‘Cut and Bonded’ brick specials are made using a process of cutting bricks and bonding them together to create brick special or bespoke designs. Refaced bricks offer a more cost effective way of producing certain special shapes without the need for bonding. The process is ideal for plinth and cant specials where the brick is cut to its finished shape before being refaced to match an original brick colour or texture. These techniques have evolved, developed and improved over the years, allowing complex and intricate specials to be created.
If standardised or customised brick types still don’t meet project needs, we create fully bespoke special bricks tailored to your exact specifications. This allows for truly distinctive brickwork. While our precision cutting minimises imperfections, brick bonding techniques integrate any remaining gaps smoothly and attractively for professional finishes.
Our brick-cutting expertise guarantees accurately sized bricks to bring innovative designs to reality. Contact us for custom brick-cutting services specially fit to your next building project.
Special Shaped Bricks
Special shaped bricks are an integral part of British architecture and have been used within construction to create unique decorative features for many centuries. They are typically used for turning brickwork through angles, as well as creating coping, capping, plinth and cill details. We draw on decades of experience to find the solution that works for you, whether matching to existing building designs or creating something entirely new – we work to any design criteria. Ours is a complete service, from design through to delivery. These modern construction techniques also ensure that the appeal of traditional brickwork lives on in our buildings today. The diversity of special shaped bricks provides customers with a vast range of sizes and styles. Many of these are listed in the British Standard BS4729 and are known as either non-standard or purpose made bricks.
For any project, whether your requirement is of conservation or contemporary design, Heritage Brick Company have a highly experienced team readily on hand to offer both technical and practical solutions. Contact us to talk about how we can help.
We manufacture our specials from the same batch of standard bricks as used on your build, ensuring uniformity of colour and texture throughout.
How Brick Cutting & Bonding can help?
Brick Arches
Our off-site prefabricated brick arches are meticulously designed and crafted to add a touch of elegance and charm to your building projects. With a wide range of height, pattern, soffit, backing, and infill options, our arches are the perfect fit for your decorative flourish needs. We are dedicated to providing top quality and exceptional customer service, ensuring that every arch we supply is tailored to your unique specifications.
Bespoke Specials
Bespoke special shaped bricks are specifically designed to various shapes and dimensions to complement and contrast the standard metric or imperial brick. Special bricks give architects and builders the freedom to create innovative designs, while providing seamless functionality, extra durability and can even reduce build time and waste on-site.
Bonding & Cutting
At our factory we manufacture a wide range of BS4729 British Standard, non-standard and bespoke special shaped bricks that create unique brickwork detailing. From angle and cant to plinth and bullnose bricks as well as bat and swift boxes, air bricks, copings and cappings, and decorative bricks for renovation and restoration. If you’re looking for something tailor-made, our skilled team can produce special bricks tailor made to your requirements.
How to Enquire?
Heritage Brick Company have a highly experienced team readily on hand to offer both technical and practical solutions for brick bonding & cutting, prefabrication arches and bespoke brick specials. Simply complete our contact form or email us direct to info@heritagebrickcompany.co.uk
We specialise in providing solutions to problems associated with sourcing bespoke brick specials and strive to offer a perfect match to architectural design every time.
Traditional shapes:
Angle : Including External, Internal dog leg and squint
Cant : Single and double cant
Plinths : Internal headers, stretchers, long and short returns
Bonding : Headers, closers and bats
Coping : Standard, half rounds, saddleback and bullnose
Soldier : Returns, single cant ends & pistol soldiers
Any brick can be cut to form slips, this is a viable alternative to using full bricks and can be applied in the traditional way or adhered in place using epoxy resin .
Cut and Bond:
Bricks can be cut to any shape then bonded together offering a limitless range of styles and designs. This is especially popular when creating bespoke plinths, angles and returns as well as more complicated and ornate features.
Cut and Reface:
Cut bricks will often be betrayed by an artificially smooth face. This can be eradicated by re-facing the brick using a strong epoxy resin adhesive and original brick dust. The results of this are a perfect finish that will blend in with the un-cut bricks.
Benefits of Cut and Bond Brick Services
Tailor made solutions for bespoke for each individually enquiry.
Unlimited combinations of brick designs and colours until the right match is found.
Authentic match to old weathered brickwork and styles across the UK.
Quicker manufacturing lead times than moulded specials
Standard bricks are often not manufactured in special shapes or sizes – in this instance ‘cut and bonded’ specials offer a great solution
FAQs - Custom Brick Cutting & Bonding Service
Is my brick Metric or Imperial?
The main difference between metric and imperial bricks is their size: metric bricks are smaller than imperial bricks:
- Metric bricks: The standard size for metric bricks in the UK is 215 x 102.5 x 65 mm.
- Imperial bricks: Imperial bricks are generally larger than metric bricks and are measured in inches. Popular imperial brick sizes include 228 mm in length and 108 mm in width, with heights ranging from 50 mm to 80 mm.
Brick sizes varied significantly in the UK over time, and were often determined by the era they were produced in and their regional location. The metric system was adopted in the UK in 1965 and is now the standard. To ensure consistency and a better finish, it's recommended to source the original brick size.
What are the different types of UK bricks?
Wirecut
Wirecut bricks are made by cutting a column of clay with wires before they are textured. These bricks come in a wide range of materials and finishes and are very cheap due to their automated manufacturing process. These bricks are commonly used by all types of buildings for people who have a smaller budget.
Handmade
These bricks are made by hand by skilled craftsmen by throwing clay into moulds making each brick unique to one another. These are often what is used for the most attractive historic buildings making these bricks very attractive and only for the high-end housing projects. Because of the long and labour intensive manufacturing process, these bricks are expensive however these will often add value to your property if they are used correctly.
Stock
These are bricks that are a traditional brick that is made by an automated moulding system called soft mud moulding. These bricks come in a wide range of colours and are one of the most common bricks found on houses today. The style and price of this brick are in-between handmade and wire-cut bricks.
Fletton
Fletton bricks are also known as London bricks, these are manufactured by a company called Hanson brick. These are made from oxford clay with a range of colours and textured available making them ideal for brick matching for already existing brickwork.
Engineering
These bricks are used for groundworks such as sewers and retaining walls due to their great durability and resistant to frost and water damage. Because of there strength and practical features, they are not very aesthetically pleasing so they are not commonly used on houses.
Pressed
These are made by getting wire-cut bricks and re-pressing them too create this solid brick that is moulded to a precise size. These bricks are of high quality and have a particular look that is easy to identify making them great for houses.
Special shapes
These bricks have a pretty straight forward purpose of being able to bring special design ideas to life with the rest of the brickwork. They also have the practical uses of being able to add durability to structurally weak areas as well as save onsite time by avoiding the need to do any hand brick cutting.
Clay pavers
These bricks are available in a wide range of natural non-faded colours that are unique to these types of bricks. They are durable bricks that can hold up to frost without changing shape, losing colour or strength. These bricks have excellent surface drainage, perfect for stopping puddles from forming. They are also skid resistant and load-bearing and these bricks have proven to be durable and long-lasting in a range of environments.
How to get a Free Brick Match?
There are several ways that you can get a free brick matching services, including:
- By Email
- Filling in our online form
- Project Site Visit
- Visit our Brick Showroom
The Heritage Imperial Brick Yard provides a free and easy brick matching service in just a few simple steps. Our team of friendly and knowledgeable staff offer a comprehensive service delivered with the most extensive knowledge in the area.
Can I order Brick Samples?
Order via Product Page
On the specific product page, to the right of the product image there is an 'Order Sample' Button. Click the button to order your sample online.
Order via Email
Simply email our sales team your project requirements and specific product you wish to order a sample.
Visit Us
If you are close by or wish to see our full range, why not come and visit us at our bespoke Brick Centre? and take samples away free of charge.
Our Story
Heritage Brick Company is a family-run brick supplier based in Yorkshire, that supplies a broad range of new metric and imperial sized bricks made to match British Masonry Traditions. Best known for its vast selection of high-quality products and exceptional service.
Download the Brick Catalogue
Our catalogue of curated traditional clay bricks contains the latest collection of colours and textures, produced using modern machinery and traditional manufacturing methods.
