ABSTRACT
The clay and glass industries are based on home-produced materials such as various clays, sands, chalk, flint, and of course coal, and in order to economize on transport, factories are generally placed near to their principal deposits of raw material. The clay used for brickmaking varies from soft surface clays to hard mudstones, shales and soft slates. It is quarried either by hand or with mechanized shovels and hauled to the brickworks, which are almost invariably adjoining the clay pit itself. After forming, the bricks are dried in ventilated drying sheds, in heated drying chambers or on hot floors. Various types of kiln are used for firing the bricks. Brickmaking is predominantly a rural rather than an urban industry, and few brickworks either occur in built-up areas or affect their planning. Stoneware is a special type of clay ware which is used for sewage pipes, chemical stoneware and flooring tiles.
