Small Block Machine for a Family Workshop in Syria: Capacity and Mould Choice
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Quick answer
In a family workshop the blocks per shift come from two numbers, the cycle time and the mould. An 8 hour shift holds 28,800 seconds, so a 20 second cycle gives 1,440 mouldings and a 15 second cycle gives 1,920. A 6 block mould then returns 8,640 to 11,520 blocks. Choose the pallet and the mould count first, because a pallet of 850 × 560 × 20 mm and a crew of 3 to 4 people set what the shift can actually hold.
Small block machine for a family workshop in Syria is a capacity decision that closes before the machine is chosen. An 8 hour shift holds 28,800 seconds, a 20 second moulding cycle fits 1,440 moulds inside it, and a 6 block mould turns that into 8,640 blocks. Shorten the cycle to 15 seconds and the same mould reaches 11,520. The arithmetic runs one way only: pallet size sets the moulding area, cycle time sets the moulds per shift, and the two multiplied set the output ceiling. A workshop with 3 to 4 people wants the smallest frame that still reaches the target.
How do you turn a cycle time into blocks per shift?
Three numbers do the work. Take the seconds in the shift, divide by the cycle time, then multiply by the blocks one mould carries. On the QT4-15 the forming cycle is 15 to 20 seconds on a pallet of 850 × 560 × 20 mm, so it cycles 1,440 to 1,920 times per shift. On the QST6-15 the cycle runs 15 to 23 seconds on a pallet of 980 × 680 × 20 mm, and a 390 × 190 × 190 mm hollow brick returns a published 8,640 to 11,520 pieces per shift, exactly a 6 block mould times that cycle count.
The mould count changes the answer, not the machine. The same QST6-15 frame with a 240 × 115 × 90 mm porous brick mould carries 15 pieces and returns 21,600 to 28,800 per shift. Fit a 240 × 115 × 51 mm standard brick mould at 32 to 36 pieces and the same frame returns 46,080 to 61,440. One frame, three block types, a spread beyond five times in output. The block you intend to sell therefore belongs in the sizing arithmetic from the first line, not after delivery.
Why the nameplate figure does not appear in the yard
The published figure assumes the moulding cycle runs the whole shift. In a workshop the same clock also pays for batching the next mix, feeding empty pallets, green block transport to curing, cleaning the mould face and changing block type. Every minute there is a cycle the machine did not run, which is where the gap between the plate figure and the yard figure appears. Plan on the cycles you can keep. A 20 second cycle needs 3 to 4 people who are not batching and stacking at the same time. If the reserved count still clears your target, the spare cycles become headroom for a second shift.
Pallet size decides the yard before it decides the machine
A pallet is a footprint that must stand somewhere while the block cures, and the small end of the range keeps it manageable. The QT4-15 pallet is 850 × 560 × 20 mm, the QST6-15 runs 980 × 680 × 20 mm, and the QST8-15 steps up to 980 × 860 × 22 mm. At the top of the range a QST1800 pallet is 1,400 × 1,400 × 30 mm, which covers more than four times the area of the smallest board. Curing area, pallet fleet and the people moving boards all scale with that single dimension.
- Small pallet, 850 × 560 × 20 mm: fewer blocks per cycle, a shorter carry, and a board one worker can lift
- Mid pallet, 980 × 680 × 20 mm: the common workshop board where green blocks travel by hand truck
- Large pallet, 1,400 × 1,400 × 30 mm: line output, with forklifts and an organised curing yard behind it
- Pallet fleet: the boards stay out of the machine while the block cures, so the fleet covers the curing time and not one shift
Which machine fits a crew of three or four people?
Start at the small end and let the arithmetic pull you up. The QT4-15 is a 6,200 kg host drawing 22.9 kW, with a 25 MPa forming pressure and a 15 to 20 second cycle, and the QST6-15 weighs 12 t on 34.4 kW with a 3.0 kW stacker. Two rules cut the list down. Match the pallet to the people, since 3 to 4 persons cannot hold a 1,400 × 1,400 × 30 mm board without a forklift. Then match the load to the yard, because the top frame in this range is 34 t on a 15,500 × 5,500 × 3,200 mm casting.
- QT4-15: 6,200 kg host, 22.9 kW, 25 MPa, 15 to 20 second cycle, pallet 850 × 560 × 20 mm
- QT5-15: 6,900 kg host, 37.4 kW, 58 kN excitation force, pallet 1,100 × 650 × 20 mm
- QST6-15: 12 t host, 34.4 kW, 68 kN excitation force, 8,640 to 11,520 hollow blocks per 8 hour shift
- QST8-15: 14 t host, 44.9 kW, 31.5 MPa rated pressure, pallet 980 × 860 × 22 mm, up to 90,000 standard bricks per shift
- Cuber for a small yard: a QS-1000G-A stacks 1,700 pallets per shift with one operator on 15 kW
How many moulds should you open in the first year?
Moulds are where a workshop earns or loses on the same frame. Every block size needs its own mould, and the piece count inside it multiplies the shift figure. On a 390 × 190 × 190 mm hollow block the QS800 carries 5 pieces per mould, the QS1000 carries 10 and the QS1500 carries 12. On a 240 × 115 × 51 mm standard brick the same three presses carry 28, 45 and 87 pieces, and on a 170 × 80 × 80 mm small block the QS800 carries 30 pieces while the QS1000 carries 36.
Order two or three moulds against the block sizes your market already buys: one load bearing hollow block, one solid or paving block, and one small format for partitions or kerb work. A change between two moulds costs the swap itself plus the first cycles until the filling depth settles for the new block. The mould body is wear resistant alloy steel machined to micron level and it wears on the face and on the fill depth, so a spare is a planned purchase. Tell us the block sizes you sell and we will list the moulds and pallets that go with each.
Do 21 MPa and 68 kN build a block your market accepts?
Pressure and vibration stay the quality divider even on a small frame. Rated pressure runs 21 MPa on the QSMT pallet free machines, 25 MPa on the QT4-15, the QT5-15 and the QST6-15, and 31.5 MPa from the QST8-15 upwards. Excitation force runs 58 kN on the QT5-15, 68 kN on the QT4-15, the QST6-15 and the QSMT500, and 150 kN on the QSMT1000 and the QST1200. The higher figure does not change the block size, it changes how dense the block is at the same cement content, and that is what a buyer checks on a cured sample.
Vibration settles the mix into the mould corners and pressure closes the voids behind it. On a short cycle the fill has less time to level itself, so the frequency and the excitation force have to hold under load, and 3,800 to 4,500 times per minute with 68 kN is the working band at this size. Ask for the excitation force and the rated pressure of the model you are quoted rather than the class figure. Send the block sizes, the materials you can buy, the pallet you plan to run and the site area, and we will return the mould list and the machine class that match them.
Frequently asked questions
How many blocks per shift does a small block machine produce?
It comes from two numbers, the cycle time and the mould. An 8 hour shift holds 28,800 seconds, so a 20 second cycle gives 1,440 mouldings and a 15 second cycle gives 1,920. Multiply by the mould and a 6 block mould returns 8,640 to 11,520 blocks, which is the published range for a hollow brick on the QST6-15.
Which machine should a family workshop in Syria start with?
Start from the frame, not from the mould list. A QT4-15 at 6,200 kg and 22.9 kW forms on a pallet of 850 × 560 × 20 mm in 15 to 20 seconds and covers a small yard. A QST6-15 at 12 t and 34.4 kW adds a 3.0 kW stacker and holds more of the shift. Send the output you need and the two are sized against each other.
What can a low capacity block machine output in an 8 hour shift?
Low capacity is a band rather than one figure. With a 6 block mould at a 20 second cycle the shift holds 8,640 blocks, and at 15 seconds it holds 11,520. The same frame carrying a 32 to 36 piece standard brick mould returns 46,080 to 61,440. The capacity tier therefore follows the mould you fit, not the frame on its own.
Does pallet size change the number of workers needed?
Yes, and it changes the curing yard too. A board of 850 × 560 × 20 mm can be carried and stacked by hand, so 3 to 4 people keep the cycle running on an automatic curing line. A board of 1,400 × 1,400 × 30 mm is a forklift job, and that adds a truck and a wider yard to the same output.
Why does the output printed on the machine not match the yard?
The printed figure counts the moulding cycle across the whole shift. Batching the next mix, feeding empty pallets, moving green blocks to curing, cleaning the mould face and changing block type are all paid from the same clock, so the yard figure lands below the plate figure. Plan on the cycles 3 to 4 people can hold and treat the rest as headroom.
Can one machine make several block sizes?
Yes, one frame serves several sizes when you change the mould. A mould for a 390 × 190 × 190 mm hollow block carries 5 pieces on a QS800, 10 on a QS1000 and 12 on a QS1500, while the same presses carry 28, 45 and 87 pieces of a 240 × 115 × 51 mm standard brick. Each block size still needs its own mould.
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