Why reclaimed bricks, and why from a yard that pulls them down itself
If you are building in Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Crewe or anywhere across Staffordshire and Cheshire, the houses around you were almost certainly built with imperial bricks fired within thirty miles of where they stand. New metric bricks never quite match them. Reclaimed bricks do, because they are them.
At Jim Wise Reclamation we have been taking buildings down and saving the bricks for over 30 years. Our sister company handles the demolition; our 5-acre yard at Hot Lane, Burslem sorts, cleans and palletises what comes out. That means we know where a brick came from, how it was made and what it will look like once it is laid — and we hold one of the biggest stocks of reclaimed bricks in the Midlands and the North West.
This guide covers the types we stock, how to work out quantities, what they cost, and the mistakes we see people make every week.
The main types of reclaimed brick we stock
Cheshire handmade bricks. The most asked-for brick in the yard. Soft reds, oranges and plums with a lightly creased face from being thrown into a mould by hand. We carry reclaimed Cheshire bricks in both common imperial sizes — 230 x 78mm (9 x 3 inch) and 230 x 70mm (9 x 2¾ inch) — because Victorian and Edwardian builders in Cheshire used both. Measure before you order.
Cheshire wire cuts. Same clay and colour range, but extruded and cut with wires rather than hand-moulded, so the faces are flatter and the arrises sharper. Cheshire wire cut bricks suit cleaner, more regular coursing and usually cost less than the handmades. See the full wire cut collection.
Staffordshire and Stoke handmade bricks. The Potteries sit on Etruria marl, and the local bricks are harder and often darker than Cheshire reds. Our Staffordshire handmade brick, 75 x 230mm and handmade Stoke brick, 70 x 225mm are what you want for a match in Burslem, Hanley, Tunstall or Longton. For a terrace repair, the reclaimed Stoke common brick is usually the right call.
Engineering and blue bricks. Dense, low-absorption and frost-proof. Reclaimed Stoke blue engineering bricks and blue engineering bricks for plinths, DPC courses, copings and anywhere water sits. Accrington Nori bricks are the famous Lancashire red engineering brick — reputedly used in the foundations of the Empire State Building and in Blackpool Tower — and we usually have a stock.
Stocks, commons and other regional handmades. Red Manchester stocks, yellow stocks, London multi stocks, Melton Mowbray handmades, Leicester handmades and Derbyshire handmades. Browse the whole handmade collection.
Specials. Bullnose, plinth cappings, corbel headers, glazed bricks and Victorian air bricks. These are the pieces that finish a period job properly; see special bricks.
Imperial vs metric: the sizing problem explained
Modern bricks are 215 x 102.5 x 65mm. Almost every house in our area built before about 1965 used imperial bricks of roughly 9 x 4¼ x 3 inches, i.e. 225–235mm long and 68–80mm deep. Lay a metric brick next to an imperial one and the courses drift: over ten courses a 65mm brick with a 10mm joint is 750mm; a 75mm imperial is 850mm. You cannot hide that at a window head.
So the first rule of matching is measure the existing brick height and length, then pick from our stock accordingly. We list every brick with its measured size in both mm and inches for exactly this reason. Our follow-up guide on matching reclaimed bricks for an extension goes through the whole process.
How many reclaimed bricks do I need?
For a single-skin wall in stretcher bond with 10mm joints:
|
Brick height |
Approx. bricks per m² (stretcher bond) |
|---|---|
|
65mm (metric) |
60 |
|
70mm (2¾ inch imperial) |
55 |
|
75–78mm (3 inch imperial) |
50 |
Add 5% for cutting on a plain wall and 10% on anything with piers, openings or decorative bond. Reclaimed bricks are sorted before they leave us, but it is still wise to allow for a few you will reject on site.
Worked example: a 6m x 2.4m rear extension gable (14.4 m²) in 3-inch Cheshire handmades needs 14.4 x 50 = 720 bricks, plus 10% = roughly 800. Our Cheshire bricks come 400 to a pallet, so that is two pallets.
What reclaimed bricks cost
Prices move with what comes out of the ground, but as a guide our Cheshire wire cuts start from about £1.20 a brick and Cheshire handmades run £1.50–£1.70 (Oct 2026). Rarer regional handmades and specials cost more. Buying by the pallet is cheaper than loose, and collection from Hot Lane saves the delivery charge. For a current quote on a specific quantity, call us on 01782 790576 — we price smaller lots happily.
Buying reclaimed bricks: what to check
- Face count. Ask whether bricks are single-faced or double-faced. A brick from an internal wall may have one good face only, which is fine for most work but not for a freestanding garden wall.
- Frogs and holes. Handmades have a frog (indent); wire cuts may be solid or perforated. It affects mortar use and how they sit on a line.
- Mortar residue. Ours are cleaned, but reclaimed bricks always carry some old lime mortar. Lime is soft and comes off easily; cement-mortared bricks from post-war buildings are harder to clean and we price them accordingly.
- Frost resistance. For copings and anything below DPC use engineering bricks, not soft handmades. Our brick cleaning guide covers how to look after them once laid.
- Mix the pallets. Reclaimed colour varies pallet to pallet. Draw from three pallets at once and the wall blends; work one pallet at a time and you get bands.
From the yard
[Replace with a real story and a photo. Example:] Most of the Cheshire handmades on the yard this autumn came from a row of farm buildings outside Nantwich. They had been laid in lime, so they cleaned beautifully, and the plum tones are stronger than usual. Come and see them stacked — photos never do a reclaimed brick justice.
Delivery across Staffordshire, Cheshire and beyond
We deliver palletised bricks throughout Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, Leek, Crewe, Nantwich, Congleton, Macclesfield and into Shropshire and Derbyshire, and most trade customers collect from the yard. See our delivery page or call for a price to your postcode.
Frequently asked questions
Are reclaimed bricks cheaper than new? Often comparable per brick; new handmade bricks can cost considerably more. The real saving is in not having to replace mismatched brickwork later.
Can I use reclaimed bricks for a whole new house? Yes, and plenty of our customers do. Allow more time for sorting and ask for bricks from one or two sources so the blend is consistent.
Do reclaimed bricks meet building regulations? Building Control is concerned with structural adequacy and frost resistance. Sound reclaimed bricks are routinely accepted; use engineering bricks where the regs call for them.
Will you match a sample? Bring a brick to Hot Lane, Burslem and we will walk the stock with you. It is the best twenty minutes you will spend on the job.
How are the bricks sold? Priced per brick, palletised, typically 400 to a pallet for Cheshire bricks.
