Sandstock bricks, sometimes referred to as Convict bricks, were one the first types of bricks manufactured in South Australia. These bricks were first made by hand along the banks of the river Torrens with clay for the surrounding area at the founding of Adelaide in the 1800’s. They were traditionally made using wooden moulds that were lined with sand to prevent the clay from sticking to the mould whilst the clay dried. The marginal differences in sizes of the moulds used to manufacture the bricks, accounts for the subsequent differences in sizes of the resultant bricks. The sand used inside the moulds during their manufacture also directly resulted in distinct sandy patterns in the faces of the bricks. It is from this pattern on the face of the bricks that the bricks derived their names.

The older varieties of Sandstocks from the pre-1900’s tend to be thinner in size, ranging from 60mm to 65mm, whilst post 1900’s Sandstocks are generally between 70mm to 75mm in thickness. Most of the Sandstock bricks we stock tend to originate from cottages built across Adelaide in the 1920’s and the 1930’s.

Sandstocks come in both orange and red colour, with the orange varieties tending to be a lot more fragile. They are a softer lighter brick, with unmatched character which makes them the ideal brick for feature walls. We have supplied thousands of Sandstocks across South Australia where they have been used for this purpose. This includes cafes, restaurants, bars and wineries.