Home/FAQs
FAQs
Common questions, answered directly.
Grouped by product, cost and performance, and franchise & manufacturing — the questions we hear most from builders, engineers, and prospective partners.
Product
ABS is a 3-part solution: Waffle Pods for the ground slab and foundation, ABS Blocks for the dry-stack interlocking walls, and Speed Slab for suspended upper-floor formwork. For maximum time and cost savings all three should be used together, though each can also be used individually.
Correct — ABS Blocks interlock similar to a Lego block in what's commonly called a Dry Stack System, removing the need for cement between joints during laying.
A typical block layer places 90–100 conventional blocks a day. The same crew can lay 400–500 ABS blocks a day using the interlocking dry-stack method.
Waffle Pod raft slabs can support structures up to 4 floors, depending on soil sample results for the specific site.
No — the polystyrene Speed Slab panel stays in place permanently, which avoids the labour of stripping timber or ply formwork and delivers ongoing acoustic and thermal insulation benefits.
Cost & Performance
No — cost is comparable to a local block, and typically slightly cheaper, while also being lighter due to the block's two core holes.
Yes. ABS Blocks have been laboratory tested on numerous occasions for strength and load-bearing qualities, giving the system an earthquake and cyclone rating.
No — ABS walls come out straighter and truer than conventional block walls, saving considerable plaster and time. In most cases a spray-on render is sufficient.
Yes — almost any filler material can be added to the block mix to reduce cost without affecting structural integrity. Adding Leca, for example, produces a lighter block with much better thermal performance.
Franchise & Manufacturing
A plant typically requires 30,000–40,000 sq ft of land, water and 3-phase power, a concrete slab for the machine, and a covered shed.
A typical plant runs with just 4 workers and can produce 4,000–6,000 blocks a day depending on plant size — with paving brick output able to double that figure.
ABS offers a turnkey operation under a simple franchise system, guiding partners through the entire process — from plant setup through production — until the team is fully confident and competent.
Yes — plants can produce any number of brick profiles as well as paving bricks, giving franchisees multiple product lines from one facility.