Craftsmanship and expertise: a glimpse behind the scenes

Wienerberger provides a palette of glazed bricks in three series. However, in many projects we examine and research the various options in terms of colours, colour nuances, textures, shapes and brightness levels.

Based on test samples and sometimes mockups, we cooperate with architects for the required radiance of the façade or wall. For example, we can precisely copy the existing glazed bricks in case of a restoration or expansion. In such cases, our advisors do not just look at the bricks but at the entire design e.g., the orientation of a building can play a part in the selection of the brightness level.

We also pay close attention to the colour of the joints: this has to support the intended effect. Based on our extensive knowledge and experience, we will be pleased to advise you.  

It is possible to provide the glazing with a special effect e.g., a metallic effect. For this purpose, we add certain additives to the glass, the raw material of the glazing. This glass including the additives is fired as a top layer together with the bricks.

We test each combination of raw materials (clay, glass) and additives (pigment, metal oxides) in order to check the quality of the glazing.  

Hand-shaped bricks, mould tray bricks or stuffing press bricks. Stone strips or full bricks. Regular sizes or deviating sizes. There is a lot to choose from and we will be pleased to advise you.

In our brick factory in Panningen, we produce stuffing press bricks including mould tray bricks, which are directly glazed in the single-firing process. In a double-firing process, we provide glazing to specific bricks variations from other brick factories of Wienerberger.

For brick production on project basis, we always carry out additional tests to guarantee correctness.  

As a rule, the Wienerberger production location in Panningen uses extremely high-quality Westerwald clay for the bricks that are glazed. This is because this clay can be fired at a higher temperature (over 1200 degrees Celsius). The clay goes white after firing. This makes the stone harder, as well as the glaze and its adhesiveness.  This guarantees the durability of the glazed brick, also for a somewhat more difficult (Dutch) climate. It is also possible to use Westerwald clay with a red shard: a red clay brick. The additional tests are conducted on a project basis to verify that the correct quality of brick and glaze can be achieved.

The Wienerberger factory in Panningen fires extruded bricks and glaze simultaneously at a high temperature. Before the bricks (dried clay) go in the oven, a layer of glaze is applied to the visible surface of the brick: a layer that has a high adhesion value because it is fired simultaneously with the clay. This is known as the single-fired process. For certain glazed effects, a second, transparent layer can be added to the glaze layer before the brick is fired.

The double-fired process can be used on bricks that are already fired and are given a glaze layer in Panningen. This applies to hand-molded and molded bricks, for example.

We only use unleaded glaze for glazing our bricks. Our years of development and experience enable us to produce 100% lead-free glazed bricks of high quality. Glazed bricks are fired at high temperatures to guarantee an excellent bonding of the glaze. In most cases, this is done according to the single-firing process: the most energy-efficient production manner for glazed bricks.

Active environment policy
Company-wide, Wienerberger has an active environment policy that aims to save energy and water wherever possible. At the same time, we use green energy as much as possible. We carefully monitor the origin of the most common renewable and recycled raw materials. Wienerberger actively pursues increasing the lifespan of the delivered products and decreasing the environmental impact of the products and the production process. Ceramic bricks – especially glazed bricks – are produced for an extremely long lifespan.  

Take a look at our reference projects to get an idea of the possibilities.