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An adobe brick is a composite material made of earth mixed with water and an organic material such as straw or dung. The soil composition typically contains sand, silt and clay. Straw is useful in binding the brick together and allowing the brick to dry evenly, thereby preventing cracking due to uneven shrinkage rates through the brick.
Adobe bricks are rectangular prisms small enough that they can quickly air dry individually without cracking. They can be subsequently assembled, with the application of adobe mud to bond the individual bricks into a structure. There is no standard size, with substantial variations over the years and in different regions.
In dry climates, adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for some of the oldest existing buildings in the world. Adobe buildings offer significant advantages due to their greater thermal mass, but they are known to be particularly susceptible to earthquake damage if they are not somehow reinforced
This are usually made by pressing the mud mixture into an open timber frame. The mixture is molded into the frame, which is removed after initial setting.
This bricks are most often made into units weighing less than 100 pounds and small enough that they can quickly air dry individually without cracking. They can be subsequently assembled, with the application of adobe mud, to bond the individual bricks into a structure.