Compressed earth block

Forming compressed earth blocks requires dampening, mechanically pressing at high pressure, and then drying the resulting material.

Typically, around 3,000 psi (21 MPa) of pressure is applied in compression, and the original material volume is reduced by about half.

A commercial industry has been advanced by eco-friendly contractors, manufacturers of the mechanical presses, and by cultural acceptance of the method.

The South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry considers that CEB, locally called "Dutch brick", is an appropriate technology for a developing country, as are adobe, rammed earth and cob.

[1] In 2002 the International Institute for Energy Conservation was one of the winners of a World Bank Development Marketplace Award for a project to make an energy-efficient Dutch brick-making machine for home construction in South Africa.

The Cinva Ram is a single-block, manual-press that uses a long, hand-operated lever to drive a cam, generating high pressure.

Industrial manufacturers produce much larger machines that run with diesel or gasoline engines and hydraulic presses that receive the soil/aggregate mixture through a hopper.

Rubble-filled foundation trench designs with a reinforced concrete grade beam above are allowed to support CEB construction.

[citation needed] Using the ASTM D1633-00 stabilization standard, a pressed and cured block must be submerged in water for four hours.