Welcome to Brick City!

Thanks for visiting Brick City! General Shale is a proud sponsor of this new two-year exhibit of LEGO® architect, Warren Elsmore’s “Brick City” tour at the National Building Muesum. With a shared passion for architecture and long-standing history, what better way than to connect our product with this message. From all of us at General Shale, we hope you enjoy your visit.

About General Shale Brick

Let us tell you a bit more about who we are…

Founded in 1928

General Shale was founded almost 100 years ago in Johnson City, TN in 1928.

North Americas Largest Brick Manufacture

Through the years, we have grown to become the largest producer of clay brick and natural building materials across the United States and Canada. In all, we have 27 plants that make brick, building stone, and even PVC pipes.

We Are Local!

No matter where you are from, chances are there’s a General Shale Brick plant or showroom close by! As a matter of fact, our closest to you now is just an hour away in Manassas, VA.

Designing Your Home?

Are you getting ready to or already building a new home? Consider brick as your siding of choice for its beauty, durability, low maintenance, and energy efficiency! Our showrooms offer a beautiful variety of unique colors and textures of brick. Oh, and be sure to ask about square foot pricing!

DIY Friendly Projects

Maybe you’re looking to remodel a room or kitchen? Thin brick – real brick cut thin – is an excellent choice to add warmth and appeal to any room or space in your home. The best part? You can do-it-yourself!

Outdoor Spaces

Or if you’re an outdoor lover, a new fire pit or fireplace may be just the thing your outdoor space needs this season. Visit our Manassas showroom to learn more about outdoor features by General Shale.

Brick Comes in Many Colors!

Let us show you all the beautiful colors brick are made in…

White Brick

Perhaps most popular today is white brick! White brick is the top choice for a clean and modern finish to your home’s exterior design. See the rest of our white brick collection at our white brick page!

White Brick

Gray Brick

For those looking at a more neutral base to design their home around, what better way than with a champion neutral color like gray brick! The subtleties of gray make for a excellent pairing with many different trendy trim colors.

Black Brick

For an ultra-modern look, you might be surprised we even have black brick options to consider! Take it a step further and design with black mortar for an even darker overall appearance.

Black Brick

Red Brick

Perhaps you prefer the classic finish of red brick. After all, it was the first and still looks amazing on homes and buildings today! From stately and traditional aesthetics to more modern vibrant red tones, red brick shows its time tested appeal generation to generation.

Mortar Color Matters

Add to your creativity and impact 20% of a home's brick wall color with mortar colors! An excellent illustration of how mortar colors can benefit brick in design can be seen on our mortar page.

Mortar Colors

See How Brick is Made!

Curious about how brick is made?

First, Start With Dirt

Brick is made from the very ground underneath us, meaning our product is among the most natural products made on earth.

The Process

A mixture of clay and shale, we take it through an intricate process of grinding into very fine particles, add water, color additives, and eventually heat it through “kilns” that burn at over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Result: Brick Units

The end result is the brick you know and love today, ready to stand the test of time for over 100 years or more!

How It's Made Video

For a fun and more detailed understanding of how brick is made, watch this short, animated video everyone can understand and enjoy!

How Brick Is Made

Brick is Sustainable!

Did know brick is sustainable and nature friendly?

Defining Sustainability

Sustainability means the quality by which a material is not harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources. Sounds a lot like brick to us!

The Circularity of Brick

Brick itself is a circular product and so is the manufacturing process. Clay shavings and product waste is recycled back into production as well as captured heat from our kilns which is diverted to our dryer kilns for efficiency.

Recyclable

Brick that have been used or need to be removed from buildings to allow for expansion can also be reclaimed and recycled for new use, furthering the longevity of the product's lifespan.

Biodiversity and Reclamation

After the top level of clay is removed from our mine sites, it is our best practice to reclaim the property to the way it was if not better with habitats needed for growing wildlife species.

Global Feature!

That’s not everything. To learn more about how we are a General Shale Brick is sustainable, watch our featured segment on “EARTH” with John Holden to learn even more!

Watch the "Earth" Feature

Design With Brick!

Create a brick home and be inspired to build with BRICK using our Project Visualizer tool.

Start Designing

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