English for Civil Engineering

Building Materials

JUVRIANTO CJ, S.PD., M.PD.

Building materials are materials that are used in the construction of buildings,
houses and other structures. This includes traditional materials such as wood and
newer materials that are designed to meet a variety of modern construction
requirements. The following are common types of building material.

Without knowing and understanding about building materials, we cannot build a

good building.

Remember, “Best building comes from best building materials”

WOOD
A hard natural material that has been used for interiors and exteriors for thousands of
years. Wood is a sustainable material when responsibly sourced as it is a carbon-neutral
renewable resource.

Example Uses Exteriors, interiors, flooring, roofs, decorative

elements, load bearing structures, landscaping and
fencing.
Properties Resists compression, reasonably high
tensile strength, pliable, workable and visually
appealing. The properties of wood differ greatly
depending on the type.
Notes Woods are broadly classified into softwoods and
hardwoods based on tree species. This is somewhat
misleading as hardwoods aren't necessarily harder
than softwoods.
CONCRETE
Concrete is a composite material that contains aggregates such as sand, gravel and crushed stone
with a binder such as Portland cement. Chemical admixtures are often added to change the
properties of the concrete or to speed up or slow down hardening.

Example Uses Foundations, load bearing structures and sidewalks.

Concrete is heavy and has high compressive strength

Properties but remarkably low tensile strength. For this reason, it
is often reinforced with a material with high tensile
strength such as steel bars known as rebar.

Concrete is by far the most widely used construction

material by weight. It is generally perceived as
Notes unattractive and stark as it is associated with utilitarian
infrastructure such as highway overpasses and dams.
Cement production produces significant greenhouse
gas emissions.
GLASS
A durable but brittle material that is valued for its optical properties such as its ability to
refract, reflect and transmit light. Glass is often designed to be transparent or translucent.
Most glass contains silicon dioxide and is manufactured in thousands of varieties. A strong
type of frameless glass known as structural glass can be used in load bearing structures.

Example Uses Windows, facades, walls, roofs and floors.

Valued for its optical properties, particular its

transparency. Glass is durable but brittle and is prone
Properties
to fracture. Treatments such as laminates can make
glass less brittle.

Glass comes in many varieties that include materials

Notes
such as fiberglass, glass-ceramics and fiber optics.
CERAMICS
Ceramics are a broad category of hard inorganic material manufactured using minerals. Most
tranditional ceramics are non-metallic. However, some materials made from combinations of metals
and minerals are considered ceramics. Traditional ceramics include earthenware, stoneware and
porcelain. Modern ceramics include silicon nitride, silicon carbide and titanium carbide.

Bricks, fireplaces, chimneys, mortar, decorative

Example Uses features, countertops, sinks, tubs, bathrooms and
kitchen tiles.
Ceramics are often hard, durable, water, heat and fire
resistant. Modern engineered ceramics such as titanium
Properties
carbide and tungsten carbide are amongst the strongest
known materials.
Production of ceramics often requires high
temperatures. As such, ceramics can be energy
Notes
intensive and expensive. However, they are often
extremely durable.
STEEL
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is also common to add other metals to steel to improve its
properties. For example, stainless steel includes chromium and nickel to improve the corrosion
resistance of the metal. Steel began to replace cast iron as the structural metal of choice for large
structures at the end of the 19th century. Steel is also used in a large number of construction materials,
parts and components.
Structural steel, reinforcing bars, decorative
Example Useselements, sheet metal, wires, pipes, bolts, nails and
screws.
The properties of steel differ based on its carbon
content, metal content and manufacturing processes.
Generally speaking, it has high compressive and
Properties
tensile strength. Steel is durable, highly recyclable
and has good thermal conductivity. Stainless steel
resists corrosion.
Steel is not combustible but can lose strength in a
Notes fire. As such, most structural steel must be
fireproofed.
CARBON FIBER
Carbon fibers are a relatively new material that have interesting material properties for construction
including high tensile strength, chemical resistance and low thermal expansion. These are often used in
composite materials such as fiber-reinforced concrete and carbon fiber reinforced plastic where fiber is
used for its superior tensile strength.

Example Used to improve the strength of concrete, wood,

Uses plastics and masonry.

Carbon fiber has a far higher tensile strength than

most known materials. For example, its tensile
strength is more than 5x that of steel. Other carbon-
Properties
based materials are even stronger. For example,
graphene has a tensile strength of around 18,854,905
Psi compared to steel at approximately 77,015 Psi.

Carbon nanotubes and graphene are far stronger than

Notes carbon fiber and are likely to become important
construction materials in the future.
COPPER
Copper has been used in architecture since at least the 3rd century BC. It is valued for its superior qualities
in areas such as thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance. Copper is also viewed as a visually
attractive metal with a lustrous reddish-gold color and a bright green patina that forms with exposure to the
elements.

Roofs, gutters, pipes, wall cladding, building

Example
expansion joints, wires, radio frequency
Uses
shielding and lightning protection.
Durable, corrosion resistant, low thermal
Properties expansion, low maintenance, antimicrobial and
highly recyclable.

Copper surfaces form a characteristic green

patina coating with time that provides corrosion
Notes resistance. In the absence of harsh conditions
such as pollution and salt, copper corrodes at a
rate of less than 0.4 mm in 200 years.
ALUMINIUM
A lightweight and durable metal that has a large number of specialty uses.

Example Uses Exterior panels, facades and window frames.

Light, ductile, malleable, corrosion resistant,

Properties nonmagnetic, thermal conductor, electrical
conductor.

Aluminum is corrosion resistant due to the

formation of a layer of aluminum oxide when
exposed to air. Aluminum is highly reactive and
Notes
is not resistant to a wide variety of chemical
exposures such as salt. This is the reason it is
not typically used in plumbing.
PLASTIC
Plastic is a category of synthetic material derived from petrochemicals or renewable biomass sources. It is
an inexpensive material that is formulated and shaped into a very large number of construction products.

Pipes, flooring, roofing, siding, windows,

Example Uses
doors and interior panels.

Cheap and available in significant variety.

Plastics are often lightweight, durable,
flammable and sensitive to temperature.
Properties They can be reasonably strong for most
applications but aren't typically used for load
bearing structures. Often used as a coating or
covering for other materials.

People may have negative perceptions of

Notes plastic including the idea that plastic
materials are "fake."
PLASTER
Plaster is a material that is applied as a decorative or protective coating of interior walls and ceilings. A
similar material applied to exteriors is known as render or stucco. Plasters are based on gypsum, lime,
cement or clay and are applied as a paste that hardens.

Interior walls, exterior walls, ceilings and

Example Uses
fireproofing.

Easily worked, moulded and finished. Plasters

are not strong and are easily damaged.
However, they also tend to be easy to repair.
Properties
Some plasters have fireproofing properties and
a thick plaster formulated for this purpose can
resist fire for up to an hour.

Plaster-like materials are often used in sculpture

Notes
and art.
STONE
The craft of using stone in construction is known as stonemasonry. This is an ancient type of construction
that is difficult and expensive as compared to modern materials. Stone such as limestone, slate and
sandstone are commonly used to repair and restore historical buildings. Visually appealing stones such as
granite and marble are used to add luxury features to building interiors and exteriors.

Repair of historical buildings, facades,

Example Uses interior walls, floors, bathrooms and
countertops.
Heavy, durable, hard, high compressive
Properties strength, difficult to work and visually
appealing.

Stonemasonry is amongst the most difficult

of the trades that was traditionally a 7 year
Notes
apprenticeship. Modern apprenticeships are
often 3 years.
MINERALS (SAND)
Minerals such as sand, clay and gypsum are used in construction due to their low cost and properties such
as fire resistance or compressive strength. For example, drywall made with gypsum and paper that is used
for interior walls and ceilings.

Drywall, bricks and aggregate for

Example Uses
cement and mortar.

Minerals may be relatively

inexpensive and have desirable
Properties
properties such as fire resistance or
high compressive strength.

Minerals are also used in the

Notes production of glass and ceramic
materials such as tiles.
EXERCISE
S
1. Find your partner.
2. Make a conversation about “what is your house is made from?”
Example:
A : “What is your house made from?”
B : “My house is made from stone” or “My house is made from wood.”
A : “What is its window made from?”
B : “Its window is made from wood and glass”

window / roof / door / floor / wall