Will Pirrouet® pavers be produced in the near future?

Yes. We apply a water-resistant, scratch-resistant coating to the visible faces of Pirrouet® bricks. This transparent acrylic coating is primarily to protect against weathering, so gypsum efflorescence cannot occur with Pirrouet®. Because the coating is only applied to the exposed surfaces, the amount used is minimal, and so is its environmental impact. The coating does not reduce the durability of Pirrouet® bricks.

Pirrouet® is made from steel slag or residual products from the steel industry: minerals such as calcium and magnesium oxide. These are poured liberally into liquid steel to remove contaminants (metallic fraction) from the steel in order to obtain pure steel. The metallic fraction is then separated from the mineral fraction and used again in the steel factory. The mineral fraction is the residual product that we use to produce our Pirrouet® carbon negative bricks.

During the production of Pirrouet®, CO2 forms a chemical bond with materials containing calcium hydroxide. The result is carbonation. This bond creates limestone-like bricks. The binding of CO2 is therefore permanent and not temporary.

To fully reflect the sustainable nature of this product, only the top layer is coloured (minimum 8 mm). Our corner bricks — around 25% of production — have both a pigmented and textured stretcher and header face. These are carefully colour-matched to avoid installation errors on site. If you require fully coloured bricks (for example, for claustra bonds or bonded applications under a masonry console), please contact Vandersanden.

Pirrouet® uses only inorganic pigments based on iron oxides, known for their excellent UV resistance. Both internal and external QUV ageing tests show that the colour change (Delta E) remains well below generally accepted thresholds – even under extreme conditions with increased UV exposure. In addition, the bricks are finished with a protective coating that provides extra resistance to UV radiation, moisture and pollution. Any colour fading is minimal and not visible to the naked eye.

Our Pirrouet® bricks come with a 10-year warranty.

Depending on the size you choose, you will need the following quantities per m2:

WF (210x100x50): 72/m²
LF50-S (240x72x50):  64 /m2
DF (215x100x65): 58/m2
XXL44-S (440x72x44): 42/m2

The above quantities are guideline values and assume the bricks are laid with a joint of 12 mm. If the bricks are glued, you will usually need more bricks per m2.

Pirrouet® bricks are class IW2, meaning they have the same low water absorption as ceramic handmade bricks. They can therefore be laid using standard mortars and systems (standard joints, thin-bed mortar, glue, lime mortars, etc.). Detailed processing instructions are available on request.

Pirrouet® bricks have been tested in accordance with the strict European standards for ceramic bricks. We currently have an Environmental Profile (EP) for Pirrouet®, based on estimates and calculations. This will be validated against real-world production data after one full year of manufacture. That verification process is underway, and we expect the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) to be available in spring 2026. Once published, the EPD can be used for official environmental calculations. 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Pirrouet® bricks have a very high dimensional stability and are therefore perfect for circular processing. A dry stacking system is currently under development. The mortar industry is also working on a special lime mortar, which will make it possible to recover the Pirrouet® bricks. Please contact us for more information.

As this is a completely new product and technology, we are currently working on achieving the KIWA innovation certificate. This certificate will also serve as the basis for an EPD certificate proving sustainability in figures.

The amount of CO2 that we store permanently does not seem huge, but the production of these bricks has very little impact because we dry the bricks rather than fire them. We therefore achieve a permanently CO2-negative product. We will produce 20 million bricks annually. This means we are going to capture and permanently store approximately 2,500 tonnes of CO2, which has a big impact overall. Please also note that wooden facade products release the CO2 again at the end of their service life. This is not the case with our Pirrouet® bricks.

Pirrouet® CO₂-negative bricks store more CO₂ than is emitted during their production. They are made using residual materials from the steel industry, which undergo a carbonation process that permanently binds CO₂. This process continues for some time after production. The net CO₂ storage of these bricks is higher than their overall emissions.

Pirrouet® bricks are, on average, around 30% heavier than traditional ceramic bricks. However, the narrowest Pirrouet® size (72 mm) has the same weight per square metre as standard bricks with a 100 mm laying surface. This narrow format is therefore a sustainable option that typically requires no foundation adjustments.