There is no law limiting certain brick to commercial use and other brick to residential use. Nevertheless, there are many brick that simply look more at home on homes than on office buildings, and there are others that work well on commercial buildings but not on homes. Size is one factor. Most markets have a predominant unit size for residential applications. Large units such as utilities are normally limited to large institutional buildings like schools, or to commercial warehouses. Finish is another factor. Some manufacturers specialize in material mixes and equipment that result in very smooth finishes with near-perfect corners, which are tailor made for many commercial uses, but which may be too machined looking for residential applications. Color is yet another factor and there have never been more color options available to the architect.

While most residential brick are made as either some shade of red or as a coating on a body that is some shade of red, many commercial brick are made with entirely different colors through the body of the brick. Creams, brown, grays and others are created using additive mixtures, the results often referred to as "admix" brick or simply "through the body" brick. The raw materials used for these products add significantly to the cost.

For more information on Riverside Brick's Architectural Building Products please visit the following sections: Extruded - Ad Mix, Extruded - Applied Coated Brick, Authentic Hand Made and Machine Molded Brick, Limestone, Architectural Precast Concrete and Architectural Colored CMU.

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Riverside Brick & Supply • 1900 Roseneath Road • P.O. Box 6666 • Richmond, VA 23230

Ph 804.353.6681 • Fax 804.353.7770 • dshepardson@riversidebrick.com