Sales
When will the Fly Ash Brick (FAB) and Fly Ash Paver (FAP) be available?
Pilot projects will commence in April 2010 for both the face brick and the hardscape products. The very first project is planned for Tallahassee, Florida at a K2 Urban development called Evening Rose. In this project, CalStar’s modular face brick are being installed on two small commercial projects.
How can I schedule an AIA-approved Continuing Education Credit course on Sustainable Masonry?
Our U.S. Sales Manager, Gene Guetzow, has delivered hundreds of AIA-accredited presentations to audiences throughout the Midwest. The best way to learn about FAB masonry is to request an AIA-accredited presentation from Gene by e-mail gguetzow@calstarproducts.com.
When will sample boards be available?
CalStar’s 29 distributors have sample boards available for architects and designers. View a current list of distributors.
Will the Fly Ash Brick (FAB) be the right brick for every commercial/architectural job?
Designers will use a certain brick based on that brick’s particular look. Depending on clay type, molding process, and kiln firing temperature, clay brick manufacturers produce widely differing aesthetics. The precommercial FAB prototypes are smooth, dimensionally stable, cored modular and utility brick with a commercial look. They have a high-end pressed aesthetic—not unlike pressed clay brick. With FAB’s high recycled content, plant proximity to Chicago (< 75 miles), and innovative low energy manufacturing process, our brick is best matched to LEED® commercial projects.
Product
What are the ingredients in CalStar products?
Fly ash, fine aggregates, and water make up more than 99.5% of CalStar products. The remaining material (< 0.5%) is proprietary.
What sizes will be produced this year?
Modular and utility bricks and 4×8″ Holland pavers.
What colors are available?
CalStar brick and pavers are currently available in 8 colors: natural, tan, brown, tangerine, light red, dark red, light gray, and dark gray. View approximate colors
Do units come in special shapes?
Special shapes will be available in the future.
What are the material tolerances for different sizes?
CalStar bricks are well within the tolerances for FBX brick as specified in ASTM C216 – 07a Standard Specification for Facing Brick (Solid Masonry Units Made from Clay or Shale) and pavers as specified in ASTM C902 – 09 Standard Specification for Pedestrian and Light Traffic Paving Brick.
Do the bricks or pavers effloresce?
No. See the CTL report.
How can CalStar products be cleaned?
CalStar products can be cleaned using conventional products and methods. See BIA Technical Note 20 Cleaning Brickwork for recommended cleaning practices for brick masonry.
What kind of mortar can be used with CalStar bricks?
CalStar bricks are compatible with mortars recommended by the BIA, in Technical Note 8 Mortars for Brickwork. CalStar bricks show excellent compatibility with pre-blended mortars such as Quikrete. CalStar bricks develop a good bond with all these mortars.
What ASTM standards do CalStar products meet?
CalStar bricks meet the performance requirements of ASTM C216 – 07a Standard Specification for Facing Brick (Solid Masonry Units Made from Clay or Shale). CalStar pavers meet the performance requirements of ASTM C902 – 09 Standard Specification for Pedestrian and Light Traffic Paving Brick.
Are there ASTM standards for fly ash bricks and pavers?
There are not yet ASTM standards specifically for fly ash bricks or fly ash pavers. However, CalStar products meet the performance requirements of the corresponding clay and concrete brick and paver specifications (ASTM C216 – 07a Standard Specification for Facing Brick (Solid Masonry Units Made from Clay or Shale), C1364 – 09 Standard Specification for Concrete Facing Brick, C902 – 09 Standard Specification for Pedestrian and Light Traffic Paving Brick, C936/C936M – 09 Standard Specification for Solid Concrete Interlocking Paving Units).
When will there be standards for fly ash bricks or pavers?
We will start the process of developing fly ash-specific standards with ASTM, shortly.
Is it valid to use an existing ASTM standard for clay or concrete brick or pavers, when your product is neither clay nor concrete?
Yes. New products are usually tested to the performance criteria for existing products of similar use. To test to lower or different standards would be inappropriate. The performance requirements for clay and concrete bricks are remarkably similar (see ASTM C216- 07a Standard Specification for Facing Brick (Solid Masonry Units Made from Clay or Shale), and C1634 – 09 Standard Specification for Concrete Facing Brick), as are the performance requirements for clay and concrete pavers (see ASTM C902 – 09 Standard Specification for Pedestrian and Light Traffic Paving Brick and C936/C936M – 09 Standard Specification for Solid Concrete Interlocking Paving Units). Facing brick performance requirements typically include a minimum strength (3000 to 3500 psi), water absorption properties, and freeze/thaw durability (passing 50 cycles of an accelerated freeze/thaw test). Likewise, paver standards have requirements for strength, water absorption properties, and freeze/thaw durability (passing 50 cycles of the specified freeze/thaw test). Given that the standards for different materials (clay and concrete) are so similar, it is reasonable and prudent that fly ash products should meet or exceed these standards.
What kind of fly ash do you use?
Class C fly ash, as defined by ASTM C618 – 05 Standard Specification for Coal Fly Ash and Raw or Calcined Natural Pozzolan for Use in Concrete.
Does fly ash in any form present any health issues?
As with any fine material, care should be taken when handling fly ash to prevent dusting and reduce exposure to inhalation. In most cases, fly ash poses no greater danger than ordinary Portland cement, or finely ground brick powder. In all cases, as a matter of good housekeeping, workers should wear appropriate personal protective equipment.
Are the bricks safe for a mason to handle? What about cutting?
Based on third-party environmental health and safety assessments, CalStar products do not pose any greater risk than normal clay brick to masons. Masons can handle CalStar bricks and pavers the same way they would handle normal clay brick or pavers. No additional protective measures are required. CalStar recommends using a wet saw or guillotine to reduce dust when cutting.
Environment
Why are you making a brick? What is clay brick’s energy and CO2 footprint?
Brick is an energy- and carbon-intensive industry — primarily due to the kiln firing requirements in the clay brick manufacturing process. Some architects and specifiers are specifying fiber cement board, wood and other nonbrick claddings because they are concerned that brick is not a green option. U.S. demand for brick is almost 10 billion units in a typical year. At 1.3 pounds of CO2 per brick, the industry footprint equals almost 13 billion pounds of CO2 per year. We love the look and feel of brick — and want to preserve brick’s place in architecture by providing architects with a truly green alternative.
Does the clay brick industry care about the energy and CO2 intensity of its manufacturing process?
The industry is aware of the issue. The Brick Industry Association has hired a full-time vice president of environment, health and safety and programs from major industry forums in the last two years have included climate change and energy-intensity as a main topic for presented papers. It seems well understood that traditional methods of clay brick manufacturing will be challenged by increasing environmental regulations governing emissions from kilns, and/or by policies requiring carbon trading or taxation.
Isn’t CalStar Products, Inc. perpetuating the use of coal by utilizing this coal by-product?
No. Fly ash will be produced regardless of whether CalStar Products, Inc. uses it or not. We expect to use several million tons per year, against a supply of over 70 million tons. It is the best available tool for mitigating the large CO2 footprint of building materials.
Are the Fly Ash Brick (FAB) and Fly Ash Paver (FAP) safe?
Yes, unequivocally. It’s safe to transport, to install, to touch and to dispose. See the testing and evaluation from third-party laboratories here.
Why not just let the utilities bear the high cost of landfill disposal for fly ash, and realize the full cost of burning coal?
The revenue from selling fly ash is a tiny fraction of the utility’s total revenues, typically less than one-tenth of one percent, and any increase in disposal costs would ultimately be borne by the utility’s customers.
Shouldn’t the energy used in burning coal be considered in the energy footprint of fly ash—and therefore in CalStar’s products?
No. The coal is burned to produce energy, not fly ash. The fly ash is generated all day, whether or not it is sold.
Why do the National Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and the EPA support the recycling of fly ash into construction products?
While the federal government is encouraging renewable generation like wind, solar and biomass, coal-fired generation is still a substantial component of our energy mix. Coal-fired generation is responsible for about 50% of the power supplied to our electricity grid and U.S. electric utilities generate 130 million tons of CCP’s (coal combustion products) every year. Fly ash has been used as a substitute and complement for Ordinary Portland Cement for decades—it is a ubiquitous material in modern construction and design. When used in building materials, fly ash is bound safely within a solid matrix. The EPA’s C2P2 (Coal Combustion Products Partnership) program has encouraged fly ash use to reduce CO2 emissions and reduce landfill burdens since the early 1990s.
Plant
Why did you choose Wisconsin for a first CalStar Products, Inc. brick plant?
After extensive technical, safety and aesthetic screening, we selected We Energies in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for their high fly ash quality, their long-standing leadership in recycling, and their strong interest in and support of our company and products.
Who are CalStar’s partners in commercialization in Wisconsin?
CalStar Products, Inc. is fortunate to work with several excellent commercialization partners, including: We Energies, the Milwaukee-based electric utility; Wispark, LLC, the real estate development firm owned by We Energies; Partners in Design, a top-ranked Wisconsin- and Illinois-based commercial architecture practice; Berghammer Construction, a general contractor based in Wisconsin; and Keyria, a leading brick plant design and engineering firm.