Manufacturing and Sustainability

Manchester Brick Specialists
The character inherent in traditional bricks comes from each tiny imperfection. We shun the uniformity of mass-produced building supplies, choosing instead to embrace the unique nature of our handmade bricks. Elizabethan craftsmen would recognise many of our brick making techniques. Our high-quality materials and firing methods replicate historic regional styles, while our ageing process adds a weathered look and tactile texture to each brick.

HOW OUR BRICKS ARE MADE

We model our clay into rectangular moulds, lightly dusted with sand. Any excess material is removed and saved for the next piece, while a wooden block presses the remaining clay into the mould, forming the correct shape.

Air-drying then helps these stacks of formative ‘green’ bricks develop their individual quirks.

Once they reach a low enough moisture content, the bricks head into the kiln. Temperatures over 1,000°C bake the clay solid and bring out the different hues in each brick. Once cooled, their colour depends on the heat of the oven and the mineral compounds present in the raw materials. Yellow bricks have a higher lime content, while concentrations of iron gather in pink bricks.

RECYCLING

Construction waste makes up most of the recyclates used in our bricks. From broken glass to sand, and slabs of concrete to broken brickwork, all are natural products which can be reused again and again with brick sustainability at the centre of what we do. We also recycle any of our own products which become damaged during manufacture, or which fail to meet our strict quality guidelines. Seconds are all crushed, before being fed back into the closed loop system to create brand new bricks.

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“We have quickly developed a global network of manufacturers that we work closely with to develop brick types which are made to look olde-worlde or reclaimed.”

Dean Royle, Managing Director