Empress

What is the Krause Empress brick?
The Krause Empress is an extruded brick with a unique 290 x 110 x 50mm dimension that sits between the traditional and the modern. Its 50mm height gives walls a delicate, refined grain while the full 110mm bed depth maintains a solid masonry presence.

What size is the Empress brick?
The Krause Empress measures 290 x 110 x 50mm. Coverage is 55 bricks per square metre, and bricks are supplied at 616 per pallet. Dimensions are nominal averages; as the products are crafted from natural clay, some variance in size and finish is expected.

What colours is the Empress brick available in?
Krause Empress bricks are available in Ghost, Heritage Red, Grampian Blues, Nero, Autumn, Mid-blend, Smoke Grey, Old Melbourne Town, Sandstone, and Silt, with custom colours also available.

What is the difference between the Empress and Emperor bricks?
The Krause Empress is 290 x 110 x 50mm; the Emperor is 390 x 105 x 45mm. The Empress is shorter, slightly taller, and has a full 110mm bed depth, giving a refined take on traditional proportions. The Emperor is longer and slimmer, producing a more elongated, linear look.

Is there a facing version of the Empress brick?
Yes. Krause Empress Facings share the same 290 x 50mm face profile at a reduced 30mm depth, for non-structural applications and complex design details. This allows full Empress bricks and facings to be combined on one project with a consistent appearance.

What does a brick’s bed depth mean?
Bed depth is the width of the brick as it sits in the wall, commonly 110mm in Australia. It determines the thickness of the brick skin, which flows through to cavity dimensions, wall tie selection, and how the brickwork coordinates with the overall wall build-up.

How does brick size affect a building’s appearance?
The brick module and its joints define the visual grain of a facade. Lower bricks create a finer, denser texture; longer bricks stretch the pattern horizontally; and larger standard formats read as bolder and more traditional. Brick size is as much a design decision as colour.

What does extruded mean for bricks?
An extruded brick is formed by forcing prepared clay through a die as a continuous column, which is then wire-cut into individual bricks before firing. Extrusion produces consistent dimensions and crisp edges, and is the most common method for manufacturing linear and reduced-height formats.

What mortar joint size is standard for brickwork?
A 10mm mortar joint is the Australian standard. Beyond size, the joint’s colour and profile, whether raked, flush, or struck, have a dramatic effect on the finished look: raked joints deepen shadow lines and emphasise each brick, while flush joints in a matching colour read as a more monolithic surface.

Are clay bricks good for building facades?
Clay bricks are among the most proven facade materials available: durable across generations, colourfast, non-combustible as a material, and essentially maintenance-free. They also age gracefully, which is why brick facades often look better after decades of weathering rather than worse.