building material

/ˌbɪldɪŋ məˌtɪriəl/

Other forms: building materials

Definitions of building material

1. noun

   material used for constructing buildings
   types:

   brick

   rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln; used as a building or paving material

   building block

   a block of material used in construction work

   stone

   building material consisting of a piece of rock hewn in a definite shape for a special purpose

   bricks and mortar

   building material consisting of bricks laid with mortar between them

   cement

   a building material that is a powder made of a mixture of calcined limestone and clay; used with water and sand or gravel to make concrete and mortar

   concrete

   a strong hard building material composed of sand and gravel and cement and water

   covering material

   a material used by builders to cover surfaces

   fencing, fencing material

   material for building fences

   flooring

   building material used in laying floors

   gunite

   a mixture of cement and sand and water that is sprayed on a surface under pneumatic pressure

   insulant, insulating material, insulation

   a material that reduces or prevents the transmission of heat or sound or electricity

   lath and plaster

   a building material consisting of thin strips of wood that provide a foundation for a coat of plaster

   lumber, timber

   the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material

   mortar

   a substance used as a bond in masonry or for covering a wall

   roofing material

   building material used in constructing roofs

   shake, shingle

   building material used as siding or roofing

   siding

   material applied to the outside of a building to make it weatherproof

   staff

   building material consisting of plaster and hair; used to cover external surfaces of temporary structure (as at an exposition) or for decoration

   sticks and stone

   a general term for building materials

   wattle and daub

   building material consisting of interwoven rods and twigs covered with clay

   adobe, adobe brick

   sun-dried brick; used in hot dry climates

   ashlar

   a rectangular block of hewn stone used for building purposes

   capstone, copestone, coping stone, stretcher

   a stone that forms the top of wall or building

   breeze block, cinder block, clinker block

   a light concrete building block made with cinder aggregate

   clinker, clinker brick

   a hard brick used as a paving stone

   cornerstone

   a stone at the outer corner of two intersecting masonry walls

   cornerstone

   a stone in the exterior of a large and important building; usually carved with a date and laid with appropriate ceremonies

   firebrick

   brick made of fire clay; used for lining e.g. furnaces and chimneys

   foundation stone

   a stone laid at a ceremony to mark the founding of a new building

   gravestone, headstone, tombstone

   a stone that is used to mark a grave

   grindstone

   a revolving stone shaped like a disk; used to grind or sharpen or polish edge tools

   cope, coping, header

   brick that is laid sideways at the top of a wall

   hearthstone

   a stone that forms a hearth

   headstone, key, keystone

   the central building block at the top of an arch or vault

   millstone

   one of a pair of heavy flat disk-shaped stones that are rotated against one another to grind the grain

   monolith

   a single great stone (often in the form of a column or obelisk)

   mud brick

   a brick made from baked mud

   paving stone

   a stone used for paving

   impost, springer

   the lowest stone in an arch -- from which it springs

   stela, stele

   an ancient upright stone slab bearing markings

   stock

   lumber used in the construction of something

   strip

   thin piece of wood or metal

   voussoir

   a wedge-shaped stone building block used in constructing an arch or vault

   whetstone

   a flat stone for sharpening edged tools or knives

   lagging

   used to wrap around pipes or boilers or laid in attics to prevent loss of heat

   cement

   concrete pavement sometimes referred to as cement

   ferroconcrete, reinforced concrete

   concrete with metal and/or mesh added to provide extra support against stresses

   Portland cement, hydraulic cement

   a cement that hardens under water; made by heating limestone and clay in a kiln and pulverizing the result

   corkboard

   a heat-insulating building material consisting of cork granules that are made into sheets by compressing and baking

   fiberglass, fibreglass

   a covering material made of glass fibers in resins

   lino, linoleum

   a floor covering

   roofing paper, tar paper

   a heavy paper impregnated with tar and used as part of a roof for waterproofing

   plaster

   a mixture of lime or gypsum with sand and water; hardens into a smooth solid; used to cover walls and ceilings

   puddle

   a mixture of wet clay and sand that can be used to line a pond and that is impervious to water when dry

   slate, slating

   thin layers of rock used for roofing

   thatch

   plant stalks used as roofing material

   roofing tile, tile

   a thin flat slab of fired clay used for roofing

   board, plank

   a stout length of sawn timber; made in a wide variety of sizes and used for many purposes

   planking

   planks collectively; a quantity of planks

   clapboard, weatherboard, weatherboarding

   a long thin board with one edge thicker than the other; used as siding by lapping one board over the board below

   type of:

   artefact, artifact

   a man-made object taken as a whole