GoBrick.com and brick EPD coverage
Quick heads‑up before we dive in. Gobrick.com is the Brick Industry Association’s home base, not a brick manufacturer. That matters because the site concentrates the industry’s guidance and the new industry‑average EPD that specifiers use as a reference, while individual brands still need product‑ or plant‑specific EPDs to win specs that ask for them.
Who they are
GoBrick.com is the Brick Industry Association’s hub for clay masonry. BIA represents U.S. brick manufacturers and distributors and curates technical notes, design guidance, and sustainability resources, including an industry‑average EPD for clay masonry. Their sustainability section is a helpful starting point for design teams and manufacturers alike (BIA Sustainability).
What they “sell” vs what members sell
BIA does not sell products. Member companies manufacture fired clay brick units across four main families that show up on jobs every day: face brick, thin brick, clay pavers, and structural clay tile. These are the exact categories covered in the current clay masonry Product Category Rule administered through ASTM, which is the rulebook used to create comparable EPDs for these products (ASTM PCR for Clay Brick, Clay Brick Pavers, and Structural Clay Tile, 2024).
The headline on EPDs today
BIA released a new Industry Average EPD in October 2025 covering clay brick, thin brick, pavers, and structural clay tile, based on cradle‑to‑grave LCA with data from 29 facilities representing 39.3% of U.S. clay brick production in 2023, and using a 150‑year reference service life for masonry assemblies (BIA press release, 2025). That makes GoBrick.com the place most specifiers grab the baseline document for brick.
How broad is the product universe
Across member brands, assortments typically span dozens of sizes and colors per plant, which nets into hundreds of SKUs per manufacturer. Brick is a palette product. That breadth is great for design choice, yet it complicates EPD coverage if teams want product‑ or plant‑specific numbers rather than an industry average. Reliable public counts by SKU are not published centrally, so we avoid pretending otherwise.
Coverage reality check
The industry‑average EPD is robust and recent, which means brick can contribute to transparency and embodied‑carbon workflows out of the box. Many manufacturers still lean on that average instead of publishing product‑ or plant‑specific EPDs, and the broader data landscape confirms that brick has fewer product‑level EPDs than categories like fiber cement or metal panels in North America (Carbon Leadership Forum, 2025). When projects or owners prefer product‑specific values, an average can trigger conservative assumptions that disadvantage bids.
A quick example of spec risk
A common modular face brick on a leading brand site is paired to the industry‑average document rather than a product‑specific one, which may be fine for general transparency but can be a hurdle on stricter procurements (Acme Brick EPD page). Meanwhile, competing cladding types often present product‑specific, third‑party verified EPDs, such as a current U.S. EPD for James Hardie external cladding that remains valid through December 21, 2027 (EPD International, 2027). When a project team is trying to balance a LEED v5 trajectory with embodied‑carbon targets, apples‑to‑apples product EPDs tend to move faster through internal reviews (USGBC, 2025).
Who brick competes with on walls
In K‑12, higher ed, healthcare, and multifamily, clay brick routinely competes with fiber cement panels, metal wall panels, EIFS, concrete masonry, and precast. Many of those categories publish industry‑average or product‑specific EPDs at scale, for example the ASTM‑verified industry‑average EPD for concrete masonry units published by the Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association in 2024 to 2025 rollout (CMHA Industry‑Average CMU EPD, 2025). Comp sets with readily comparable EPDs can gain traction in proposal reviews, even when brick scores highly on durability.
Where GoBrick.com helps manufacturers
If a manufacturer is mapping EPD coverage, GoBrick.com gives the playbook: definitions, the latest industry‑average EPD, and pointers to the right PCR and test methods. The commercial unlock comes from layering product‑ or plant‑specific EPDs on top of that baseline. That means tight data collection by plant and clear product hierarchy so each declaration tells an auditor‑ready story without guesswork. Done well, it shortens review cycles and keeps the line item from getting value‑engineered away.
Moves that pay off
Start with the top ten sellers per plant, then expand to the color‑blend families that appear on public projects. Align to the current PCR and choose a program operator familiar with clay masonry. Keep the next renewal on your calendar so the declarations never go dark. It is definately easier to scale after the first wave once the data pipeline is in place.
Bottom line for specability
GoBrick.com anchors the narrative for clay masonry and now hosts a fresh industry‑average EPD that covers a large slice of U.S. production. For brands that want to win on projects that prefer product‑specific transparency, the fastest path is a plant‑level EPD set that mirrors how the catalog is sold. That turns brick’s long service life into a documented asset rather than a talking point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GoBrick.com a brick manufacturer and do they sell products directly?
No. GoBrick.com is the Brick Industry Association’s website. BIA represents manufacturers and distributors and publishes technical and sustainability resources. It does not sell brick.
Which clay masonry product categories are covered under the current PCR?
Clay brick, clay brick pavers, thin brick, and structural clay tile are covered under ASTM’s PCR for clay masonry products used to develop comparable Type III EPDs (ASTM PCR, 2024).
What changed in the 2025 industry‑average EPD for clay masonry?
It moved to cradle‑to‑grave scope, cites a 150‑year reference service life for brick masonry assemblies, and aggregates data from 29 facilities that represent 39.3% of U.S. brick production in 2023 (BIA press release, 2025).
Does relying on an industry‑average EPD limit LEED v5 potential?
A recent, third‑party verified industry‑average EPD supports transparency but some owners and policies prefer product‑specific EPDs. Teams pursuing aggressive embodied‑carbon targets usually favor product‑ or plant‑specific values for comparisons (USGBC, 2025).
Which competing wall systems commonly show up with product‑specific EPDs?
Fiber cement and metal panels often have product‑specific EPDs in North America, for example James Hardie claddings with a U.S. EPD valid to 2027 (EPD International, 2027). Concrete masonry units also have an ASTM‑verified industry‑average EPD through CMHA (CMHA, 2025).
About the Author
John brings a clear, research-driven perspective on the EPD, LCA and HPD space and keeps a close pulse on environmental trends and standards in North America, helping clients understand where the industry is heading and how to get there.
