1. What are Tunnel Bricks?
1.1. Definition
Tunnel bricks (also known as standard clay bricks / solid bricks) are traditional fired clay bricks featuring a characteristic red color and rectangular hollow or solid shapes. They are widely used in civil construction.
Affordable fired tunnel bricks
In addition, tunnel bricks are nowadays also used as decorative bricks in various interior designs, bringing a unique and novel aesthetic standard.
Flatlay styling of antique-look red bricks
Red wall and floor tiles for bathrooms
1.2. Characteristics
Heat-resistant Tunnel Bricks: Hollow bricks can quickly absorb and release heat, keeping your living space cool in summer and warm in winter.
Heat-resistant red bricks paving the cafe front courtyard
High Durability: Standardized raw material processing ensures bricks are sturdy and durable during construction.
Moisture Resistance and Anti-Fading: With renowned smoothness strictly tested from tunnel kiln factories, the bricks retain color, resist staining, and prevent moss growth when exposed to water. Therefore, tunnel bricks are widely chosen for various areas, including bathrooms and exteriors.
Tunnel bricks for facade wall cladding
2. Distinguishing Tunnel Bricks and Concrete Block Bricks
|
Characteristics |
Fired Tunnel Bricks |
Concrete Block Bricks |
|
Main raw materials |
Clay, industrial by-products |
Cement |
|
Common colors |
Red |
Concrete gray |
|
Manufacturing process |
Fired at high temperatures |
Unfired |
|
Moisture absorption |
High (14-18%) |
Low (8-10%) |
|
Heat resistance |
High |
Moderate |
3. Production of Standard Bricks
3.1. Raw Materials
The primary raw material for manufacturing tunnel bricks is clay. Today, to prevent the depletion of natural resources, tunnel bricks are also produced from hill soil, construction waste, coal slag, and fly ash from thermal power plants.
3.2. Technology & Production Process
Diverse raw materials are thoroughly soaked, cured, and hydrolyzed multiple times to create high cohesion and increase plasticity (replacing clay) before being extruded and molded.
Plastic extrusion technology combined with vacuum de-airing and firing at appropriate temperatures yields final brick products that rival the quality of traditional clay bricks.
Finally, the bricks are dried and fired.
3.3. Tunnel Brick Standards
Finished hollow fired clay bricks must comply with standard TCVN 1450:2009, and TCVN 1451:1998 for solid bricks.
In addition, the bricks must be square and true to size, with an aesthetically pleasing and high-quality surface, and traditional red color. In particular, black-cored defects must be eliminated.
Red tunnel bricks for living room wall cladding
4. Tunnel Brick Manufacturers
Standard clay brick is one of the few long-standing traditional domestic brick types in Vietnam. Fired brick manufacturers across the market span from North to South: Binh Duong, Dong Nai, An Giang, Ninh Hoa, Bim Son, Bac Ninh Tunnel Bricks, and more.
Combination of Royal 03M and 04M tiles with Tunnel bricks for living room wall and floor
Most prominent are two industry leaders in brick and tile manufacturing:
Dong Nai Tunnel Brick Factory: Over many years of establishment and growth, Dong Nai construction bricks have consistently provided customers with high-quality, cost-effective products and continuous functional improvements. This is an affordable brick and tile brand trusted by many customers.
Red tunnel facing bricks for bathroom wall cladding
Binh Duong Tunnel Kiln Factory: Hollow bricks here are manufactured using modern technology, offering the crisp definition of a perfected product with exceptionally vibrant and attractive designs and colors.
Antique-look red bricks paving the front courtyard
5. Traditional Fired Brick Models
Solid Facing Bricks
Featuring high durability, solid facing bricks are flexibly used in various interior spaces.
Hollow Tunnel Bricks
This is the signature type of the tunnel brick line; however, its strength is not as high as solid facing bricks, making it often used for decoration to create interior accents.
In addition to classic hollow tunnel bricks, red bricks today also come in a 75×300 flat subway format, widely used by interior designers as decorative wall tiles.
75×300 Ceramic Subway Tiles
Antique-look red facing bricks for bathroom wall cladding
6. Tunnel Brick Price List
As a popular material in civil construction such as homes, schools, hospitals, and markets, competitively priced tunnel construction bricks are widely distributed by many building material suppliers.
Khatra provides the price list for the two most common types of fired bricks today:
|
Brick Type |
Size (cm) |
Unit |
Price (VND) |
|
Hollow Tunnel Brick |
8x8x18 |
Piece |
From 900 |
|
Solid Fired Brick |
4x8x18 |
Piece |
From 900 |
See more affordable outdoor patio tiles here.
7. Applications
Tunnel bricks are flexibly combined with encaustic tiles, wood-look tiles, granite floor tiles, etc., bringing a space that is both modern and rustic, airy.
In particular, this is also Vietnam’s signature brick type for the Tropical Space interior design trend, which is currently favored and widely used across many spaces.
Additionally, tunnel bricks provide exceptional thermal insulation for living spaces.
Red tunnel bricks used for garden floor paving
Red bricks paving the garden floor
A residential design in Da Nang proved this: even with weather reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius, both indoor and garden spaces remained airy and cool without using air conditioning or electric fans.
Red fired clay bricks are used to create eye-catching lighting effects both day and night.
Where to buy
Contact for Purchase
KHATRA is proud to be a pioneer in importing high-quality porcelain wall and floor tiles with diverse patterns and continuous stock arrivals, featuring extremely attractive discounts for construction companies, design firms, and project developers.
