August 1961
The "s h a le p la n e r " cuts shale (clay h ard e ne d alm ost to slate) from
the w a ll of an open pit. C la y s are d u g from pits or mines.
BRICKS
Plants u su a lly store e n o u g h m ate rials to operate fo r severa l days,
P roce ssin g b e g in s w ith cru sh in g, m ixin g, a n d re m o v in g stones.
and
more
Fifth District firm s produce one-fifth o f the 7 billion
bricks manufactured annually in the United States.
Digitized for FRASER
http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
August 1961
The crushed m ixture g o e s into a circular p an w here it is p ulverized
a n d b lend ed u nd er g rin d in g w h ee ls that w e ig h 4 or 5 tons.
A die fo rm s the m oistened m ixture into a clay colum n, a n d p ia n o
w ire s on the circular fra m e in the fo re g ro u n d cut it into bricks.
About 1.4 billion bricks were made in each of the last two years from the clays of
M aryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the Carolinas. The Tarheel State's 1960 output of
640 million bricks ranked first in the Fifth District and second in the nation. Ohio alone
produced more. Output exceeded 260 million bricks in both Virginia and South Carolina,
placing them am ong the top ten. M aryland's 1960 output w as close to the 145-millionbrick average for all states and West Virginia's slightly exceeded one-half of the average.
Bricks have a low value-to-weight ratio and are rarely delivered beyond a radius of
200 miles. Consequently, areas of greatest output conform roughly to areas of greatest
use. Informed estimates indicate that about 70% of the District's brick output goes into
residential building and that a very high proportion of new houses, probably 9 0% or more
in brick producing areas, have brick exteriors, usually frame or masonry faced with brick.
Bricks are the world's oldest manufactured building material. The basic process has
not changed in several thousand years. O f course great strides have been made, and are
still being made, in the design and use of equipment. The pictures on this page briefly
illustrate the various steps from earth to edifice.
Y e a rs of experience a n d special eq uipm ent such as this corner
post e n a b le the b rick laye r to achieve perfection in his trade.
Digitized for FRASER
http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
This u ltram od e rn furniture m arket facility in H igh Point, N. C., is
an im p re ssive e x a m p le of current trends in the use of brick.