Turkey’s clay brick and tile industry – history, present and future

»1 Map of Turkey with the most important production centres for clay bricks and roofing tiles [2]

»2a Regional distribution of brickworks….

»2b …and roofing tile factories in Turkey [2]

The situation in the Turkish clay brick and roofing tile industry is described, market opportunities and production systems for the future are explored and an assessment is given regarding the future development of the industry. The current high demand for clay bricks and roofing tiles gives rise to hope that the investments made by the manufacturers will pay off providing they modernize their technical equipment and make more functional products that can be used in different applications.

1 History

Clay bricks and roofing tiles are some of the most common and preferred materials for the construction of housing. They do not contain any substances harmful to health, boast good insulation properties and a natural appearance [1]. According to the estimates, clay bricks were used for the first time in Anatolia by the Lydians in the 4th century BC. After that, brickmaking was continued by the Byzantines, the Seljuks and then up into the Ottoman Empire. Bricks and roofing tiles were first standardized in the Ottoman era [2].

2 Brick and roofing tile plants in Turkey

While there were...