Reclaimed bricks do not begin their second life in a reclamation yard. Before they can be cleaned, sorted and used again, they must first be identified and carefully recovered from buildings and structures that have reached the end of their original life.
At Reclaimed Brick Company, we source reclaimed bricks from demolition, redevelopment and reclamation projects across the UK. Some come from derelict farmhouses and traditional outbuildings; others are recovered from walls or large commercial buildings. Each source is different, but the aim is the same: to preserve useful, characterful building materials and prepare them for a new project.
Why Is It Important to Source Reclaimed Bricks?
A building may have reached the end of its practical life without the bricks themselves being ready for disposal. Many traditional clay bricks have already remained in service for generations and can be considered for reuse when they are carefully recovered, cleaned and inspected.
Reusing an existing brick reduces demand for an equivalent newly manufactured material and keeps recoverable masonry in circulation. It also preserves qualities that cannot simply be reproduced by making a new brick: naturally weathered faces, irregular handmade textures, traditional dimensions and colours shaped by local clay and historic firing methods.
These characteristics are particularly valuable when restoring a period property or extending an older building. A suitable reclaimed batch can help new work sit naturally alongside the original masonry instead of looking like an obvious modern addition.
Where Do Our Reclaimed Bricks Come From?
Our close links with the demolition and reclamation industries help us identify buildings and sites where useful materials can be recovered. Sources can range from smaller rural buildings to substantial commercial developments. Although the original structure may no longer be viable, good bricks within it may still have many years of useful service ahead.
Our work is not limited to brick. Depending on the building and the materials available, a reclamation project may also yield reclaimed stone, roof tiles, timber and other traditional building materials suitable for reuse.
Not every old brick automatically becomes a reclaimed brick for resale. The likely quality, type, condition and potential use of the material must all be considered. Experience is important at this stage because age alone does not determine whether a brick is suitable for another building project.
How Are Reclaimed Bricks Prepared for Reuse?
Once a recoverable batch has been identified and brought to our Sheffield yard, the bricks go through several practical stages before they are offered for sale.
1. Careful Recovery
Bricks are separated from the surrounding demolition material as carefully as the project allows. Reducing unnecessary breakage at this point helps preserve more complete bricks for reuse and makes the later cleaning and selection process more effective.
2. Removing Old Mortar
Residual mortar is removed from the faces and beds of the bricks so that they can be laid again. This must be done carefully: the objective is to prepare the brick for reuse without stripping away the natural patina, surface variation and signs of age that give reclaimed bricks their character. You can learn more about the process in our guide to cleaning reclaimed bricks.
3. Inspection and Selection
Cleaning makes it easier to examine each brick properly. Our team checks the bricks for visible cracks, excessive deterioration, damaged faces and other defects that could affect their suitability for reuse. Bricks that are too badly damaged are removed from the saleable batch rather than being mixed with sound material.
4. Hand-Sorting Into Consistent Batches
The selected bricks are then sorted by their dimensions, colour, texture, manufacturing type and overall appearance. This is how individual recovered bricks become a practical batch for a building project.
Our stock includes traditional reclaimed handmade bricks, reclaimed wirecut bricks and reclaimed pressed bricks. Sorting them correctly helps customers compare suitable batches and choose bricks that work with the style and age of their property.
5. Stacking and Preparing for Delivery
Finally, the bricks are counted, stacked onto pallets and securely wrapped for transport. They can then be collected from our Sheffield yard or supplied through our nationwide delivery service.
What Happens to Material That Cannot Be Reused Whole?
Responsible reclamation is not about forcing every recovered brick into a saleable batch. It is about finding the most appropriate next use for the material.
Any brick and masonry rubble that cannot be reclaimed whole is crushed and processed into recycled aggregate, which is also available to purchase online. This keeps the recovered material in use and reduces the amount sent to landfill.
How Do Reclaimed Bricks Support Sustainable Building?
A sustainable building is influenced not only by how it performs when occupied, but also by the materials chosen to construct it. Reusing bricks retains an existing resource, reduces the need to manufacture an equivalent new product and extends the working life of material that might otherwise be treated as waste.
Reclaimed bricks can be used in period restorations, extensions, character-led new homes, garden walls, courtyards and landscaping projects. Their weathered appearance can help new work feel established from the outset, while their variations in colour and texture introduce depth that is difficult to reproduce with a completely uniform product.
As with any building material, the brick must be appropriate for its intended location and use. The condition of the batch, exposure, project requirements and appearance should all be considered before ordering.
Matching Reclaimed Bricks to an Existing Building
Brick matching involves more than finding a roughly similar colour. Size, depth, texture, edge profile, manufacturing method, weathering and regional character can all influence how well new work blends with an existing wall.
This is particularly important on pre-war buildings, where the original bricks may use traditional imperial dimensions rather than modern metric sizes. Our free brick matching service helps customers identify the closest available option. Clear photographs, approximate brick measurements and details about the building's location give our team a useful starting point.
Once a possible match has been identified, customers can also request brick samples to compare the colour, texture and dimensions in person before placing a larger order.
Giving Historic Bricks a New Purpose
The journey from a redundant building to a new wall involves much more than collecting old bricks. It requires careful sourcing, recovery, cleaning, inspection and sorting. That work is what transforms a mixed demolition material into a useful reclaimed building product.
By preserving sound bricks and returning them to use, we can retain part of Britain's built heritage while supplying authentic materials for the buildings and landscapes of the future.
Explore our collection of reclaimed bricks, or contact our team for help sourcing the right batch for your project.
(RBC-B-002)
