Facing bricks

Choose from Marshalls' comprehensive range of facing bricks and ensure your commercial construction projects are finished with durable, high-quality and visually appealing products.

Here, you'll find a rich palette of colours, from traditional red-facing bricks to more contemporary blends, like blues and golds. You can also pick from different textures, as our facing bricks are available in sandfaced, stock, and weathered finishes, and more.

Our concrete-facing bricks are a great alternative to soft mud bricks, extruded or wire-cut bricks. They have significantly less embodied carbon than clay bricks - almost 50% less over their lifecycle.

Explore our facing bricks now and use the filters below to find the perfect shade for your next building project.

What are facing bricks?

Facing bricks are used for the exterior facade of homes and commercial buildings, providing the "face" of any brick-built property.

Essentially acting as the first line of defence against weathering, facing bricks are aesthetically pleasing and designed to be extremely frost-resistant and withstand extreme weather conditions.

How do the textures of facing bricks differ?

The textures of our facing bricks enhance a project's overall aesthetic and serve a functional purpose, too. This is because the textures can change how light interacts with the surface, creating different visual effects and affecting how the brick ages.

Marshalls' facing bricks are available in the following textures:

• Frogged: Frogged facing bricks feature an indentation on one side, which is filled with mortar when laid. Correctly laid frog bricks provide better sound insulation, improved loadbearing and greater strength and stability
• Stock: These bricks have a slightly irregular shape and a creased texture, resembling traditional handmade bricks
• Sandfaced: These bricks are created by applying a sand coating to the clay before firing. Their subtle, lightly textured surface adds depth and richness to traditional colours
• Perforated: A perforated brick has holes running through it from top to bottom. The holes provide better strength to homes and structures as they fill with mortar, securing the bricks to one another

What are the differences between standard bricks and facing bricks?

There are several key differences between facing bricks and standard bricks. These include:

• Purpose: Because they're designed for external walls, facing bricks must be weather-resistant and aesthetically pleasing. Similarly, facing bricks must have a higher compressive strength and lower water absorption rates than engineering bricks because they will be exposed to harsh weather
• Appearance: Compared to standard bricks, facing bricks are available in a more diverse range of colours, textures, and finishes, enabling architects and builders to have greater control over their designs
• Cost: Because facing bricks are integral to protecting interior walls, they are generally more expensive than standard bricks and concrete blocks. In terms of maintenance, facing bricks must be initially made to a higher standard to offer longer-term durability and reduce costs over their lifecycle

Why choose Marshalls' facing bricks?

Marshalls is proud to stock the UK's leading range of premium-quality facing bricks in hues and textures to suit all house-building and commercial construction projects.

Manufactured using responsibly-sourced materials and carbon-efficient processes, our facing bricks reduce embodied carbon, contributing to your sustainability goals.

To ensure their longevity and quality, all of our facing bricks undergo rigorous strength and durability testing. So, whether you need facing bricks for a single property build or a large-scale development, you can be confident you're buying a product that's suitable for the job.

If you need a second opinion, don't hesitate to contact our product experts. They can help guide you through our facing bricks, enabling you to make the right decision.