machu picchu

Mortarless construction has been used for centuries.

Allan Block Retaining Walls - Built-In Engineering

Allan Block’s built-in features make retaining walls easy to engineer and simple to build. These simple engineering features make Allan Block retaining walls the most efficient and reliable products on the market.

Mortarless Construction

Mortarless technology works. Building “flexible” structures with interlocking dry-stacked materials provides superior performance over rigid construction techniques. Add the benefits inherent in a mortarless system - site adaptability, installation by general laborers, lower cost - and you have what we call the Allan Block Advantage.

Built-In Interlock

retaining wall built-in interlock

Built-In Interlock

retaining wall built-in setback

Built-In Setback

Every Allan Block is firmly locked in place by the patented lip and notch configuration. No pins, no mortar, no fancy connectors.

Built-In Setback

The raised lip automatically establishes the proper setback. Choose from 12°, 6°, or 3° systems.

Built-In Drainage

retaining wall built-in drainage

Built-In Drainage

The hollow-core design combines with mortarless construction to allow water to drain freely from behind the segmental retaining wall. Incidental water moves easily through a vertical drain that is formed by the layer of wall rock placed behind the block and in the block cores. The dry-stack construction technique allows the incidental water to escape by flowing around the blocks and out the retaining wall face. This built-in drainage helps to eliminate water pressure. Please note that this area is not to be used as a primary water management element.

Hollow-Core System

retaining wall hollow core system

Hollow-Core System

Allan Block’s exclusive hollow-core product design provides many benefits over solid systems.

  • Superior drainage
  • Faster drying in wet environments
  • Better resistance to freeze-thaw cycles
  • Improved efflorescence control
  • Easier handling, faster installation, lower labor costs
  • Block-to-block interlock created from wall rock in the blocks
  • Lower production and freight costs