The blocks are made of ordinary {Portland cement} and one of the following lightweight aggregates: granulated blast-furnace slag, foamed blast-furnace slag, expanded clay or shale, or well burned furnace clinker. The usual mix is 1 part cement to 6 or 8 of aggregate by volume.
Of the four lightweight aggregates noted, well burned furnace clinker produces the cheapest block which is about two-thirds the weight of a similar dense aggregate concrete block and is a considerably better thermal insulator. Blocks made from foamed blastfurnace slag are about twice the price of those made from furnace clinker, but they are only half the weight of a similar dense {aggregate block} and have good thermal insulating properties. The furnace clinker blocks are used extensively for walls of houses and the foamed blast-furnace slag blocks for walls of large framed buildings because of their lightness in weight.