Global Journal of Earth and Environmental Science

The upsurge in the rate of buildings collapse in Nigeria had become a major concern to the government and populace. This research was done to determine the suitability of sandcrete blocks used for buildings construction in Asaba metropolis. 100 blocks were sampled from sandcrete blocks producing factories within the Asaba region, and their compressive strength determined according to ASTM International procedure. Field observations made revealed that blocks factories managers had failed to compile with Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS) or any other international approved guidelines for sandcrete blocks production. Results obtained from the compressive test indicated that the compressive strength of the 6-inch blocks ranged between 0.87 MPa and 2.53 MPa; while the compressive strength of the 9-inch blocks varied from 1.03 MPa to 2.93 MPa. The study findings further revealed that only 20% of the blocks met NIS requirement; while the remaining 80% of the blocks failed to meet the NIS requirement. The study affirmed that blocks incorporated with granite fines developed higher strength, when compared to the blocks produced without granite fines. Findings of this study is an indication for the Nigeria government to closely commercially produced blocks in Delta State, to ensure that they conformed with the NIS recommendation for wall building materials.