Clay bricks, concrete facing bricks or engineering bricks – which is best?

When considering either concrete facing bricks, clay bricks, or engineering bricks, the best choice for your project will depend on the balance required between each brick’s visual appearance, its performance characteristics and sustainability credentials.  

Clay bricks are primarily specified for their visual appearance in external walls rather than their compressive strength and water absorption properties, as these properties are lower than the alternative options. 

Engineering bricks are specially manufactured for specialist applications requiring high compressive strength and low water absorption – for example, as the DPC layer. They can be used for decorative purposes, although they are rarely used to build an entire house from, due to their specialist use. In this blog, we will focus on comparing concrete facing bricks with clay bricks. 

When compared with clay bricks, concrete facing bricks do not require the same energy intensive curing process. Concrete facing bricks have similar strength to clay bricks and are available in a range of colours and finishes, making them able to meet a broad range of project requirements in both form and function. 

What are the benefits of using concrete facing bricks over clay alternatives? 

Craig McBride, Tobermore’s Technical and Product Training Manager, explains why our products are viewed as a great option for housebuilders:

Concrete facing bricks benefit from a manufacturing process that can harness the strength of concrete to produce visually appealing bricks as an alternative to clay bricks

Below, we look at key performance areas where concrete facing bricks can be used as competitive alternatives to clay bricks. 

• Strength and durability 

The compressive strength and water absorption properties of concrete facing bricks makes them suitable for use below the damp proof course (DPC). 

As we mentioned earlier, engineering bricks can be used as the DPC layer. However, where a plastic DPC can be utilised, concrete facing bricks can be used above and below the DPC as a more cost-effective alternative. When used in this position loading is at its highest as is exposure to ground water. The presence of water increases the risk of frost damage. However, concrete facing bricks have excellent resilience to frost with an F2 level of freeze-thaw resistance. Tobermore’s concrete facing bricks are specifically manufactured with three voids in each brick to provide greater strength and durability. 

Always contact the brick manufacturer to obtain the compressive strength, water absorption, and other key durability parameters of their products to check that they align with the performance requirements of your project. 

• Aesthetics

The type and appearance of bricks and mortar selected for the external walls of a building play a large role in achieving the aesthetic goals for a project. Traditionally, clay bricks have been popular due to their wide variety of colours and finishes.  

Concrete facing bricks are available in several colours and finishes that can make them indistinguishable from the clay brick alternatives when used in external walls. The manufacturing process for Tobermore concrete facing bricks uses high quality iron oxide pigments to produce a colour that is consistent through the entire brick. 

Efflorescence is a frequent challenge for housebuilders. Whilst it is not possible to completely eradicate efflorescence from brick manufacture, Tobermore concrete facing bricks are vapour cured for a minimum of 12 hours during their manufacture. This process can help reduce the possibility of efflorescence. 

Where can I get more information on the use and benefits of concrete facing bricks for my project? 

At Tobermore we have an extensive range of facing bricks manufactured to strict quality standards such as the Kingston smooth facing brick and the Lansdowne rustic effect facing brick. Our facing bricks are manufactured with 100% renewable energy and we have Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) that independently measure and verify their carbon footprint. 

The Kingston concrete facing brick with dimensions of 215x100x65mm has a cradle to gate EPD of 230.71 kg CO2-eq per m3 and the same size Lansdowne concrete facing brick is 227.71 kg CO2-eq per m3. 

The Kingston concrete facing brick with dimensions of 215x100x65mm has a cradle to gate EPD of 0.29 kg CO2 per brick or 290 kgs per 1000 bricks. These figures have been updated in March 2024 but have not yet been verified via an EPD.  

For more information on which concrete facing brick is best suited to your project, please contact our sales team who will be happy to take you through the most appropriate specification options.