Firebrick 42% alumina content Getting Started Discuss Firebrick 42% alumina content in the Pizza Oven Design and Installation forums; Hi. I am in based in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia and have found a supplier of fire bricks close to home ...

[pizzahead]

Hi. I am in based in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia and have found a supplier of fire bricks close to home that quote 42% alumina content. Is this too high for a pizza/wood fired oven? I plan on building a 42" oven.

Firebricks seem very expensive here between $3.50 to $5.00 each. Is there anyone out there who has found a good/cheap supply?

Thanks,
Jason

[Johnny the oven man]

$3/brick for 230x115x75 or $3:50 for arches ex our Mulgrave store Jason.

[Mitchamus]

I have 42% in my oven, sourced them from Sydney at $2.70 a brick (new)

they are not the best quality though (chinese), not all of them were 75mm wide... made dry laying the walls & dome "interesting"

[Johnny the oven man]

The big problem with chinese bricks is knowing which plant to buy from or having a broker who is prepared to source quality products for you.

[Mitchamus]

Unfortunately, the place in Sydney where I got them were the only convienient place, the last refractory brick place in newcastle shut down in the 80's.
(I live on the central coast, midway between sydney & newcastle)

I would have prefered to get them from Darley in Vic, but the freight would have been prohibitively expensive...

[Mitchamus]

I have just uploaded a pic of the vault of my oven in the "enclosure" album
so you can see the bricks I used.

cheers,
mitch.

[pizzahead]

Thanks for the help so far guys. John your price sounds pretty good, will the 42% alumina content be able to hold heat long enough to cook roasts etc after I fire the oven for pizza making?

[Mitchamus]

definitely.

My oven is not yet insulated, it has the 42% bricks, and 4" of concrete cladding on top of that.

Last time I cooked pizzas in it, (two weeks ago) the oven was left to burn with just coals at about 9:30pm.

At 10 am the next day it was still about 50 plus degrees inside, with no door, no insulation, and had been left for 12 hours...we also had frost that night.

so with the proper insulation and a door, I am hoping that the temp will be 100 plus the next day... good for cooking a batch of scones to have with breakfast

[Johnny the oven man]

Pizzahead you have P.M

[pizzahead]

John, what does PM mean? Your bricks at $3 - is this including or excluding GST. Thanks.