Following work on the village level production of building materials such as bricks, tiles and lime, the authors found a lack of practical and easy to understand information available for first time producers to help them gain these skills. This manual fills that gap by aiming at the first-time brick producer who wishes to produce fired clay bricks on a small scale using the minimum of infrastructure and investment, including those who intend to start producing bricks full-time to supply the local market. The booklet describes how to improve their production and can be used as a training manual to accompany a practical hands-on brickmaking course. It details technical advice, provides support and training to production cooperatives, and helps to investigate and demonstrate improved production techniques.