If building a home in WA is somewhere on your list right now, there’s a factor worth understanding before you get further into the process. Western Australia’s brick supply is under real pressure. In September 2026, Midland Brick, the state’s only large-scale clay brick manufacturer, began rationing supply to builders, and it’s already affecting builds across the state. Here’s what that actually changes for you if you’re about to start.
What’s actually happening
HIA, Australia’s largest residential building association, confirmed in a member update on 14 September 2026 that it is working closely with Midland Brick and the WA Government to address the supply constraints affecting clay brick products across the state (source: HIA, WA brick supply update: what builders need to know).
The scale of it caught even the state government off guard. WA Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti said she was “shocked” by the information builders received when Midland Brick first notified them of the rationing (source: Business News WA).
Industry figures have gone further. Jason Janssen, chairman of the Home Builders Action Group, told 6PR that WA builders are facing at least a year of brick rationing, and that the disruption now extends beyond bricks to glass and laminate products too (source: 6PR).
Does this mean you shouldn’t build right now?
No. Homes are still being built across Perth every day, and this isn’t a reason to shelve your plans. It is a reason to ask a few sharper questions than you might have otherwise, before you choose a builder or a construction method, not after.
Why this is bigger than a normal supply hiccup
This isn’t the first time WA’s brick supply has been squeezed, and it’s structural, not a one-off, which is exactly why it’s worth factoring into your decision rather than waiting to see if it passes. Western Australia is the only state in the country where more than half of new detached homes are still built in double brick, a method most of the rest of Australia moved away from years ago. HIA WA executive director Michael McGowan has noted that timber-framed, steel-framed and modular construction methods now account for more than a quarter of the WA market, up sharply as builders look for options less exposed to a single supply chain (source: ABC News, Double brick dominates Perth homes. Experts say it could be slowing down construction).
The number of brick manufacturers operating in WA has also fallen sharply over the past decade, leaving Midland Brick as the state’s only supplier at scale. If you choose a brick build, you’re choosing a method with one supplier standing behind it. That’s the part worth weighing up front.
