Can You Use Extruded Brick for Sidewalk Pavers?

Making Bricks

• The clay, not the process, determines the hardness and color of brick. Machine-molded bricks are made by pouring wet clay into individual molds; the shaped bricks are then sent to the kiln. Extruding forces drier clay through shaping dies at high pressure into long strips. Wires cut bricks into precise lengths called slugs, which are then fired. A variation of this process is called handmade extrusion: slugs are picked up by hand and rolled in sand before firing.

Sharper Edges

• Basic extruded bricks have sharper, more clearly defined edges and surfaces than molded bricks. This very regular size and shape can be useful for paving. Some extruded brick surfaces are varied by using dies with irregular edges or by coating the extruded slugs with sand. Many extruded bricks are made with holes in them; these are used in walls and facades and are not suitable for pavers.

Tumbling Extruded Brick

• Solid extruded bricks may be less common than molded bricks as pavers because many homeowners prefer the irregular edges. Manufacturers have developed techniques to give extruded bricks this same character. One method is called tumbling; the extruded brick slugs are tumbled to create blunted edges, dented corners and other imperfections and give bricks an antique look.

Weather Standards

• Either molded or extruded bricks can be used as pavers if they meet the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for exterior use. Bricks are graded as either SW for severe weather, MW for moderate weather or NW for interior use only. Either SW or MW grades will work as pavers if properly laid in a sand base.