Shift Your Project into the Express Lane with METROBRICK® Thin Brick

METROBRICK® thin brick is a leading TBX Grade Architectural Thin Brick designed and manufactured by Ironrock to be used in the following systems: 

• Prefabricated metal panels
• Precast concrete panels
• Cast in place concrete elements
• Tilt-up concrete panels
• Field applied systems/applications

Why Architects Are Choosing METROBRICK® Thin Brick 

There's no denying that full bed brick has its place in construction, but that doesn't mean it's the right fit for every project - here are a few advantages METROBRICK® thin brick offers compared to traditional full brick cavity walls. 

Lighter & Fewer Materials 

At just 20% the size of a full brick, METROBRICK® thin bricks are much lighter and require fewer resources than their conventional full bed counterparts, resulting in significant emission and raw material reductions without sacrificing aesthetics in the process. And because the weight of thin brick is engineered in the wall system itself, it does not require the additional foundation that full bed brick necessitates. 

Being lighter than traditional brick, thin brick can be shipped to the construction site on any truck - allowing backhauls - in much greater quantities, greatly reducing transportation-related emissions; indeed, trucks delivering thin brick are capable of hauling upwards of 60,000 units, whereas trucks carrying full brick generally only haul 12,000. 

“You're able to get thin brick in a lot more coverage on a tractor trailer or a railcar, and you can ship it much further distances then you can a heavier full face brick,” says Dustin Nash, Purchased Products Manager at Acme Brick. “There's also less weight on the building itself, so now you don’t have to have a brick ledge - your weight is being supported by the wall, so there’s a bit of savings with that.” 

Less Site Disturbance 

Traditional masonry construction - especially on large, multi-story projects - often results in significant site disturbance, as it typically requires the removal of existing vegetation in order for scaffolding to be set up; depending on the build location, scaffolding can also impact the flow of pedestrian and/or roadway traffic, often for months or even years at a time. 

When used in precast and tilt-wall construction, however, METROBRICK® thin brick eliminates the need for scaffolding, requiring only that a crane or cranes be present to lift the walls into place. The nature of precast and tilt-wall panels also means that they may be erected from within the structure’s perimeter rather than outside of it, further minimizing site disturbance by allowing existing trees and vegetation to remain in place. 

Ease of Maintenance & Repairs 

As far as maintenance requirements go, there is little difference between thin brick and full bed brick, as they possess the same material properties; on average, however, METROBRICK® thin brick is much less prone to spalling and efflorescence, as it absorbs less water than full bed brick - in fact, METROBRICK® products boast a density of less than 3% water absorption.

In the event that thin brick does spall or become otherwise damaged, it is often much easier - and cheaper - to replace than full bed brick, as it only requires the removal of the affected bricks themselves rather than the replacement or reconstruction of an entire portion of the wall, as is often the case with severe spalling in full bed cavity wall assemblies. And because each thin brick is independently adhered to the wall system, there is no danger of cracks forming between thin bricks like with full bed bricks. 

Acme Brick: Your Go-to Distributor for METROBRICK® Thin Brick 

As a leading distributor of METROBRICK® thin brick in the southern United States, Acme Brick offers the entire line of sizes, colors, and texture options. Acme can also help provide guidance and training to ensure that installers understand how to properly handle and set the product for smooth, error-free installation. 

Acme also stocks select colors in its North Texas warehouse, further expediting shipping and helping to reduce delays. “If a customer decided this afternoon that they wanted this particular color and needed a few thousand square feet dropped at their jobsite tomorrow, we can do that,” says Nash. 

Considering METROBRICK® for your project? Click here to request free sample materials featuring crucial information regarding METROBRICK’S Fast Ship Program. Email us at metro@brick.com for more information, inquire about inventory, or to place an order.

Sizes 

METROBRICK® thin brick measures ⅝” thick and is available in four sizes: 

Need custom sizing not listed here? Contact METROBRICK here or call Customer Service at 1.888.325.3945 to discuss availability, pricing, and capabilities for your specific project. 

Colors & Blends 

METROBRICK® thin brick is available in a wide range of single tones - ideal for creating uniform surfaces or adding monotone shades to a blend - and flash range colors that provide slight shade variations from brick to brick thanks to differences in chemical and mineral components, as well as the atmosphere and temperature within the kiln. 

All METROBRICK® thin brick products are available in custom two-, three-, or four-color blends that allow for an even greater range of architectural expression. “The things that we can do with blending add a whole level of color options, and when you throw in variations of different textures as well…you can’t possibly show it all, but we have a blend generator on our website to try and spur along some imagination when you’re trying to come up with something,” says McCracken. 

METROBRICK® also recently released a collection of pre-built brick blends called the Imperial Blend Series, which consists of six curated blends inspired by the rich history and heritage of Canton, Ohio, Ironrock’s birthplace and headquarters: 

• Avondale Blend
• Bessemer Blend
• Lehman Blend
• McKinley Blend
• Moonlight Blend
• Ridgewood Blend 

These blends are made-to-order and are available in all METROBRICK thin brick sizes upon request. 

Trying to create the perfect blend? Use the METROBRICK® Blend Generator to experiment with different colors, textures, percentages, and mortars.

Textures 

In addition to their wide range of colors and sizes, METROBRICK® also offers six different thin brick textures, with the newest additions being Scalloped and Vertical Score: 

• Scalloped. Features a random curved and layered pattern that is wholly unique to each brick, creating a dramatic surface that changes throughout the day as shadows move across the façade; available for Precast projects.
• Vertical Score. Characterized by striking vertical channels spanning the entire brick face; also available for Precast construction projects.
• Smooth. Features a consistent, uniform surface with just a hint of roughness left by the extrusion die; ideal for projects aiming for a clean, modern appearance.
• Wire Cut. Vertical tears and pulls create a unique pattern of ridges and crevices that mimics the appearance of a traditional wire cut brick.
• Ironspot. Produced by introducing a metallic additive to the raw materials that then blooms to the surface upon firing; Ironspot can also be added to any other texture, though it doesn't show as well in Wire Cut.
• Vintage. Features a distressed surface and edges that emulate the worn, weathered look of old buildings. 

By influencing the way in which light and shadow play across a building's surface, these textures open up an even wider range of possibilities for enhancing a project's façade and amplifying its character. 

Want to see how a specific texture looks in person? Fill out a request form and METROBRICK® will send you a 13 x 13 board with the desired texture(s).

METROBRICK® & Sustainability 

Brick - and by extension, thin brick - is often considered inherently sustainable thanks to its long lifespan and recyclability. METROBRICK®, a USGBC member, has made strides in improving the efficiency and overall sustainability of its manufacturing process, greatly reducing energy and resource usage. 

Heat from Ironrock's kilns is also used in dryers rather than exhausted; what's more, at least 92% of all raw materials used in METROBRICK® products are extracted within 50 miles of the manufacturing facility, significantly curbing transportation-related emissions. 

All METROBRICK® colors contain at least 23% pre-consumer recycled content, for all unfired waste clay produced during manufacturing is reground into the company's finished products; fired scrap is also reground and reused in-house in METROBRICK® products or made available to other industries for use in roadbeds. 

Transparency is also integral to METROBRICK’s sustainability efforts - all products carry a Health Product Declaration and an industry-wide Environmental Product Declaration. METROBRICK® products are also third-party certified for multi-attribute sustainability. 

Want to learn more about METROBRICK'S environmental data? Read their Sustainability Product Report here.

Stay on Schedule With the METROBRICK® Fast Ship Program 

Delays and supply chain issues can wreak havoc on a project’s budget, increasing expenses across the board and potentially resulting in penalties or lost revenue. That's why METROBRICK® launched their Fast Ship Program for select thin brick colors and blends. Intended for smaller orders - typically those under 10,000 square feet - the Fast Ship Program was created to ensure that METROBRICK’S most popular colors and blends can be shipped quickly to keep your projects on schedule. 

Currently, 10 single tone/range colors are available in modular sizes under the Fast Ship Program: 

• Copper Ironspot (new)
• Fieldstone
• Monument
• Empire
• Main Street
• Schoolhouse Red
• Charcoal
• Main Street Flashed
• Schoolhouse Red Flashed
• Brownstone Flashed 

 Several pre-built color blends are also available through the Fast Ship Program: 

All colors and color blends are available in wire cut finish, with Schoolhouse Red, Schoolhouse Red Flashed, Monument, and Charcoal also being available in smooth finish.

Once ordered, products are typically shipped out within five days; keep in mind, however, that the Fast Ship Program operates on a first-come, first-served basis, meaning levels of inventory are prone to fluctuate. Lead time for color blends is approximately two to four weeks. 

METROBRICK® Thin Brick Project Spotlights 

Though often marketed towards commercial development, METROBRICK® thin brick can be found on a diverse array of project types across the country - here are two that expertly showcase the product's versatility as a modern cladding solution. 

Whitis Avenue Residence Hall, Austin, Texas

The new Whitis Avenue residence hall at The University of Texas at Austin features a subtle blend of METROBRICK® colors.

Scheduled to open in the fall of 2027, The University of Texas at Austin's new Whitis Avenue residence hall will add dining options and 1,055 beds to the campus’ existing undergraduate housing inventory, expanding the community and providing students with much needed affordable housing options. 

Designed by Clark Nexsen and LEVY DYKEMA, the redeveloped residence hall is making extensive use of prefabrication - including precast panels inset with a blend of METROBRICK® colors - to help expedite construction and circumvent space constraints imposed by the site location. “They decided they just didn’t have room for scaffolding to go around this new dormitory, so they wanted everything to be made off-site and brought in and erected with cranes, because they didn’t have any way for palettes and masons and scaffolding and all that to be able to build traditionally, so they had to choose a different method,” says Nash.

This project was made possible after the University of Texas System Board of Regents authorized the Austin campus to enter a lease agreement with the 2033 Higher Education Development Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the university in property acquisitions, development, and dispositions; the nonprofit contracted with Balfour Beatty Campus Solutions, LLC to develop the hall. 

1050 Brickworks, Atlanta, Georgia

The lower mass of this mixed-use office and retail space in West Midtown is clad in METROBRICK® Thin Brick Charcoal.

 Co-developed by Sterling Bay and Asana Partners, 1050 Brickworks is a 14-story Class A property boasting 225,000 square feet of office and prime retail space in the heart of Atlanta’s bustling West Midtown neighborhood. 

 Rising 14 stories over 1050 Marietta St., this HKS-designed mixed-use project replaced a handful of low-rise commercial buildings as part of ongoing urbanization efforts intended to transform the historically industrial neighborhood into a more walkable and multi-purpose district with modern amenities and destinations. 

 1050 Brickworks broke ground in late 2022 and topped out in mid 2024 - an impressive feat made possible in large part by the building's heavy reliance on prefabrication to stay both on budget and on schedule. Precast panels from GATE Precast featuring Acme-supplied METROBRICK® thin brick in Charcoal and complimented by an acid-etched finish give the building a refined, high-end look that sets the standard for modern workspaces in West Midtown.