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seam materials

Safety and accuracy

Seam gives you a quick, honest first opinion from photos. It is not a lab test. It is not a structural survey.

Matched by eye

Seam compares your photos with a library of British bricks. It looks for the same clues an experienced yard hand would. Every Grade Card carries this line:

Matched by eye, to a stated confidence. Test before you build structurally.

How sure is it?

Each Grade Card shows a match score and a label.

  • Strong match, 80% or more. Seam is confident.
  • Likely match, 60% to 79%. A good match. Check the detail.
  • Possible match, 40% to 59%. The closest Seam found. No price.
  • Below 40%, Seam tells you it couldn’t find a match. It won’t guess.

Mortar, condition and quantity each have their own score. If Seam can’t tell lime from cement, it says so. Then it suggests a scratch test.

Prices are a guide

The price is a range. It’s based on what bricks like yours usually sell for. It is not an offer to buy. Prices vary by area, quantity, condition and how clean the bricks are.

Building with reclaimed bricks

A photo can’t show how strong a brick is. Or whether it will survive frost. Or how much water it soaks up. Get bricks tested before using them in anything structural, below the damp-proof course or anywhere very exposed. Take advice from a structural engineer or building control.

Asbestos

If a photo looks like fibre cement, Seam stops. It shows a warning instead of a Grade Card. Fibre cement sheets, slates and pipes made before 2000 may contain asbestos.

  • Don’t touch it. Don’t cut, drill, break or remove it.
  • Don’t grade it for reuse.
  • Get it tested by a licensed P402 asbestos surveyor or a UKAS-accredited lab. Use a licensed contractor to remove it.

No warning does not mean no asbestos. If in doubt, get it tested. The Health and Safety Executive has guidance at hse.gov.uk/asbestos.

Slate and roof tiles

Slate and roof tile grading is in beta. Treat it as a visual guide only. A good slate rings when you tap it. A dead one thuds. Clay tile is terracotta all the way through a broken edge. Concrete tile is grey all the way through.

Work safely

Taking down walls is risky. Masonry falls. Dust and sharp edges hurt. Bricks are heavy. Wear protective kit. Never weaken a wall that’s still holding something up. If in doubt, call a professional.