Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) blocks are a lightweight, precast building material made of sand, fly ash, cement, lime and water. During the autoclaving process, lime reacts with water and other materials to form air bubbles in the concrete, making it lightweight. AAC blocks have advantages like being eco-friendly, fire resistant, sound insulating, and termite resistant. Some challenges to their use include limited awareness of AAC blocks among builders and engineers, and higher prices compared to traditional bricks due to transportation costs.

1. Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Blocks
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC), also known as
autoclaved cellular concrete (ACC) is a lightweight, precast,
concrete building material used for commercial, industrial
and residential construction.
Technology
AAC manufactured elements are formed of silica sand/fly
ash, cement, lime and water. By adding aluminum powder
a reaction is produced with consequently forming of a
multitude of little air bubbles inside the bulk. During the
autoclaving, the lime in the binder reacts with the water
and silica/ flyash and forms calcium Silicate hydrates.
Companies manufacturing AAC Blocks
• Biltech Building Elements Limited, New Delhi
• Aercon India, Gujarat
• Aswani Construction Pvt. Ltd., Gujarat
• Methra Industries India Pvt Ltd, Tamil Nadu
• Brixo Industries, Gujarat
• Iolite Cube Inframaterial Private Limited, Gujarat
• Naldehra Building Centre, Haryana
• Litecon Industries, Gujarat
• JVS Comatsco Industries Pvt. Ltd, Maharashtra
• Magicrete Building Solutions, Gujarat
• Pravin Buildtech Pvt. Ltd., Gujarat
• Renaatus Procon Pvt. Ltd., Tamil Nadu
• Aarush Building Materials, Andhra Pradesh
Advantages
• Eco-friendly: Made of non-toxic ingredients and non-
polluting manufacturing process
• Lightweight: 3-4 times lighter than traditional bricks
• Thermally Insulated & Energy Efficient: Tiny air pores
and thermal mass of blocks provide thermal insulation,
reducing heating and air conditioning costs of a building
• Fire Resistant: Non-combustible and fire resistant up to
1600° C
• Acoustic Performance: Superior sound absorption
qualities make it ideal for schools, hospitals, hotels,
offices, multi-family housing and other structures that
require acoustic insulation
• Easy Workability and Design Flexibility: Blocks can be
easily cut, drilled, nailed, milled and grooved to fit
individual requirements like hydro-sanitary and electrical
installations
• Sustainable: Retains properties over time and improves
indoor air quality
• Earthquake Resistant: Lightweight blocks reduce mass
of a structure, thus decreasing the impact of an
earthquake on a building.
• Precision: Available in exact sizes reduces cement and
steel usage.
• Termite/Pest Resistant: Due to structure of blocks, it
cannot be damaged or infested by termites and other
pests
• Cost Effective: Reduces operating cost by 30% to 40%.
• Faster Construction: Reduces construction time by 20%
as lighter blocks make construction easier and faster.
• Compressive Strength: AAC block’s average compressive
strength of (28-35) kg/cm2 which is 25% stronger than
other products of the same density.
Some Projects Using AAC Blocks
• Leading Hotels such as ITC, Marriot, The Leela
• Lodha Bellissimo Hospital (Mumbai)
• Wockhardt Hospital (Mumbai)
• Tapti Valley International School (Surat)
• Princess Business Part (Indore)
• Atlantis (Vadodara)
• Rahul Raj Mall (Surat)
• Lotus Boulevard (Noida)

2. Market Survey
For understanding the challenges and issues in the AAC blocks industry, our research analyst conducted the telephonic
interviews with some of the major builders and AAC block manufacturers such as Paras Realtech, Arihant Buildcon, Akshay
Infranirman, Arjun KKR Developers and Magicrete etc. According to them AAC blocks are manufactured as per ISO
standard where the thermal conductivity is 0.16 W/mk under extreme temperature conditions.
Other Survey Outcomes
• Awareness: Most of the builders, architects or structural engineers have limited knowledge about AAC blocks,
their advantages etc. Even some of them are not aware that such kind of product exists in the market.
• Familiarity: Architects and structural engineers don’t feel comfortable with AAC blocks as they are familiar with
clay bricks/concrete blocks.
• Availability: AAC blocks uses fly ash as their main constituent and are readily available in the near-by areas of
thermal power plants or industries having fly ash as their wastage product. While in other areas, supply is limited
with respect to demand in certain areas
• Prices: AAC blocks cost is around 25-30% higher compared to clay bricks/concrete blocks majorly due to
transportation cost.
• Lack of Proficiency: Architects and structural engineers are used to clay bricks/concrete blocks and treat AAC
blocks in the same way due to lack of exposure and availability of AAC blocks. This leads to various problems like
cracks in plaster and blocks.