Durability of 'Class A' Bricks
In landscaping applications and below DPC, bricks are severely exposed to the elements and their technical qualities are properly tried and tested. All Ketley's clay products are made from the same Etruria Marl clay and are all Class A certified. They are the toughest bricks with very low water absorption.
Click here to see a gallery of landscaping applications using Ketley products
Click here to see our special shaped bricks
For 'Class A' certification, bricks must have water absorption ≤4.5% and compressive strength ≥ 125N/mm2
Ketley's performance exceeds 'Class A' for all 3 colours in 65mm and 73mm solid and perforated. See test reports here
Their outstanding performance characteristics make all Ketley Bricks particularly suitable for severely exposed brickwork, textured facades and projecting brickwork where more than one face of brick is exposed to the weather.
Ideal characteristics for projecting and textured brickwork
Ketley is the only brick manufacturer to have had their bricks independently tested for freeze thaw performance within a textured facade, with bricks within the test panel projecting up to 50mm. The test was based on prEN772-22 and no damage was found on any of the bricks tested.
Ketley Staffordshire Red Bricks were selected for the award winning Victoria Gate Arcade in Leeds whose intricate facade, shown in the image above, is made from a complex pattern of projecting brickwork. Friedrich Ludewig director of award winning Acme architects who selected the brick explains "It has taken us a while to find a brick that looks good and can deal with exposure on all surfaces. We know of several complex brick facades that had insurance claims and needed major work, as water ingress led to spalling and detachment. Ketley Bricks made a custom extrusion with high crushing strength and very low water absorption for frost resistance. The Engineering Brick range is strong enough to be used as a paver and can be varied in colour." See Victoria Gate case study for more info |
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Severely exposed brickwork below DPC
The BDA recommends that brickwork below DPC which is likely to be regularly exposed to water should have maximum water absorption of 4.5%.
