic rock so valued by the sculptors of yesteryear is usually associated with luxury, although today it is used mainly for floors, coatings or architectural details punctual.
3. Cement. It is a conglomerating material that consists of a mixture of limestone and clay, calcined, ground and then mixed with plaster, whose main property is to harden when in contact with the Water. In construction it is used as an essential material, in a mixture with water, sand and gravel, to obtain a uniform, malleable and plastic substance that when drying hardens and is known as concrete.
4. Brick. It is made of a clay mixture, cooked until the moisture is removed and it hardens until it obtains its characteristic rectangular shape and its orange color. Hard and brittle, these blocks are widely used in construction, given their economic cost and reliability. In the same way the tiles are obtained, made of the exact same material but molded differently.
5. Glass. Product of the fusion of sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃), silica sand (SiO₂) and limestone (CaCO₃) at about 1500 ° C, this hard, brittle and transparent material is widely used by mankind in the manufacture of all kinds of tools and sheets, especially in the construction sector, as it is ideal for windows: it lets in light, but not air or Water.
6. Steel. Steel is a more or less ductile and malleable alloy, endowed with great mechanical resistance and resistant to corrosion, which is obtained from the alloy of iron with other metals and non-metals such as carbon, silicon, nickel and some others. It is one of the main metal alloys used in the construction sector, since structures can be built that are then filled with cement, known as “reinforced concrete”.
7. Zinc. This metal, essential for organic life, has properties that have made it ideal for the manufacture of multiple objects and for roofs in the construction sector. It is not ferromagnetic, it is light, malleable and cheap, although it has other disadvantages such as not being too resistant, conducts heat very well and produces a lot of noise when impacted, for example, by The rain.
8. Aluminum. It is one of the most abundant metals in the earth's crust which, like zinc, is extremely light, inexpensive and malleable. It does not have much mechanical strength, but is still ideal for applications such as carpentry and in stronger alloys for plumbing and kitchen materials.
9. Lead. For decades it was used as the main element in the manufacture of household plumbing parts, since it is a ductile material, of surprising elasticity molecular and enormous resistance. However, it is harmful to health, and water flowing through lead pipes tends to become contaminated over time, which is why its use has been banned in many countries.
10. Copper. It is a heavy, malleable, ductile, shiny metal and a fabulous conductor of electricity. For this reason, it is the preferred material for electrical or electronic installations, although it is also used to manufacture plumbing parts. The latter conforms to strict alloy and quality standards, because the oxide copper (green in color) is toxic.
11. Wood. Many woods are used in construction, both in the engineering process and in the final finish. In fact, in many countries there is a tradition to build wooden houses, taking advantage of its relative cheapness, its nobility and resistance, despite being susceptible to humidity and termites. Currently many floors are made of varnished wood (parquet), as well as doors, cabinets and furniture are of that nature.
12. Rubber. It is a resin obtained from the tropical tree of the same name, also known as latex. It is used for the manufacture of tires, insulation and waterproofing, as well as parts of padding in joints and protective resins for wood or other surfaces, in the sector of building.
13. Linoleum. Obtained from solidified linseed oil, mixed with wood flour or cork powder, this substance It is used in construction to make floor coverings, usually adding pigments to it. and providing the right thickness to take advantage of its flexibility, water resistance and cost economic.
14. Bamboo. This wood of oriental origin, grows on green stalks that can reach 25 meters in height and 30 centimeters in width, and that once dry and cured, they fulfill ornamental functions very frequent in western construction, as well as in the making of roofs, palisades or floors. false.
15. Cork. What we commonly call cork is the bark of the cork oak tree, formed by suberin in a porous, soft, elastic and light fabric used for billboards, as a filling material, such as fuel (its caloric value is equivalent to that of charcoal) and, in the construction sector, as a filler for floors, a cushion between walls and compartments of light material (durlock or dry wall) and in decorative applications.
16. Polystyrene. East polymer obtained from the polymerization of aromatic hydrocarbons (styrene), it is a very light, dense and waterproof material, which has an enormous insulating capacity and, therefore, it is used as a thermal insulator in buildings in winter countries intense.
17. Silicone. This odorless and colorless silicon polymer is perfectly used as a sealant and waterproofing agent in constructions and plumbing, but also as an eventual insulating material in facilities electrical. This substance was first synthesized in 1938 and has since been used in many human settings.
18. Asphalt. It is a viscous, sticky and lead-colored substance, also known as bitumen, it consists of the mixture of pitch with gravel or sand. It is used as a waterproofing in the ceilings and walls of many constructions and to pave roads. In the latter cases it is used as binder material and it is obtained from petroleum.
19. Acrylics. Its scientific name is polymethylmethacrylate and it is one of the main engineering plastics. It prevails over other plastics for its strength, transparency and scratch resistance, making it a good material to replace glass or for decorative applications.
20. Neoprene. This type of synthetic rubber is used as a filling for sandwich panels and as a gasket (watertight gasket or gasket) to prevent the leakage of liquids in the joining of plumbing parts, as well as sealing material in windows and other building openings.

Follow with: