What People Ask

A Compressed Earth Block (CEB) is a structural masonry block made by compressing earth, typically at high pressure, into a solid, durable building unit. A Stabilized Compressed Earth Block (SCEB) is a CEB with a small dose of Portland cement mixed in to stabilize the soil before the press. We make SCEBs because that common-sense durability is what clients and partners value. Engineered dirt, not traditional adobe.

Only if you’ve never seen a properly built modern CEB structure. These are engineered buildings with real performance behind them.

In an independent lab compression test, a full-size block of ours tested at more than 1,000 psi (dry, fully cured). That is more than three times the 300 psi minimum for compressed earth block in New Mexico’s earthen building code. Texas has no statewide earthen building code, so your local building official and your engineer have the final say.

Not if it’s properly stabilized and detailed. Good stabilization, roof overhangs, and proper base detailing solve most moisture concerns.

They can be approved. New Mexico has adopted an earthen building code (14.7.4 NMAC). Texas has no statewide earthen code, so approval goes through your local building official. Texas jurisdictions can review earth block through the building code’s alternative materials section (IRC/IBC 104.11 in the 2021 codes, 104.2.3 in the 2024 IBC), which usually means an engineered design and the official’s approval.

ASTM E2392 is a design guide that engineers use for earthen walls, not a building code or a product approval. Your engineer and local building official decide which tests and values apply to your project.

Mostly habit, supply, and paperwork. Few companies make the block, fewer crews have laid it, and in Texas it usually goes through the alternative materials approval path with an engineer. We make the block locally and help you with the paperwork side.

It depends on the design, the wall thickness, the finishes, freight, and labor, so we do not post a dollars-per-square-foot number. Email us your plans and we will quote block and delivery. When you compare, look at the whole wall system, including finishes and long-term upkeep, not just the price of the block.

Earth block lays up like other masonry, with a crew, mortar or slurry, and a level. Schedule depends on the design, crew, and finishes. If you leave the block exposed, you skip a finish step. Ask us for a schedule estimate for your project.

Can your own crews lay it? Often, yes. A crew that already lays brick, block, or stone can pick up earth block, because the basics (level courses, plumb corners, consistent joints) are the same. The first few courses are where mistakes happen, so we suggest your crew talk with us before they start. Your engineer’s plans still decide the details, such as where the bond beam and lintels go.

Earth block walls are heavy, so they sit on a concrete foundation, usually a slab with thickened edges or a footing and stem wall, much like a brick or block house. The right size depends on your soil and your design, so an engineer should design it, often after a soil test. Keep the first course of block up off the ground and away from standing water, with a moisture barrier between the concrete and the block. Your local building official and engineer have the final say.

Plan it before the walls go up, because moving a pipe or outlet later means cutting block. Common ways are to cut a channel in the block where your engineer allows and plaster over it; set conduit or boxes as the wall is laid; or run lines through framed interior walls, floors, and ceilings. It is good practice to keep water lines out of outside walls when you can. A licensed electrician and plumber do the work to your local code.

Each window and door sits in a wood or steel frame (called a buck) set into the wall as it goes up, with a beam (called a lintel) over the top to carry the block above. A concrete beam along the top of the walls (called a bond beam) ties the walls together and gives the roof something solid to anchor to. The roof is then strapped or bolted to that beam, and wide overhangs help keep rain off the walls. Your engineer sizes the lintels, bond beam, and tie-downs for your design and your area’s wind.

Less than most people expect, because SCEB walls are stabilized and resist erosion. Most problems in earthen buildings come from poor detailing at the foundation or roofline, such as splash-back, poor drainage, or short overhangs, not from the block itself. Keep water off the top and away from the base, and check plaster or sealer on the same schedule as any masonry house.

Here in Texas the usual suspects are termites, carpenter ants, and powderpost beetles, and all three are after wood. There is none in an SCEB. Mice and roof rats would need a lot of patience to chew through a solid SCEB wall. If a bug or a critter makes it through one of our walls, you likely have more pressing issues at hand. Building outside Texas? Tell us what crawls around your place, and we are happy to help you check it against a solid SCEB wall. Your wood framing, trim, and roof still need the same termite protection as any other house, because termites can travel through cracks and joints to reach them.

Yes. Plaster, stucco, or siding such as board-and-batten all work over earth block. They add cost, and depending on your climate and design they can also add weather protection or room for insulation. Or leave the block exposed if the design allows. Your designer can help you choose. If you paint, use a breathable silicate paint. Do not wrap it in a plastic film coating. Trapped moisture creates the problem you were trying to avoid.

Currently we offer three sizes: 7, 8, and 10 inches wide, all 14 inches long and 3.5 inches tall.

Yes, and we’d like to. The right yard or distributor partner helps us get SCEBs to more builders, and we want to make that relationship work for both sides. Reach out on the contact page and we’ll talk through terms.

Email us on the Contact page with what you want to build: plans or sizes, location, and any soil or site notes. We quote block and freight by email. The minimum order is one pallet (about 55 of our 10 inch blocks; pallet counts for other sizes come with your quote). We don’t post stock counts on the site, and availability is confirmed by email before any deposit. Block counts are approximate until the design is confirmed. See the Blocks page for sizes and ordering options.