April 10, 2024

Brick Prices in the UK

At Wade, we are acutely aware of how demand can affect the cost of construction in the UK. We work hard to keep our brick prices consistent, so you can have confidence when pricing a project and ordering bricks for a job.

A regular pack of 430 bricks will be enough for about 6 ½ square metres of wall with about 10% factored in for wastage and will cost, on average, around £450. Use that as a rule of thumb when estimating and you shouldn’t be too far off the current brick price for your project.

In today’s market conditions aim to pay somewhere around £1,000 for 1,000 bricks, unless there are special factors that require specific colour or grade matching.

Brick prices in the UK have risen steadily over the years while demand for new build housing, extensions and other projects has also been on the up. Keeping up with the costs of these essential materials can sometimes feel like a full-time job.
Getting the right bricks for the job at a good price is key to the profitability of many projects. Once a wall is up, it’s going to be there a long time, so it has to look good too. However, it’s not worth cutting quality when a brick wall is a tradesman’s shop window!

Here’s our guide to current brick pricing in the UK.

The Law of Averages

The average quotable when it comes to brick pricing in the UK is to expect to pay between £800 and £1200 per thousand bricks depending upon grade and finish.

At the bottom end of the market, machine-made mass-produced low-grade bricks can be bought for as little as £650 per thousand. But, as with anything, you get what you pay for.

A thousand hand-made conservation quality facing bricks can set a budget back from £3,500 to £5,000. If that’s what’s expected by the client, then all well and good.

What you will most likely need is a supply of bricks that sit somewhere in between these two extremes. Decent standard mass-produced bricks that are of consistent quality are readily available and worth paying for to get a wall that looks great.
Even the best bricklaying gangs have a hard time making a bad brick look good!

Standard Brick Prices in the UK

Most standard red bricks will come in at around £1 per brick, with one or two minor fluctuations. Expect to pay £490 for a pack of 500 Forterra Country red smooth bricks, for example, or £513 for a similar number of the Tame Valley reds.

Some brick suppliers will tell you that high prices are a result of the last recession when many small brickworks went out of business, but the big players have since gone from strength to strength.

British brick manufacturers have been able to consolidate, manage and ramp up their production levels to keep up with today’s demand without passing on big price rises.

Economy Brick Prices in the UK

When you are building on a budget you want to get the most for your money. You can certainly economise by using blockwork wherever possible, but you can’t really beat brick for looks and durability.

The Forterra Cheshire Multi-Red brick is very good value for a facing brick and will look great for years to come on any project. They are a modern, wire-cut brick with a smooth, lightly indented surface that will match in with many late 20th-century housing estate builds.

Engineering Brick Prices in the UK

Engineering bricks are used under the ground and below the damp course on most building projects. They are tough, resilient, and very hard-wearing. They are also very competitively priced.

While they have been known to be used in general above-ground brick wall construction, it’s not a usual specification. However, they do have a low water absorption rate, a high compressive strength and very good thermal performance.

Premium Fair-Face Brick Prices in the UK

The cost of premium bricks for use in conservation areas, or for specific aesthetics can also be surprisingly reasonable. The Ibstock range of antique-finish bricks can be supplied in half-pallets of 250 so it is easier to purchase as close to the right amount of bricks for the job.

When a specialist brick, at a premium price, is specified by the client or the architect, having a stack of bricks left over doesn’t help anyone. Popular common bricks are easy to reuse or take from one project to another as they are more likely to match.

So it is important to get the quantities right when ordering packs of bricks for a project, especially at the pricier end of the market.

Wade can help you with getting the right quantities to site on time when you want them in the quantities you require. Contact us today to discuss lead-in times and delivery dates.