This specific brick initially originates from a full brick. Due to the fragility of this product, occasional microscopic cracks are very common caused by bricks firing and some will crack during cutting process.
Needless to say, this product is not flawless from the very start. In order to achieve a thin veneer form, it requires cutting. This type of process involves selling a full brick with an additional charge for cutting it. Thin veneer recovery is never a 100%. We typically pack the entire order amount which will include the fractured pieces into the boxes. Due to the wet cutting process, some moisture might be present. Therefore, this specific product is always cut to a specific order, shipped immediately, and its intended to be unpackaged and installed by customer asap, allowing proper and natural exposure to environment.
In most cases customers utilize cracked pieces for cuts and infills. Others seek the broken pieces to add more character to the finished product. There are minimums and quantity roundups applied to match full brick purchasing requirements. With all this being said, the latest technology available, and fully automated process we are capable of producing tens of thousands of cuts each day, consequently reducing product price, and increasing options of thin brick veneer textures and colors for our clients. At the end of the day our customers can achieve desirable look that seemed impossible.