Handmade Bricks

Handmade soft red clamp bricks

Handmade Bricks

Handmade bricks are bricks made using traditional mould-based brick-making methods. This means that the clay is thrown into individual moulds and compressed by hand rather than extruded or compressed with mechanical aid. This was the usual method of making bricks for hundreds of years before the Industrial Revolution.

To make a brick this way, the clay is prepared, rolled into a loaf shape, and then thrown into a sanded, wooden mould. The clay is packed in and excess clay is scraped off the top of the mould with a tool or wire. The wet brick is then turned out and left to dry before firing.

Handmade bricks are therefore more individual than machine made, showing greater variability in texture with less regular edges. They often have a ‘sand creased’ surface that reveals both the sand used to prevent the clay from sticking to the mould, and various creases from where the clay was compressed by hand. Clamp bricks also typically have a horizontal bulge across the face of the brick where a block has been added to the top of the mould and clamped down to pack the clay more tightly.

We stock both reclaimed bricks from various historical eras and new bricks that mimic the appearance of reclaimed bricks. Both new and reclaimed handmade bricks will have the variations in size, finish and colour that result from the moulding process.

New handmade bricks have the advantages of being frost-proof and reliably available in larger quantities. Many of ours come in colour blends that replicate the aging and weathering that comes with time and therefore mix well with reclaims.

Please get in touch if you need larger quantities than are shown in stock — we may be able to source additional quantities for you.