An outdoor pizza oven gives you the chance to experience restaurant-quality pizza at home. While building a DIY pizza oven is rewarding, it’s not always easy to start. You have to choose the type of brick, consider where your outdoor oven will fit, and where the bricks come from.
The good news is that we’re here to help. We’ll help you learn more about home ovens and the various types of bricks. Plus, we’ll include some of the best bricks for domestic ovens to help you narrow down your options.
Read on to learn more below.
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Types of Bricks
While it would be nice to use regular bricks for a pizza oven, most normal bricks, concrete blocks, cinder blocks, etc. are not equipped to handle the high heat of a pizza oven. The result could be disastrous and so it’s important to choose the right kind of brick for your oven.
But don’t worry. There are many different types of bricks suitable for pizza ovens. While you have options, some are better than others. It’s important to consider the kind of brick you’re using and how it impacts the cooking process.
We’ll take you through the common types of bricks used in ovens below.
Pizza Stone
Made from ceramic or stone, a pizza stone is one of the most common bricks pizza-makers use. The pizza stone handles high temperatures well and gives the pizza a crispy crust. It gives the pizza a crispy crust because it absorbs moisture.
Another benefit of pizza stone is that you don’t need to construct the whole oven from it. For example, smaller pizza stones are great for cooking with electric pizza ovens to create the brick pizza oven taste.
Unfortunately, a pizza stone is often better as a smaller addition to a pizza oven than as a base stone.
Vermiculite Brick
Another option is vermiculite brick. It’s a heat-resistant brick that handles high temperatures well. It expands with heat and also absorbs moisture from the pizza crust. While it’s a lesser-known brick for pizza ovens, pizza-makers love cooking with them.
That said, there is some controversy surrounding vermiculite brick. Because of how it was used in the past, some vermiculite brick from around the 1990s contains asbestos. Today, vermiculite brick is safe and doesn’t have asbestos additives.
Red Clay Brick
Red clay bricks are made from clay and get fired in a kiln. A red clay brick easily handles temperatures between 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Red clay is great for pizza ovens because it’s affordable and easy to cut. However, you need to be comfortable with red clay’s disadvantages. The disadvantages include flaking and it taking a long time to heat up.
Fire Bricks
Fire bricks are always the best choice for pizza ovens, especially refractory firebricks. They’re refractory bricks that include a combination of minerals and materials like silica and alumina. Depending on the grade of the firebrick, the percentage of the minerals changes.
There are several types of fire bricks and they vary based on the grade. Grades for fire bricks refer to how much heat they can handle. Low-grade fire bricks withstand up to 1750 degrees Fahrenheit but high-grade fire bricks withstand 3,000+ degrees Fahrenheit.
Fire bricks are also the best because there is a lot of variation. For example, insulating firebricks have advantages over hard bricks and vice versa. Insulating firebricks are easier to cut but less durable than hard bricks.
Features of a Good Brick
Good Bricks for a pizza oven are made with refractory materials that resist high heat. That said, there are several other features when looking at bricks for home ovens.
Shape
Bricks for pizza ovens come in many shapes and sizes. Depending on the pizza oven you’re building, the shape is important. Plus, the shape needs to be fitting for the size of the oven.
You also need to choose the right shape of brick for each layer. For example, the first layer of bricks is better with straights than wedges or arches. However, the dome requires more curved and angled bricks.
Additionally, the back of the oven needs special brick types as well as the inside of the oven.
The types of cuts are listed below:
- Straights
- Splits
- Soaps
- Wedges
- Arches
- Slabs
All cuts are viable depending on the part of the building process you’re up to.
Heat Resistance
Heat resistance is important when shopping for pizza oven bricks. Pizza ovens cook at high temperatures of up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, so you need bricks that will handle it. Fortunately, most fire bricks handle heat well.
Fire bricks handle the heat well because they come in different grades. While the lowest grade doesn’t work for pizza ovens, mid-tier fire bricks do fine.
Size
The size of the brick also plays a role. When working with fire bricks, you’ll have to cut them. Because you have to cut them, there are a few routes you can take.
You can get larger bricks to leave room for more error, or smaller bricks to save time on your cutting. That said, expect fire bricks to be around 10″ × 5″ × 1.5″. Depending on the bricks, the sizes will vary by a few inches.
Conduction
Another key element to examine is conduction. Conduction refers to how long a brick takes to heat up and spread heat. Bricks coated in ceramic conduct heat better than clay and cement bricks.
To cook with indirect heat and to employ fancier cooking methods, ceramic fire bricks are the best choice for pizza ovens. Still, red clay conducts well enough to be efficient.
Durability
Another factor to consider is durability. However, durability comes with a few things you need to note. For example, sometimes it’s best to avoid the most durable brick in favor of a brittle one.
Durable fire bricks last longer and make a good foundation for pizza ovens. However, they’re hard to cut and shape.
On the other hand, brittle bricks won’t last for a long time but they’re easier to shape and cut. For this reason, the type of brick you need depends on your unique pizza oven.
The 6 Best Bricks for a Pizza Oven
Below are the best fire bricks for building your own pizza oven.
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1). Rutland Products Fire Brick
Rutland Products Fire Bricks are second-to-none. With these bricks, you get value and quality in the same package. Plus, you get a pack of six bricks instead of getting many individual bricks.
Rutland Products Fire Bricks are also rated up to 2,700°F and they’re suitable for home use. The size of these fire bricks is 9″×4.5″×1.25″.
Overall, Rutland Products has been manufacturing bricks for ovens for over a century. The company’s dedication to craftsmanship shows up in these fire bricks.
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2). US Stove FBP6 Fire Brick
Made with space-age ceramic, US Stove FBP6 Fire Bricks are durable and long-lasting. These bricks also come in a pack of six, so there’s room for error if you cut one wrong. Bricks from US Stove FBP6 are also rated for up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
That said, US Stove FBP6 fire bricks are best for replacing bricks in an outdoor pizza oven. For example, you can swap these bricks in to replace chipped or otherwise damaged bricks.
US Stove FBP6 fire bricks also use ceramic that’s excellent for insulation and heat conduction. This is great for preheating times and faster cooking. These bricks are sized at 4.5″×9″×1.25″.
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3). Lynn Manufacturing Insulating Fire Brick
Lynn Manufacturing Insulating Fire Bricks are great pizza oven bricks. They conduct heat well and they’re sized at 2.5″×4.5″×9″. These bricks are often useful for furnaces, pizza ovens, and fire pits.
What makes these bricks more special is their heat tolerance. They’re rated for up to 2,300° and have enough insulation for indirect cooking areas. These bricks are also useful in forges, kilns, and other areas.
Lynn Manufacturing Insulating Fire Bricks also come with other options. While it’s offered as a single brick, there are choices for 2-packs, 4-packs, and even 12-packs.
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4). NC Insulating Fire Bricks
With NC Insulating Fire Bricks, you get a package of 4 high-quality bricks. These fire bricks feature refractory brick qualities that include insulation, conduction, and durability. Furthermore, NC Insulating Fire bricks handle temperatures of up to 2,300°F.
What sets these bricks apart is their ability to heat up rapidly. When used in pizza ovens, they heat up in minutes, which is faster than most other insulating fire bricks.
NC Insulating Fire Bricks are sized at 9″×4.5″x2.5″. This makes them flexible for the inside and outside of the oven.
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5). Executive Deals Insulating Fire Brick
Executive Deals Insulating Fire Brick handles temperatures up to 2,300°F, which is perfect for pizza ovens. These bricks also come cut to a size of 9″×4.5″×2.5″, which makes them flexible. For their size, the bricks are also lightweight and suitable for the inside of the oven.
Executive Deals also make the bricks brittle and easy to carve. Therefore, it’s easy to shape them to fit different areas of the pizza oven. In fact, they’ll fit in most domestic ovens.
Another feature that makes these bricks special is their value. You get a package of four high-quality fire bricks for below-average prices.
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6). GIRTech Forge High-Density Fire Bricks
GIRtech Forge High-Density Fire Bricks are second-to-none for heat management. Compared to most bricks that handle up to 2,500°F, GIRTech blows them out of the water. A GIRTech Forge Brick handles up to 3,180°F.
While these bricks are heavy-duty, they’re still useful for pizza ovens that need more insulation. They’re also great as foundation bricks for outdoor ovens. GIRTech bricks are great for foundations because they weigh almost eight pounds.
GIRTech bricks are thicker than average bricks too. They’re sized at 9″×4.5″×2.5″.
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Tips for Building a Pizza Oven
If you’re planning on doing a DIY pizza we have a handful of tips to help you. We’ll take you through some simple tips to make the building process easier. Moreover, we’ll provide you with what you need to know to plan and build an outdoor pizza oven.
We list some of the most helpful tips below:
- Some pizza ovens require doors; small ovens don’t but larger ovens typically do
- Watch the glaze on fire bricks. Too much glaze may result in lead poisoning and other health conditions
- Make the foundation below ground level for the most longevity
- Look for ceramic and refractory bricks that don’t have a coating
- Make sure the dome height is correct (more on that below)
Always Consider the Size of the Dome
When building a pizza oven, you need to consider the size of the dome. Pizza domes can’t be too high or too low.
When too high, the oven will take a long time to heat up. If the height is too low, heat will escape from the front of the oven.
Therefore, make sure the height of your pizza oven dome is about half of the height of the opening.
What Do I Need to Build an Outdoor Pizza Oven?
To build an outdoor pizza oven you need some supplies. While getting the bricks is easy enough, it’s important to plan the building and account for how many you need. For example, one 4-pack of old clay bricks is not enough.
Below we take you through what you need:
- 20 to 30 fire bricks; make sure about half of them are smooth
- Breezeblocks (about 20)
- Tub of cement
- Rubble and larger stones
- Builders sand (10 to 20 bags)
- Red clay or clay if available
- Large bags of wood chunks, chips, or shavings
- Chimney
Once you have these supplies, it’s possible to build your outdoor pizza oven.
What are the Steps to Building an Outdoor Pizza Oven?
If you don’t know where to start, don’t panic. We’ll take you through the steps to build an outdoor pizza oven below.
- Make the plinth, which is the foundation of the oven. Lay bricks in the size you need for your oven – make sure you plan this part!
- Construct a mold for the dome and use sand to help.
- Create the first layer of the oven with clay or fire bricks.
- Once you have the foundation, cut a hole in the entrance.
- Create a brick opening and an arch to fit around the entrance of the oven.
- Make an insulation layer with clay and fire bricks
- Produce the final layer, which is the same as the first oven layer but larger.
- Let it all cool and harden (if you use clay and sand)
Following these steps will help you build the perfect pizza oven for your backyard.
What Bricks Can’t Be Used for Pizza Ovens?
Firebricks are the best for outdoor pizza ovens but pizza stone and red clay bricks are also serviceable. While many bricks are useful for pizza ovens, there are some bricks you should always avoid. We list these bricks below:
- Concrete bricks
- High-duty firebricks
- Insulating firebricks
- Old bricks
- Used refractory bricks
We recommend against old bricks with refractory materials because you don’t know what they were exposed to. Refractory materials may become dangerous when interacting with different minerals and chemicals, so it’s best to avoid them.
Final Thoughts
The next time it’s pizza time make sure you make the best pizza possible. With the right home oven, people won’t believe the pizza you made isn’t from a pizzeria.
Overall, for cooking pizza at home, brick ovens are your best bet. You’ll immediately notice the difference if you’re used to stainless steel pizza ovens.
If you’re ready to build your pizza oven, it’s time to consider an authentic brick outdoor pizza oven
If you’re not sure building a pizza oven is right for you, check out reviews for pre-made pizza ovens.
As someone from Long Island, New York, Thomas knows what it takes to make a good pizza. He understands that it’s a combination of high-quality ingredients, well-rounded pizza ovens, and a little bit of love. From the dough of a Neapolitan-style pizza to the wood that powers a wood-fired pizza oven, he has you covered. Thomas’ love of pizza is what got him here and he hopes that you’ll enjoy pizza as much as he does soon.
