Lightweight brick is currently a material that is commonly used in various buildings. Starting from residential, cafes, to office buildings. But even so, there are still negative perceptions regarding the use of lightweight bricks in society. Many assume that walls made of lightweight bricks are not as good as red bricks. This assumption has become a separate stigma in society regarding the use of lightweight bricks.

Related to this, the Support Team of PT. Jayabrix Indonesia, which has been operating in the building materials sector for decades, spoke up. According to him, the strength of a brick can be judged from its compressive strength. Compressive strength is the capacity of a material or structure to withstand loads per unit area. The greater the compressive strength, the more resistant the material will be in bearing the load.

"Every brick material before being sold on the market will go through this compressive strength test. I will not mention a specific brand, but generally red brick has a compressive strength of 2.5 Mpa. Meanwhile, lightweight brick has a compressive strength of 4 Mpa. Even light bricks with high quality can have a compressive strength of more than 4 Mpa," he said.

Based on these data it can be interpreted that red brick can carry a maximum load of 25 kg per cm2. If given a load of more than 25 kg per cm2, the brick will crack and crumble. Meanwhile, lightweight brick has a compressive strength almost twice that of red brick, which is capable of carrying a maximum load of 40 kg per cm2.

The compressive strength possessed by lightweight bricks is produced from the manufacturing process. Lightweight brick, made with advanced technology. The drying process is not arbitrary. Lightweight brick must be heated to 1000 degrees Celsius to ensure its strength before being sold on the market.

"There is an assumption that lightweight bricks crack more easily, maybe because of their weight. With the same dimensions, lightweight bricks do have a much lighter weight than red bricks. From here, many might think that lightweight bricks will not as strong as red brick when applied to buildings," he added.

This light weight is due to the fact that light bricks have millions of pores that are not connected to each other. However, the test results prove that lightweight bricks are actually better able to withstand and inhibit heat. Therefore, using light bricks as walls can make a house feel cooler. Because, the heat outside the house is not delivered to the inside.

"Then regarding the price, indeed if you look at the unit, the price of lightweight bricks is more expensive than red bricks. However, efficiency in the construction process actually proves that the use of lightweight bricks is more economical than red bricks," he said.< /p>

This fact makes lightweight bricks increasingly used by individuals and building contractors. This is because lightweight bricks are proven to be stronger, save on construction costs, and are good heat retardants.