FIRE BRICK and REFRACTORY BRICK
What you need to know before purchasing Refractory Brick
Are you planning on building a Fire Brick Pizza Oven?
Refractory Materials
Refractory materials (materials that can withstand high temperatures) are used in the construction and maintenance of ceramic studio kilns. Fire brick, ceramic fiber and castable refractories are the three forms of refractories used in kilns, but fire brick is the most significant.
A Brick with Many Faces
Fire brick is a generic term that encompasses any brick that can withstand repeated heating and cooling at various temperature ranges. Additionally, fire bricks must be able to withstand different atmospheres, provide various structural or insulating qualities, and due to the difficulty in cutting them, must be available in a variety of shapes to add flexibility to kiln design and construction.
Hard and Soft
There are two types of firebrick: hard brick and soft brick. Hard bricks are very dense and durable and used for their structural qualities. They can be found most often as the main building component of large kilns, chimneys, fireboxes and burner ports—anywhere around direct flame. Soft bricks are lightweight and made from a refractory clay body containing combustible materials. When fired, the materials burn out leaving a sponge like matrix of air pockets, which serve to provide insulating qualities to the brick. Also known as insulating firebricks (IFBs), these bricks absorb about half the energy as hard bricks during a firing. Soft brick ranges from 2000°F to 3300°F and are used as the brick of choice for constructing electric kilns or as insulating liners in reduction kilns.
Hard and Soft
There are two types of firebrick: hard brick and soft brick. Hard bricks are very dense and durable and used for their structural qualities. They can be found most often as the main building component of large kilns, chimneys, fireboxes and burner ports—anywhere around direct flame. Soft bricks are lightweight and made from a refractory clay body containing combustible materials. When fired, the materials burn out leaving a sponge like matrix of air pockets, which serve to provide insulating qualities to the brick. Also known as insulating firebricks (IFBs), these bricks absorb about half the energy as hard bricks during a firing. Soft brick ranges from 2000°F to 3300°F and are used as the brick of choice for constructing electric kilns or as insulating liners in reduction kilns.
Grades Are Important
The main ingredient in fire bricks is fireclay, which contains mostly alumina and silica, elements capable of withstanding high temperatures. Hard bricks are available in several grades, depending on their composition and properties, which determine the most efficient use of them in construction. High alumina compositions start at 50% alumina and increase in alumina content to 98% for the highest purity and most expensive. It’s extremely rare that a potter would require an alumina content exceeding 70%.
Fire Brick Home Depot
Since its inception in 1978, Home Depot has rapidly gained recognition as the largest home improvement superstore in America. With over 2300 stores in operation, it is likely that there is a Home Depot within a 15-mile radius of almost every medium and large city. So… does this mean that you can find fire bricks at any Home Depot location without needing to inquire about availability beforehand? Well, not exactly. Fire brick may not be available at every Home Depot location, and it is highly advisable to call your local Home Depot and inquire about their fire brick inventory before driving over to your local store. Moreover, upon arrival, you might discover that the new hire wearing an orange vest that you spoke with on the phone mistakenly referred to clay brick instead of fire brick… which not the same thing (see Clay Fire Brick vs. Silica Fire Brick).
When contacting your local Home Depot regarding fire bricks, it is advisable to specifically reach out to a representative at their PRO-DESK. The employees behind the Pro-Desk at Home Depot are usually industry experts that have previously worked as contractors, masons and/or construction journeymen and they retain vast amounts of knowledge about construction materials. Therefore, it is in your best interest to consult with a Pro-Desk agent when seeking information about fire bricks (as well as other materials). The Pro-Desk agents will likely be familiar with fire brick and can provide you with a definitive inventory inquiry… or recommend local sources for purchasing fire bricks.
During your Home Depot fire brick phone conversation, take the opportunity to inquire about the availability of fire bricks at other Home Depot locations nearby. It's important to note that if your local Home Depot store doesn't have any fire bricks in stock, there is still a possibility that another nearby Home Depot might have a pallet of fire brick. In such cases, there is a good possibility for Home Depot stores to transfer their inventory of fire bricks between stores.
Another benefit of shopping at Home Depot for Fire Brick is that many of their locations carry Sakrete High Heat Mortar. If you're in the process of building a Mattone Barile or Mattone Barile GRANDE pizza oven kit, this factory blend of high-temperature, non-water soluble mortar is exactly what you'll need to construct your fire brick pizza oven. And if you do decide to buy pre-mixed fire brick mortar from Home Depot, there's no need for you to create your own high-temp mortar using fire clay, hydrated lime, portland cement, and fine-grain sand.
Home Depot Fire Brick
The Home Depot Fire Brick online inventory tracker is known for its reliability; however, we highly recommend that you verify the availability of items with a quick phone call before making a trip. Additionally, it's advisable to check nearby Home Depots for their fire brick inventory. If other branches have fire bricks in stock, reaching out to an expert behind the Home Depot Pro-Desk and requesting a transfer of fire bricks from the stocking Home Depot location to your preferred Home Depot would be beneficial.