A Greener Brick
40%-100% recycled material in all Thin Bricks
Thin brick is a far more environmentally friendly choice then standard brick in every aspect of production, transport, waste, and installation cost; We call it a greener brick. In fact, brick veneer uses 80% less embodied energy* in comparison to full width brick.
*Embodied energy is the energy required to mine, manufacture and deliver materials
Brick Comparison
| Regular Brick | Thin Brick | |
| Weight per Brick | 3.8 lbs | .65 lbs |
| Sq. Ft. Coverage / Truckload | 1,637 | 9,572 |
| Pounds of Mortar required per 100 Sq. Ft. | 1,350 | 165 |
| BTU’s used to make 1 Brick | 4114 | 907 |
| Embodied energy* 1 Brick | 14,000 | 2,400 |
Not only is Thin Brick greener for the environment, it will save you some green in the pocketbook too:
For a typical 3000 Sq. Ft. House
| Regular Brick | Thin Brick | |
| Bricks (weight) | 76,950 lbs | 16,200 lbs |
| Mortar (weight) | 40,500 lbs | 5000 lbs |
| # of Semi-Trucks for Delivery | 5.5 | 0.5 |
| Est. Delivery cost (350 Miles) | $3500 | $500 |
Additional info from GoBrick.com
While most of us already know that brick is a beautiful, durable material that lasts for a very long time, many of us are amazed by how advanced the brick industry is with respect green building design and sustainability. For example, it takes almost 70% less energy to make brick today than it did in 1970. More than 80% of brick kilns are fired with natural gas, and many facilities use fuels from bio-based materials from other applications, such as methane gas and sawdust. Brick is the first masonry material that can be certified for environmental claims from a third party source. Brick is also made from naturally abundant materials, and is one of the very few materials allowed by the building codes to be reused in new building applications.
The materials linked below are furnished from the Brick Industry Association (BIA), which is the national trade association representing distributors and manufacturers of clay brick and suppliers of related products and services. The association has been the nationally recognized authority on clay brick construction since its founding in 1934, and it represents the industry in all model building code forums and national standards committees. BIA is involved in a broad range of activities and programs that appeal to architects, builders, and consumers, including Technical Notes on Brick Construction, Brick In Architecture, Brick In Home Building, national awards competitions, educational seminars, and other programs. BIA also advocates the industry’s regulatory and legislative interests at the federal and state levels and educates municipal and planning officials about the benefits of brick at the local level. Along with the headquarters office that covers the entire country, BIA is comprised of regions that manage programs in the Heartland, Midwest/Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest.
Green Facts and “Figures”
- BIA Fact Sheet: Why Brick is Green
- BIA Fact Sheet: BIA Environmental Policy Statement
- Sustainability and Brick (PDF)
- BIA Pics of Brick Select Advanced Search at the bottom of the page for the full gallery.
- BIA Brick Brief on Brick Recycled Content (PDF)
- BIA Brick Brief on Brick Regional Materials (PDF)
Architects and Designers
- Brick In Architecture, “Brick for Sustainable & Green Building Design,” Technical section entitled, “Sustainability & Green Building Design with Brick Masonry.”
Talks about how brick can be incorporated into sustainable design practices as well as the environmentally-friendly processes used in brick manufacturing. The piece also highlights examples of sustainable building projects throughout the country. - BIA Brick Brief: “Recycled Content in Green Building Rating Systems – Certification and Credit,”
- BIA Brick Brief: “Regional Materials in Green Building Rating Systems – Calculating Credit,”
- BIA Technical Note 48 on Brick Construction, “Sustainability and Brick,”
Discusses sustainability and sustainable design and their relationship to brick manufacturing, use and recycling. Sustainable practices in manufacturing are identified, as are ways to utilize brick as part of sustainable design strategies. Ways that brickwork can be used to earn points in the LEED and other green building rating systems are also identified.
Builders and Home Owners
- Brick In Home Building, “The Bottom Line on Brick’s Role in Sustainability and Green Building Design,”
Compares the green attributes of brick against other residential primary claddings including vinyl, fiber cement, manufactured stone and stucco. Discusses, on an in-depth basis, ways in which brick attains ratings points as well as serves an unsurpassed role in projects that incorporate a holistic approach to sustainable design. - Brick In Home Building, “Using Brick for Green Building Design and Sustainable Residences”
Highlights several examples of brick in sustainable residences, including the National Homebuilder Mainstream GreenHome. Also details information found in Builder Note 5 described below. - BIA Builder Note 5, “Brick: Green Building Design and Sustainability,”
Details how brick can contribute to the credits of the predominant national residential green building rating systems LEED for Homes and the ANSI 2008 National Green Building Standard published by the National Home Building Association.