How to Date UK Bricks and Blocks for Construction
Structural materials and systems can define the era of a commercial building, and be excellent indicators of what life was like when it was built. Dating bricks is not a precise science, but the era in which a building was constructed can usually be traced back with confidence if several UK bricks are compared.
Clay facing bricks give many clues to their age, and to someone outside of the construction industry, it would be challenging to date them to a specific time period. However, Modular Clay Products have outlined the process.
Process for Checking Brick Age
Bricks are some of the oldest and most trusted building materials. Initially, they were made from dirt while straw was used as a binder. To keep up with modern manufacturing methods, clay bricks were eventually fired in kilns to increase their durability and reliability.
There are several things to look out for when dating UK bricks. Although the process is not explicitly carried out this way, here is a short list of what brick suppliers and brick manufacturers would do if they were asked, “how old is this brick?”
Examine the surface
Old bricks were formed by hand, so any irregularities in their shape would indicate that they were hand-crafted. These bricks are larger than the standard UK brick size that you see today, and may be slightly uneven.
Look for indentations
Archaic handmade bricks don’t have a dent in the middle (otherwise known as a brick frog). Older bricks instead tend to have a lip at the edge, which was used to hold the mortar in place when bonded together.
Check for the manufacturer’s stamp
Older bricks were typically imported from Europe, with many of them carrying a royal stamp or seal imprinted onto them. If such a brick has this stamp on its surface still, you can assume it was from hundreds of years ago.
Inspect the brick texture and brick colour
Colour and texture variations can indicate how that brick was fired and what type of kiln was used. Tracing back through history, specific types of brick firing kilns were used in mass manufacturing during the Victorian era and beyond.
Brick Dating: Does the Process Differ for Concrete Blocks?
While concrete blocks are drastically different from traditional facing bricks, the process for checking them is pretty similar. The first step is to inspect them, with hand-formed products having slight variations in shape. If they have a hollow core, this indicates a more recent type of building block. Modern concrete blocks tend to have a smoother finish, whereas the early 20th Century saw rockface finishes on most blocks.
While using concrete blocks has its advantages, we’ve explored the pros and cons of blocks compared to various types of bricks. Clay bricks, engineering bricks and everything in between make far more efficient, resilient, recyclable, cost-effective solutions.
In light of the above, if you are on the lookout for dated bricks, you should question the time and effort it takes to use recycled and reclaimed bricks for a new commercial building.
Are Reclaimed Bricks Worth Anything?
Reclaimed bricks have some sentimental value, and they can be excellent if you visit a recommended, reliable reclamation site. The site will usually buy and sell different types of reclaimed bricks, whether handmade or machine-made, ensuring that they are fit for purpose. This is important for projects that require a level of consistency to match pre-existing and adjacent buildings in terms of their brickwork.
Reclaimed bricks do add character and have the sustainability factor working in their favour. It significantly helps your carbon footprint if you re-use old bricks. However, that’s not to suggest that bricks aren’t inherently eco-friendly building materials, considering the minimal energy that’s used to manufacture and supply them.
It should be made clear that Modular Clay Products do not offer reclaimed bricks. While we recognise their value, they are not something that we can provide.
We can, however, match an old brick and create a brand new, fresh, structurally sound replica with the same texture, colour and characteristics. Through our trusted network of reliable brick manufacturing companies worldwide, we can offer this pseudo-brick matching service, if you’re looking to build a commercial structure using older brickwork.