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Arton consultants often have to answer questions about alternative materials to aerated concrete. One of them is arbolite, which has a lot in common with aerated concrete blocks. In this article we offer a detailed comparison of two lightweight concretes with similar properties - a kind of battle. The information will help you decide which material is better - arbolite or aerated concrete blocks, and for more detailed information you can contact our support team.

General information about aerated concrete and arbolite

Both building materials, which will be discussed in our article, are lightweight concrete. The difference lies in the base. In the production of arbolite, coniferous wood chips and high quality cement are used, and for the manufacture of aerated blocks, sand and gas formers are used along with cement. Different and different production technologies. The process of manufacturing blocks and slabs of arbolite is more complex and costly. To obtain really high-quality products requires more investment, and not all manufacturers of this material offer arbolite, complying with the established norms.

Physical and technical characteristics

Next, let's compare aerated concrete and arbolite on the main properties. If we talk about thermal conductivity and specific gravity, the indicators are almost the same. Nevertheless, in the Uzbek market, high-quality arbolite is practically absent, which is caused by the higher cost of production. The next criterion is moisture resistance. Here aerated concrete is clearly superior to arbolite blocks. The indicators can be equalized through quality finishing. However, in this case, higher costs will be required.

The next comparison criterion is fire resistance. The superiority of gas blocks is obvious here. Arbolite blocks are more susceptible to fire. Again, without quality and expensive finishing is not doable here. As for bending and impact strength, the indicators of arbolite are higher. However, the difference in these criteria is insignificant. In addition, in the construction of objects in normal climatic conditions and gas blocks and arbolite panels can easily withstand standard loads.

Another important factor for buyers is geometry. Theoretically, both materials are characterized by maximum compliance with the specified standards. However, in practice, the more costly technology of arbolite leads to the fact that most manufacturers do not adhere to all the norms. In particular, we are talking about the use of laser-cutting molds. As a result - aerated concrete blocks almost always "beat" arbolite analogs and on this indicator.

Also, the superiority of aerated concrete (in this case - it is autoclaved) is observed on the criteria of noise reduction and vapor permeability. Equalize the effectiveness of arbolite and aerated blocks on these parameters can be, again, at the expense of finishing. However, as already noted, this requires additional costs. Thus, if you have a question about whether to build a house from arbolite or aerated concrete, we recommend choosing the second option. In this case, you will win both in terms of quality and costs.