IBSTOCK BRICK LTD
LEICESTER ROAD
IBSTOCK
LEICESTERSHIRE LE67 6HS
Tel: 01530 261999
Fax:
Suppliers of: facing bricks clay paving bricks glazed Facing Brick special shapes bricks terracotta blocks
Ibstock is the UK’s biggest brickmaker. With 20 factories nationwide and a range of over 450 different bricks as well as brick slips & rainscreen cladding systems.
Useful Resources:
- Online Brick Selector: Click Here
- Online Brick Calculator: Click Here
- Online Mortar Selector: Click Here
- Online Brick Slip Selector: Click Here
Main Product Ranges:
Bricks, Pavers & Special Shapes:
Ibstock manufacture a large range of facing bricks, engineering bricks, paving bricks & blocks in standard and special shapes. Our online Brick Product Selector will help you to identify the right products for your project.
Ibstock Brick Slips:
We are the largest manufacturer and supplier of slip bricks. Virtually any of over 360 different brick types are available as a slip brick. In addition our large format Fireborn and Elementix products are available as a cladding tile.
Traditional stock brick ranges:
The Ibstock range of traditional stock bricks are manufactured at our smaller brickworks that have been producing bricks for centuries. They all use traditional techniques, with many of the bricks made by hand, giving them a distinctive character.
Refurbishment Bricks:
Restoration and refurbishment projects are often more demanding in terms of their brick requirements. Not only do they need to match up on colour but also in size. Ibstock offers the most comprehensive range of bricks in a variety of sizes taking into account regional demands for brick types and sizes.
Glazed Bricks:
With a choice of six vibrant gloss colours, the new colour™ range from Ibstock is a major breakthrough in service, offering quick delivery and superb value for money. The use of real ceramic glazed bricks is a practical option to add stunning highlights to your building projects.
Ibstock Linear Bricks:
This exciting new range creates a dramatic and elongated effect which accentuates the linearity of a façade. Linear’s distinctive dimension gives complete flexibility and extends design options, bringing a variety of effects to any building exterior.
Ibstock Umbra:
The new range of Umbra shapes from Ibstock is designed to create intriguing and exciting shadow effects across a façade.
Elementix® Clay Rainscreen Cladding Systems:
Elementix® is a comprehensive range of clay rainscreen cladding systems developed to offer the specifier unrivalled choice in façade finishes.
Fireborn® Clay Rainscreen Cladding Systems:
Fireborn® has extended its range of products and now offers even more alternatives. The popular large format clayblocks are now available in a range of new colours, textures and a new size up to 490mm.
Tilebrick Wall Elevations:
Tilebrick replicates a tile-hung wall elevation without any of the hassle involved in traditional tile hanging. Tilebrick is also more robust than vertical tiling and is virtually maintenance free.
Ibstock Ecological Products:
At Ibstock we have taken some of our environmental ideas and put them into action - creating a range of eco-products that can help meet the special environmental needs of a site - often now a requirement of the planning process. The importance of creating eco-habitats is now recognised in the Code for Sustainable Housing.
Further technical information, design galleries, CPD information and useful resources are available on the Instock Brick website.
A place for innovation: Inside Ibstock’s Birtley factory
One of the key facility’s within Ibstock’s manufacturing network is its Birtley factory, located near Chester-le-Street in the North East of England, which offers a broad range of Waterstruck products.
A unique offering
Whilst bricks are a standard and ubiquitous staple of our built environment, the processes by which they are manufactured have grown and developed over time. Nowhere is that better evidenced than at the Birtley site, which draws on decades of brickmaking heritage to create a truly stunning finished product.
What makes Birtley’s output so unique is just how the bricks are made. Birtley specialises in authentic waterstruck bricks, utilising a process unlike anything else across Ibstock’s wider network. However, its product offering doesn’t stop there – all types of ‘specials’ are created, as well as some beautiful pre-made blends, as well as custom blends. Ibstock is the UK’s leading manufacturer of brick and masonry special shapes and prefab components, which are all part of the Birtley offering.
Waterstruck bricks have a distinctive finish thanks to the use of water in the moulding and demoulding process. Following the standard softmud process, wet clay is pressed into moulds that are lubricated with water, rather than sand, to prevent sticking.
As a result, Birtley bricks have an attractive, smooth finish. Thanks to the waterstruck process, bricks made this way also have a degree of irregularity, giving them a rustic air that makes them the perfect product for renovation projects where striking the right aesthetic tone is key.
The standard Birtley brick range comprises the following aesthetically pleasing products: Old English, Old English Buff, Old English Grey, Commercial Red, Northumbrian Cottage Northern Buff. For architects, specifiers and, even end-users, they may prefer to opt for a blend of brick and again Birtley has the solution with reds and buffs, greys and blues. In fact there is no end of choices available.
For those wanting to build their own blend, there is the flexibility to create unique ones for any project, whether it is the Birtley Blend 1, 2 or 3.
The waterstruck process was first pioneered in Scandinavia, but the attractive bricks are becoming ever more popular with architects and specifiers here in the UK.
Indeed, Ibstock’s waterstruck bricks can be found in buildings right across the UK, but are most prevalent in areas where complementing a region’s wider brick vernacular is important, including historic cities such as York and Durham. Increasingly, however, they are also being contrasted against modern, sharp materials such as glass or metal for a truly striking finish.
The increasing popularity of waterstruck bricks is clear when you consider how many are manufactured at Birtley annually, with some 22 million leaving the kiln and going to market per year.
Birtley’s 55-strong team also produces around 40,000 handthrown special shapes per year, to meet demand from architects for different, non-standard shapes. Building on generations of brickmaking knowledge and expertise, the team at Birtley handthrow clay into water lubricated moulds, with each brick taking on the individual characteristics of its maker. This process not only defines the personality of each brick, but also each building in which the brick is used.
Promoting sustainability
Sustainability is at the heart of everything Ibstock does. The business seeks to be the most environmentally-friendly manufacturer of clay and concrete building products and systems in the UK.
Some recent achievements from the manufacturer include:
Becoming the first UK building materials manufacturer to procure 100% of its electricity from renewable sources
Spearheaded successful initiatives to reduce its reliance on plastic packaging and reduce preventable plastics by 40% by 2025
Awarded the top level 3 Stars by the Brick Development Association’s Brickmakers Charter
That commitment to sustainability is reflected in the practices at Birtley. The factory has been recognised as a Centre of Excellence for Energy Management and has recently launched a rewilding project at it’s on-site quarry, to restore wildlife habitat and promote biodiversity for local species.
Looking ahead
Birtley is a factory with a proud heritage and a bright future. The team contains hundreds of years experience collectively, with some employees having been working at the factory since the 1970s. The factory is also investing in the talent of tomorrow, with a cohort of apprentices currently working across manufacturing, electrical and technical roles.
Browse our Birtley brick range today or view our entire Brick range.
Ibstock enjoys major success at prestigious Brick Awards
It was a night to remember for Ibstock a we scooped five major award wins and received five judges’ recommendations at the Brick Development Association (BDA) Brick Awards 2022.
Royal College of Art, Battersea Campus - Awarded in the Education category and Commended in in the Innovation category at the Brick Awards 2022
Staged at London’s Royal Lancaster Gate Hotel, it is the crowning glory of the brick industry’s calendar. Ibstock emerged winners in the categories of Sustainability, Commercial, Small Housing Development, Education and that of Specialist Brick Contractor. We also received commendations for Urban Regeneration (The Hudson Quarter), two commercial awards for Shelter Hall and 197 High Street, Kensington; Education (St. Hilda’s College) and Innovation (Royal College of Art Battersea Campus).
Kate Guy – Sales Director, Ibstock Clay Division, commented:
“These prestigious awards are hard fought for with many worthy projects in contention in each category. Therefore, we are delighted to have been so successful and it is testament to the high quality and aesthetically pleasing designs of our clay bricks that combine durability, sustainability and technical performance.
“As a company we have a great heritage, but are not complacent and look to the future with new designs and developments within our product range. Our achievements are built on a workforce that is committed to high standards and proud of the company brand and success.”
Ibstock won the Sustainability and Commercial categories for The Department Store scheme in Bellefields Road, London. Architects Squire & Partners specified Ravenhead Tradesman Common brick with the work carried out by brickwork contractor Lyons & Anoot.
Commenting on the Sustainability award for this project, the judges said:
“This building is subtly beautiful, complimenting the local area perfectly and future proofed through its mixed use and flexible design.”
With regard to the Commercial accolade, the judges observed: “We think this is an accomplished commercial building design with an amazing engagement within the local community.”
A challenging development site in Dunmerry in Belfast comprising a series of two-storey detached and semi-detached houses (Gardenmore Green) – designed by Hall Black Douglas Architects – saw Ibstock Brick win the ‘Small Housing Development’ award.
The judges observed:
“The Creativity of the project is thought provoking, the houses are interesting and have been carefully selected.”
Ibstock Brick won the ‘Education’ award for the Royal College of Art development on Battersea Campus on Hester Road, London. Architect Herzog & De Meuron designed the building which achieved an excellent BREEAM rating. Brickwork contractor was Swift Brickwork Contractors Limited.
Commenting on the scheme, the judges said: “This is a very innovative project, while remaining within much more limited budget than the architects previous ‘tate switch house’ project, to which it bears some similarities. It’s a playful new space for students to innovate.”
The accolade for ‘Specialist Brickwork Contractor’ was awarded to Lee Marley Brickwork Limited for its work on two developments – one of which was at 79 Fitzjohn’s Avenue in Hampstead, London, and designed by Sergison Bates architects.
And the judges’ verdict: “During the course of last year, Lee Marley Brickwork has looked to continually improve the key facet of the business, its people. Doing so has led to a demonstrable increase in employee engagement and a greater sense of corporate belonging and purpose.”
Kate Guy concluded: “It was a great night for us and we look forward to the future. This event is a major feature in the brick sector calendar and winning any award is testament to the quality of a company’s products.”
