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Frequently Asked Questions
Sales and Samples
Due to the nature of the material and the production process ceramic brick is subject to dimensional tolerances and a certain range.
In the case of WasteBasedBricks®, this is specified as T1/Rm (15-10-10) (Tolerance / Range). In the case of T1/Rm it means the deviation on the average size can be no more or less than 6*4*3mm (l*w*h) and the difference between the smallest and the largest bricks can be no more than 15*10*10 (l*w*h).
Dimensional tolerance (T1, T2 or Tm)
In practice, the designer often bases the dimensions on the theoretical average dimensions of a standard masonry brick format. However, the dimensions used by an individual manufacturer can differ greatly from this. Each manufacturer can give its own interpretation to the average size of a standard format and the associated dimensional tolerances (T). So standard dimensions do not exist in masonry bricks. This deviation is defined in the classes T1, T2 or Tm.
The starting points are the length, width and height as stated on the CE specification of the brick. The average size of the bricks must fall within the specified tolerances.
Measure spread (R1, R2 or Rm)
After determining the average sizes, the size spread can be calculated. The size difference between the smallest and largest brick in a batch (ten bricks are randomly drawn from a batch) must not exceed the specified size range.
StoneCycling’s WasteBasedBricks are all delivered within the T1/Rm standard. The dimensions of bricks and brick slips are the result of the average dimensions of the chosen brick together with the dimensions of the joint. In case of a tile or herringbone bond or a joint smaller than 10 mm, you want to consider the effects of the tolerances on the design.
The BioBasedTile, both the Honed as well as the Polished texture, have a R12 rating with a PTV and SRV rating beyond 50. These products are suitable for wet commercial areas such as swimming pools, showers and kitchens. With the BioBasedTile there is a low risk of slipping.
StoneCycling is not responsible for sealant selection or sealant application instructions. Please test the desired sealer prior to full application to ensure proper results. Follow all manufacturer instructions for application and re-application.
Download a list of approved sealants, including Biomason testing results and environmental information from our website.
Please note that the recommendations in this document are based on Biomason’s internal testing to the listed categories, and ranked subjectively based on our findings. This is not meant to be a fully comprehensive list of all possible sealants; it is a list of sealants that we have tested.
Biomason makes no claim over which sealant is “best” for your desired application.
The datasheet / NEN specification we publish on our website is an indication of the technical specs of a certain brick type and is based on previously produced products. The document gives you an indication on the water absorption percentage and compressive strength of previous batches of the same brick type.
For your specific project, the technical specifications of the actual production will be separately tested and confirmed. We advice not to use this datasheet / NEN specification for technical decisions such as a mortar advice.
The WasteBasedBrick® is a building material that includes waste from construction, demolition and the industry. It is an intrinsic property of the WasteBasedBrick® that, due to the nature of the used materials and means of production, the products contain a certain colour variation.
Samples of products you’ve received before placing the order are type-samples and give an indication of the colour and texture. The actual aesthetical properties of the WasteBasedBricks® will be confirmed with a production sample after placing the order.
When you navigate to the individual product pages and scroll down, you can find a PDF-files with product information, processing guidelines and a technical datasheet of that specific product under “downloads”.
To make it even easier for you, you can click here directly to download the WasteBasedBrick® Product Information and Processing Guidelines, the WasteBasedSlip® Product Information and Processing Guidelines and the BioBasedTile® Application Guide (Horizontal Use), Application Guide (Vertical Use), Catalog and Data Sheet.
For the datasheets of each of our individual WasteBasedBricks®, according to the European NEN-EN 771-1 norm, please refer to the specific product pages.
At the moment, the production of BioBasedTiles doesn’t allow for custom shapes.
Efforts are focused on the serial production of tiles in different sizes. Have a look at the product pages of the Salt and Pepper BioBasedTiles to find out which shapes and sizes are available.
The short answer is no. Not yet.
The factory that will produce the BioBasedTile on a large scale is located in Denmark. The Biomason EPD team is working closely together with the engineers in Denmark to calculate the environmental profile of the actual product made over here.
To prevent the circulation of multiple EPDs of the BioBasedTiles, we will be waiting for the new publication which represents the commercial product we are selling.
The primary component of traditional concrete is Portland cement. Portland cement is manufactured from crushed limestone (calcium carbonate). There are two main stages in the manufacturing of portland cement.
The first stage, calcination, requires heating limestone to temperatures greater than 800 degrees Celsius (~1,500 F), resulting in calcium oxide and carbon dioxide gas.
The second stage, clinker formation, combines calcium oxide with silicates at furnace temperatures greater than 1,300 degrees Celsius (~2,400 F).
The manufacture of 1 kg of Portland cement releases approximately 1 kg of carbon dioxide into the environment. Half of this comes from the calcination of the limestone, and the other half from the combustion of fossil fuels necessary to achieve the required kiln temperatures. Additional atmospheric byproducts of portland cement production include dioxin, NOx, SO₂, and particulates.
The final material consists of approximately 85% natural aggregate, and 15% biologically grown limestone.
Instead of Portland cement, we use Biocement® to bind together loose sand and rock. Portland cement is a calcium-silicate hydrate material that originally comes from liberating carbon from limestone through intensive heating, emitting carbon dioxide as a byproduct.
Biocement® is a reversal of this process, where carbon and calcium are combined to produce a biologically formed limestone material. This means that high heat and fossil fuels are not required in the process, and BioBasedTiles use carbon as a building block, just like nature!
Naturally occurring bacteria are used to produce BioBasedTiles, a non-modified bacteria described as a wild-type strain. The non-pathogenic strain was isolated from a species commonly found in natural environments across the world. These bacteria typically create cemented materials over hundreds or thousands of years, but the Biocement® process enables them to do the same work in a matter of days.
Bacteria are everywhere in the world around us. Generally speaking, they need two things to survive: nutrients and moisture. BioBasedTiles do retain trace bacteria from the growth process. However, these exist in a dormant state and would require conditions beyond those normally found in the built environment to become active.
The size of the BioBasedTiles does not change from the time it is formed in production. During production, they increase in density. The “growing” happens as biologically produced calcium carbonate forms bridges between the grains of aggregate, strengthening the unit from within. BioBasedTiles do not warp during production.
It takes less than 72 hours for our BioBasedTiles to reach full cure strength, and this is continuously improving through Biomason’s rapid research and development. As a note—traditional concrete can take up to 28 days to cure!
Currently, we offer BioBasedTiles in different colours, sizes and finishes that can be applied as flooring, wall cladding and facades. Have a look at our products page to find out more.
No. Throughout the years, our partner Biomason® developed their own Biocement® that we use for the BioBasedTiles. The process relies on bacteria for the growth of cement rather than burning fuels for calcination resulting in a lighter, stronger, and thinner material.
No, at the moment we don’t take on any design projects. We do clad counters with our materials if it is part of a larger interior project.
If you design an object that is built up from bricks and it exceeds our minimum order quantity of 200 m² within Europe (including the United Kingdom) or 1000 m² on other continents, we can talk through your design idea. In that case you might want to talk to our sales team.
Yes, our products can be used in combination with insulation panels that are made for ceramic brick slips. Contact our sales team for references.
Currently, we deliver our products to Europe (including the United Kingdom) and North America.
Deliveries to Asia, South America, Africa and Australia, New Zealand are unfortunately not a fit with our sustainable approach at this point in time. We have the ambition to work with regional waste streams on all continents in the future, so stay tuned for the latest updates!
In principle, we do not use any pigments. However, it’s our aim to compose the recipes of the WasteBasedBricks® in such a way that it leads to an attractive product. Pigment could be added to manipulate a certain colour. The firing curve of the products also has a significant effect on the colour. When we use pigments, we aim to use primarily pigments from waste.
Building from waste is still a relatively new concept in our opinion. Much of the waste that we create in construction (even when recycled) is now used for lower quality purposes, such as road fill, or not used at all.
Local production, close to the waste streams is definitely the way to go. But in order for that to happen, we need to get more projects in, for example, the United States coming our way. In our growth vision, we focus on production with partners in various regions across the world.
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is an independently verified and registered document that communicates transparent and comparable information about the life-cycle environmental impact of products in a credible way.
At StoneCycling, we now have a preliminary EPD of our products available on request. If you are interested in learning more and would like to download the EPD, please contact us. Soon we will publish an updated EPD that will be available for download on each product page.
We deliver our products under the general terms and conditions of the Royal Association of Dutch Brick Manufacturers (‘Vereniging Koninklijke Nederlandse Bouwkeramiek‘ – KNB). This involves a 10-year warranty on frost resistance. This is in line with most producers of ceramic materials in the Netherlands.
All our products go through the standard market tests for bricks and are safe to use according to European standards.
This is true indeed. Wood is a great material for building. However, it does require more maintenance than bricks. Our products are fired on forest compensated gas. This means that the CO2 footprint during production is compensated by planting trees. It is not the perfect solution yet and fundamental solutions will have to be found in alternative fuels such as H₂.
Our products have the properties to last more than 100 years. Unfortunately, most buildings these days are being demolished much sooner than that. The good news is that WasteBasedBricks® can be recycled and used as ingredients for new WasteBasedBricks®.
This depends on the calculation method you use. In preliminary research done by an external agency, a 25% reduction in environmental cost indicator was reported when production is fully scaled up. In general the WasteBasedBrick®, in line with other bricks, is a sustainable product because of its longevity (70+ years).
With the WasteBasedBrick® we’re focusing primarily on the use of waste as a resource instead of digging up natural and limited resources. To decrease the CO2 footprint of the brick even further, we’re working with more efficient firing curves.
We currently compensate the footprint of the firing process by using forest compensated gas by supplier Greenchoice. The next big step is to switch from a gas-fired production process to a H2 fired production process. Keep an eye on our news page to learn more about this latest development.
All the waste streams that we use are tested on quality and consistency and comply with the government regulations.
We are already able to make products from 100% waste. That said, the machines we are using at the moment are not yet able to process them. This is and will remain, our focus for the coming years.
Our mission stands: creating building materials from 100% upcycled waste with a positive carbon impact on the planet.
We use demolition waste, industrial waste and by-products from several production and recycling processes.
It depends on the production location and products but in general, our waste comes from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and England.
We work with carefully selected partners and at the moment, we don’t have the ambition to expand the number of partners.
We are currently running a few pilot projects in the Netherlands to test the complete process of returning waste from a donor building to the project for the first time.
Depending on what we encounter in the process and what the results of the final product are, we will see if and how we will bring this further in the future. Have a look at our project page to find out more.
Yes, we certainly do. Please get in touch with our sales team and we’d be more than happy to send these over to you.
Yes, many! First of all, feel free to use the images on our website (with the right credits).
Second, you can download our press kit with loads of high-resolution images. Or reach out to our sales team. They are happy to help you create the best presentation of our products possible.
Yes, we do monthly CPD’s / lunch & learns to which you can enrol for free. Have a look at our news page to see when the next CPD is.
For larger organisations, we also offer tailor-made CPDs. Reach out to our sales team to find out more.
No, unfortunately not. We simply don’t have the time for this. Have a look at our news page and press page. You can find a lot of information here.
At StoneCycling, we are always dedicated to finding talented, motivated and hard-working people to join our team. For all current internship possibilities, please have a look at our career page and make sure to sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date with any available positions.
No, unfortunately not. At the moment we only send out sample materials to clients working on a specific project.
The demand worldwide is very high and we have to set priorities since sending out samples is very costly and time-consuming. You can however request a digital sample pack.
It depends on the type of technology or material. We specialise in aesthetic building materials that help us to fulfil our mission faster. If your technology or material can accelerate this, we are very interested in collaborating.
We collaborate in technical development, aesthetic development, commercialisation and investments. Get in touch.
We receive many requests for collaborations. We’ve made it a rule that we only set up new partnerships if there’s a commercial project involved where this new product will be used. Is that the case? Then please get in touch.
No. All sales are handled by our skilled account managers from Amsterdam. We organise annual roadshows to different cities like London, New York, and Copenhagen. Subscribe to our newsletter to find out when we will be around.
This depends on your assortment, network and location. Reach out to our sales department with a short profile of your company.
Our office is not a showroom. Visiting our office is only possible by making an appointment with our sales team.
Not at the moment. Currently, we work mainly business-to-business and we handle all sales ourselves. This way, we can make sure you get all the right information in full, on time. We only produce our building materials on a project basis.
Read more on how our products are made.
A circular economy is an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. Circular systems create a close-loop system, minimizing the use of resource inputs and the creation of waste, pollution and carbon emissions.
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Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. Read more on how our products are made.
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Up-cycling is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, and useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality and environmental value. Lees meer over hoe onze producten worden gemaakt.
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Your minimum order should be 200 m² for all projects within Europe (including the United Kingdom), and 1000 m² for all projects outside of Europe.
For all European and international projects using our Custom Made Service, there is a minimum order quantity of 1000 m².
We also have a limited edition of products available in our Sample Sale with a minimum order quantity of 10 m², unless the availability is < 10m², then you can get the available quantity.
Our WasteBasedBricks® are produced per project according to traditional productionmethods and with attention to quality and aesthetics. Because we look for the best solution for each project with the client, it is not possible to give a set price. All prices depend on the type of product, as well as the shape, size and quantity of your order.
In general, the price of our WasteBasedBrick® start at € 120,- per m². The price of our WastedbasedSlips® start at € 70,- per m² and of the BioBasedTile®, prices start at € 65,- per m². These indications are exclusive of VAT + transport.
This depends on what product you compare them with. In general, the WasteBasedBricks® are priced in the higher range of bricks. But in terms of quality and aesthetics, they score high as well!
Our experience is that when a client is looking for a facade with standard brick masonry, we are 2-4 times more expensive, based on standard Dutch brick sizes.
However, in the segment of non-standard sizes, colours and textures (for example long formats, moulded bricks, thick formats) we can compete with suppliers of conventional products. We specialize in this segment.
Our products are successfully applied in projects that have a real focus on sustainability and design with a matching budget.
This depends on the type of product you are looking for. In general, based on the information shared with us in the sample request form, we’ll prepare a brick proposal for you, send samples, and after we get into the specifics of your project and confirm the order, production will start, and we will deliver on-site.
During and after the construction of your project, we’ll touch base a few times to see how things are going. Get in touch with questions you might still have, or read more about the process of our custom made service.
This depends on the product you choose and the quantity of the order. In general, delivery takes 26+ weeks. This can go up to a year for projects exceeding 1000 m².
Speak to our sales team to find out what the lead time on your project will be.
It’s always a challenge to capture tactility and colour of products on photos, especially when the photos are made in different circumstances. That can be one of the reasons.
Another reason is that we constantly optimise our product recipes and production methods. This will overtime lead to different colours and sometimes textures. That’s why we always recommend to request a new sample on the products page.
This depends on where you are located and the type of factory you have. Please give us a call and let’s explore what we can do together.
Not yet, unfortunately. At the moment we only work with larger, very specific and well-separated quantities of waste.
There are no results for your question (yet), we’ll look into it and have the answer here soon!