A manual brick making machine uses a lever, a steel mould and a tamper instead of a motor, so it works anywhere: a farm, a rural village or a township yard with no reliable power. The two common kinds are hand presses that make one or two bricks at a time and manual egg-layers that drop a few bricks onto a slab each cycle. Output is lower than an electric machine, but so are the costs. For a manual brick making machine price list, tell us what you want to make and independent suppliers will send free quotes, with no obligation.
Types of hand brick making machine
- Hand presses: a box mould with a long lever; you fill, press and push out one or two bricks, maxis or interlocking blocks at a time.
- Manual egg-layers: a wheeled mould frame you fill, tamp and lift, leaving a few bricks on the slab each drop.
- Manual paver machines: four-drop lever machines for pavers.
- Earth block presses: lever presses for compressed earth and interlocking bricks.
Some manual egg-layers can take a bolt-on vibrator later, a cheap step towards electric.
Choosing a small brick making machine
Think about who will work it all day. A long lever with good leverage and a mould that releases cleanly saves the crew's backs. Check the steel thickness of the mould box, the welds, the lever pivot and the wheels; light machines are easy to move but wear faster. Choose between stock bricks, maxi bricks or blocks, because each needs its own mould. Without vibration, compaction comes from tamping and pressure, so ask the supplier what output and strength they get with your mould, mix and crew.
Getting good bricks from a manual machine
Manual bricks are only as good as the mix and the tamping. Measure cement and sand by the bucket or wheelbarrow, not by eye, and keep the mix just damp enough to hold together when squeezed. Fill the mould fully and tamp evenly so the corners come out sharp. Cure the bricks damp and covered for about the first week. Common mistakes: cutting the cement to save money, a mix so wet it slumps, and stacking bricks before they have hardened. Keep pivots greased, the mould clean, and fingers clear of the lever.
Manual brick making machine prices and what to ask
New hand presses and manual paver machines start around R5,500 to R7,500, manual egg-layers around R16,000, and manual mobile machines with a block mould go up to about R48,000. Ask each supplier:
- which moulds come with the machine and what extra moulds cost
- the steel thickness and which parts wear first
- whether a vibrator can be added later
- delivery, and where spares come from
What to include in your request
- Hand press or manual egg-layer
- What you will make
- Moulds wanted
- Whether a vibrator may be added later
- Your town and delivery needs
Manual Brick Machines for different clients
- Homeowners: making bricks yourself for a backyard room, boundary wall or outside toilet
- Builders and bricklaying contractors: a cheap second machine for small rural sites where there is no power
- Housing developers and complexes: lever presses for labour-based housing projects that train local teams
- Brickyards and block yards: a low-cost machine for special orders or for training new staff
- New brick-making businesses: the lowest-cost way to test brick making before buying an electric machine
- Farms and smallholdings: bricks for staff houses, stores and kraals without needing grid power
- Municipalities, schools and public works: skills and youth projects learning brick making with simple equipment
- Landscapers and paving teams: manual paver machines for small runs of garden paving and edging
Frequently asked questions
What does a manual brick making machine cost?
How many bricks can I make by hand in a day?
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Manual Brick Machines by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg