A Leicestershire-based maker of clay bricks and concrete building products, with 32 factories across the UK.
Ibstock makes the bricks and concrete products that go into UK homes, schools, offices and railways. Its own website calls it the leading clay brick manufacturer in the UK, with factories sited close to its own clay reserves. Its clay business covers more than 450 types of brick, from handmade bricks made at its Swanage factory, which it says has been making them for over 150 years, to waterstruck bricks from Birtley and blue bricks from Lodge Lane. Its concrete business makes walling, flooring, fencing, lintels, staircases and products for rail and infrastructure under brands such as Supreme, Anderton, Longley and Coltman. A unit called Ibstock Futures is aimed at modern methods of construction, meaning building parts made in a factory rather than on site.
The company's purpose, as set out in its recent annual report, is to "build a better world by being at the heart of building". Its four values are Care, Courage, Trust and Teamwork. Its history goes back to Ibstock in Leicestershire, where the annual report says the first coal shaft was sunk in 1825, and it celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2025. One encyclopedia entry gives a different founding date of 1899 as a coal mining business, so the exact starting point depends on the source. The company joined the London Stock Exchange in 2015.
Ibstock is headquartered in the village of Ibstock, Leicestershire. The annual report for 2025 says it has 32 manufacturing sites across the UK: 15 clay sites, four Kevington sites that make special brick shapes and prefabricated parts, and 11 concrete sites. It employed 1,944 people and sourced 99% of its raw materials in the UK, with about 70 million tonnes of consented clay reserves, which means it has permission to dig that much. Named factories include Lodge Lane, Birtley, Swanage and a facade systems factory at Nostell.
On culture, the company reports that it kept "Ones to Watch" status in the Best Companies survey, with 83% of employees taking part, and it calls health and safety its number one priority. The report also mentions wellbeing and mental health support, a Gold accreditation from the 5% Club, which recognises employers that give people earn-and-learn routes, and a planned Ibstock Academy at Walsall College. It reported 32% of its senior leaders were women. These are the company's own figures and claims, not checked by us.
A manufacturer with 32 sites needs many kinds of people: factory and kiln operatives, quarry and clay-reserve specialists, engineers who keep the machinery running, drivers, a design and technical team that helps architects choose products, customer services staff, and finance, human resources and sales teams. If you like making things, solving practical problems or seeing a finished building and knowing your product is in its walls, this is one corner of construction to look at.
Website: www.ibstock.co.uk
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