Wienerberger
An Austrian building-solutions and infrastructure-systems group best known for bricks, roof tiles, and pipe systems.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Wienerberger is an Austrian building materials and infrastructure systems group headquartered in Vienna. Founded in 1819 by Alois Miesbach, the company began with clay extraction and brick production in the Wienerberg area of Vienna and developed into one of Europe’s longest-established listed industrial businesses. Its shares have traded on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1869. The company’s historic core is ceramic construction material. Wienerberger is widely associated with clay bricks, masonry systems, facing bricks, and roof tiles, and is described as Europe’s leading roof-tile manufacturer and the world’s largest brick producer. Over time, the group broadened its scope beyond traditional masonry through acquisitions and internal development. Its activities now include ceramic wall systems, roof coverings, concrete and clay roof tiles, architectural and facing products, plastic pipe systems, and related building and infrastructure solutions. Wienerberger’s international expansion accelerated in the late twentieth century. The acquisition of Oltmanns-Gruppe in Germany in 1987 helped extend the business beyond Austria and marked an important step into the European market. The company entered the United States through the 1999 purchase of General Shale, which also strengthened its position as a global brick producer. Further acquisitions expanded its presence in the United Kingdom, Central and Eastern Europe, roof tiles, and pipe systems. Notable transactions included the purchase of a stake in Ibstock, the acquisition of continental European brick activities from Hanson, the purchase of Thebrickbusiness in the United Kingdom, and the takeover of Baggeridge Brick after a competitive bidding process. The group has also built a portfolio of roof-tile and outdoor-surface brands. Bramac became part of Wienerberger in 1973, while Semmelrock, Tondach Gleinstätten, and Keymer Tiles were added during the 2010s. In 2021, General Shale acquired Meridian Brick in the United States, substantially increasing Wienerberger’s American brick operations. In 2024, Wienerberger completed the acquisition of French roof-tile manufacturer Terreal, bringing businesses including Creaton and Ludowici Roof Tile into the group. General Shale also acquired Summitville Tile, an Ohio producer of floor tile and facing brick. Wienerberger positions itself as a provider of integrated, durable, and increasingly sustainable building solutions rather than only as a commodity brick manufacturer. Its products are used in residential construction, renovation, commercial buildings, infrastructure, drainage, water management, and utility networks. The group has emphasized energy efficiency, resource efficiency, durable construction, electrification of manufacturing, and solutions intended to support climate resilience. Its production network comprises more than 200 sites, according to the supplied reference material. The company experienced significant pressure during the Great Recession. In 2009 it issued a profit warning, closed or idled plants, and reduced its workforce. In 2010 it extended loans and implemented a broad price increase. Demand later recovered, and by 2014 the company reported strong enough order activity to temporarily close order books while expanding output. More recent investments have focused on lower-emission production, including a fully electric concrete-tile factory in Sittingbourne, United Kingdom, opened in 2025, and construction of a fully electric roof-tile kiln at Broomfleet in the United Kingdom, announced in 2026. For 2025, the supplied reference material reports group revenue of €4,566 million and operating EBITDA of €754 million. These figures should be understood as period-specific company results, not as a permanent description of the brand’s financial scale. Wienerberger remains an active, widely internationalized building-materials group whose identity combines a nineteenth-century ceramic manufacturing heritage with a broader modern portfolio of construction and infrastructure systems.
History
Wienerberger was established in Vienna in 1819 by Alois Miesbach, using clay deposits around Wienerberg as the foundation for a brick-manufacturing business. Early technical improvements, including circular kiln designs, allowed production to operate with greater continuity and helped the company establish a strong position in the Austrian market. By the time of Miesbach’s death in 1857, the business had expanded to nine factories, a clay plant, and several coal mines. His nephew Heinrich Drasche succeeded him and maintained the company’s leading position. The company became publicly traded on the Vienna Stock Exchange in 1869. During the following decades, Wienerberger remained Austria’s principal brick producer while diversifying into adjacent ceramic activities, including roof tiles, ornamental sculpture, and architectural terracotta. The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the First World War caused the loss of much of its foreign operating base, so the company rebuilt around its Austrian activities. Manufacturing technology continued to evolve. Mechanical presses introduced around the 1920s enabled more efficient production of perforated bricks. During the 1950s, tunnel kilns improved production efficiency and helped modernize the company’s industrial processes. In 1973 Wienerberger acquired Bramac, a concrete roof-tile manufacturer, strengthening its position in roof coverings and beginning a longer-term expansion beyond conventional clay bricks. A more international phase began with the acquisition of Germany’s Oltmanns-Gruppe in 1987. This transaction helped Wienerberger expand across Europe and also marked its entry into plastic pipes, a business that became an important part of the group’s infrastructure portfolio. In 1998 Wienerberger acquired a 30 percent stake in British brick producer Ibstock. The following year it purchased General Shale in the United States for $260 million, entering the American market and reinforcing its status as a leading international brick producer. The company continued expanding through acquisitions in the United Kingdom and continental Europe. In 2001 it acquired Hanson’s continental European brick interests for £39.3 million. In 2004 it purchased British supplier Thebrickbusiness for £90 million. In 2007 Wienerberger competed with Michelmersh Brick Holdings for control of Baggeridge Brick and ultimately secured the majority of the company’s shares after raising its offer. The Great Recession placed substantial pressure on construction demand. In 2009 Wienerberger issued a profit warning, shuttered multiple plants, permanently closed two facilities, and reduced employment. In 2010 it extended existing loans and introduced a 15 percent price increase across its product range. Market conditions later improved. Acquisitions such as Semmelrock in 2010 and Tondach Gleinstätten and Keymer Tiles in 2014 broadened the group’s roof-tile and outdoor-surface activities. Strong demand in 2014 led the company to temporarily close order books while adding production capacity equivalent to hundreds of millions of bricks. International consolidation continued in the 2020s. In 2021 General Shale acquired Meridian Brick from Boral for $250 million, approximately doubling the scale of the American business. In 2024 Wienerberger completed its acquisition of Terreal, a French roof-tile manufacturer, gaining additional European operations and ownership of Creaton and Ludowici Roof Tile. General Shale also expanded through the purchase of Summitville Tile in Ohio. The supplied reference material further describes expansion in 2026 through the acquisition of a 50 percent stake in Gruppo Italcer for €350 million and the purchase of Univerzum Group, identified as Serbia’s largest clay-block producer. These transactions indicate a continuing strategy of broadening the group’s geographic reach and extending its construction-materials portfolio. In parallel with acquisitions, Wienerberger has pursued production modernization and lower-carbon manufacturing. The company opened a fully electric concrete-tile factory in Sittingbourne in 2025 and began construction of what the supplied material describes as the world’s first fully electric roof-tile kiln at Broomfleet in 2026. The group’s present identity therefore combines its historic ceramic manufacturing base with a wider portfolio of roof coverings, masonry, pipes, drainage, and infrastructure systems.
- 2026
Electric roof-tile kiln project launched
[1]Construction began at Broomfleet in the United Kingdom on a fully electric roof-tile kiln.
- 2025
Fully electric concrete-tile factory opened
[1]Wienerberger opened a fully electric concrete-tile plant in Sittingbourne, United Kingdom.
- 2024
Terreal and Summitville Tile transactions completed
[1]Wienerberger completed its Terreal acquisition, while General Shale acquired Summitville Tile.
- 2021
Meridian Brick acquired
[1]General Shale purchased Meridian Brick, significantly expanding Wienerberger’s United States operations.
- 2014
Tondach Gleinstätten and Keymer Tiles acquired
[1]These transactions strengthened the company’s roof-tile operations in Europe and the United Kingdom.
- 2010
Semmelrock acquired
[1]The acquisition broadened Wienerberger’s hard-landscaping and outdoor-surface activities.
- 1999
General Shale acquired
[1]Wienerberger entered the United States by acquiring General Shale.
- 1987
International expansion begins with Oltmanns-Gruppe
[1]The purchase of Germany’s Oltmanns-Gruppe extended Wienerberger’s European footprint and introduced the group to plastic pipes.
- 1973
Bramac acquired
[1]The acquisition of concrete roof-tile producer Bramac expanded Wienerberger’s roof-covering portfolio.
- 1869
Shares listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange
[1]Wienerberger began trading on the Vienna Stock Exchange.
Products and positioning
A global provider of durable, energy-efficient, and increasingly sustainable building and infrastructure solutions, built on expertise in bricks, roof tiles, and pipe systems.
Masonry
Clay bricks and masonry systems
Wienerberger’s historic and best-known product family includes standard clay bricks, facing bricks, perforated bricks, and integrated masonry systems. These products serve residential, commercial, and architectural construction. The company’s ceramic wall systems are positioned around structural performance, durability, thermal efficiency, and efficient installation, while facing products provide exterior architectural finishes.
Roofing · 1973
Roof tiles
The group manufactures and markets clay and concrete roof tiles through brands and businesses including Bramac, Tondach, Terreal, Creaton, Ludowici, and Keymer Tiles. The portfolio covers roof coverings for new construction, renovation, and architectural projects, with products adapted to different regional building traditions and climatic conditions.
Infrastructure · 1987
Plastic pipe systems
Wienerberger supplies plastic pipe and infrastructure systems, particularly in Europe. These products support water management, drainage, utility networks, and related civil-engineering applications. The business represents the group’s expansion from ceramic construction products into broader infrastructure solutions.
Masonry · 1999
General Shale brick products
General Shale is Wienerberger’s major United States brick business. Its portfolio includes architectural and facing bricks for residential, commercial, institutional, and landscape applications. The American platform expanded substantially through the Meridian Brick acquisition and later added Summitville Tile’s floor-tile and facing-brick activities.
Architectural materials
Architectural terracotta and tiles
Wienerberger has historical and continuing involvement in architectural terracotta, decorative ceramic components, floor tiles, and related facing products. These materials extend the company’s ceramic expertise into architectural detailing, building façades, and specialist surface applications.
Marketing campaigns
- 2004Brick Award
International
Wienerberger launched the Brick Award, a biennial architecture prize recognizing innovative uses of brick and ceramic building materials. Judging considers architectural quality, sustainability, climate resilience, energy efficiency, and functionality. Participation is not restricted to projects using Wienerberger products; winning projects are presented at an awards ceremony and published in the Brick Book.
Outcome. The award became a recurring international architecture program associated with innovation in brick design.
Brand decisions
2026
Investment in Gruppo ItalcerM&ABackground
The supplied reference material describes a further expansion into ceramic and tile-related activities.
Action taken
Wienerberger obtained a 50 percent stake in Gruppo Italcer for €350 million.
Aftermath
The transaction increased Wienerberger’s participation in the Italian ceramic-products market.
Acquisition price. €350 million (2026)
2025
Investment in electric tile manufacturingStrategyBackground
Wienerberger has emphasized manufacturing decarbonization and lower-emission production technologies.
Action taken
The company opened a fully electric concrete-tile factory in Sittingbourne, United Kingdom.
Aftermath
The facility became part of Wienerberger’s effort to reduce the emissions intensity of tile production.
2024
Terreal acquisition completedM&ABackground
Wienerberger aimed to increase its European roof-tile presence and broaden its ceramic building-materials portfolio.
Action taken
The company finalized its acquisition of French tile manufacturer Terreal, including businesses associated with Creaton and Ludowici Roof Tile.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Wienerberger’s European roof-covering footprint.
2021
Expansion of the United States brick platformM&ABackground
Wienerberger sought to expand its North American brick operations through its General Shale subsidiary.
Action taken
General Shale acquired Meridian Brick from Boral for $250 million.
Aftermath
The transaction substantially increased the scale of Wienerberger’s United States brick business.
Acquisition price. $250 million (2021)
2010
Company-wide product price increasePrice changeBackground
Following the downturn, Wienerberger sought to stabilize its finances while extending existing loans.
Action taken
The company implemented a 15 percent price increase across its product range.
Aftermath
The measure formed part of the company’s recovery response; the supplied material does not provide a quantified subsequent effect.
2009
Capacity reduction during the construction downturnStrategyBackground
The Great Recession weakened construction demand and placed pressure on Wienerberger’s profitability and production network.
Action taken
The company issued a profit warning, shuttered several plants, and permanently closed two facilities.
Aftermath
The restructuring included reported job losses and was followed in 2010 by loan extensions and a broad price increase.
Recent events
Wienerberger receives EcoVadis silver ESG rating[3]
Reported:
Wienerberger received a silver ESG rating in EcoVadis's current assessment and was ranked among the best in its sector.
Sources3 sources
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