What ClayTec does

ClayTec GmbH & Co. KG is a Germany-based, family-owned manufacturer of clay building materials, headquartered in Viersen and operating since 1984 (originally as Lehmbau Breidenbach). The company produces a broad portfolio spanning clay design plasters (notably the YOSIMA system in 146 colors), clay paints (ClayFix), thin-bed mortars, hollow clay block systems for structural masonry, interior insulation systems, timber-frame restoration products, and specialty tools such as Japanese trowels. Its flagship recent innovation is the Lehmbauplatte D22 solar, a clay building board with integrated photovoltaic capability, and the GIMA Lehmhochlochziegel hollow clay block system, which combined with DIBt-approved thin-bed mortar enables load-bearing masonry up to building class 5, structurally qualifying clay for mainstream construction use in Germany.

The company's commercial model is B2B, selling exclusively through a network of 577 trade partners across Germany and most European countries, rather than direct-to-consumer. Named commercial customers include BESTSELLER, DERIX, and Naturkosmetik München, indicating a mix of fashion/corporate, timber construction, and organic-cosmetics facility segments, alongside traditional residential and historic-restoration use cases. The company monetizes through product sales of physical materials, with no usage-based or subscription pricing model evident. Distribution is asset-light: a small employee base (51-100) supports a broad multi-product catalog shipped through third-party trade partners, with brand and specification credibility reinforced by DIBt approvals, ÖKOBAUDAT listing (the first clay manufacturer included), and the Bundespreis Umwelt & Bauen 2026 award for circular masonry.

Name

ClayTec

Legal name

ClayTec GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://claytec.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ClayTec is a German, family-owned manufacturer (founded 1984, Viersen) of clay building materials, including design plasters, paints, mortars, hollow blocks, insulation, and a solar-integrated clay board, sold through 577 trade partners across Germany and most of Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clay Building Materials

NAICS

Clay Building Material and Refractories Manufacturing (327120)

SIC

Structural Clay Products (3250)

akta.pro primary industry

Kaolin & Industrial Clay Mining (Bentonite, Ball Clay, Fuller’s Earth) (IMAKAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clay Bricks (Facing & Common) (IMADABAA), Kaolin & Ball Clay (IMAEAFAB)

Keywords

• Clay building materials
• Clay plaster systems
• Clay dry construction
• Timber frame restoration
• Interior insulation boards

Headquarters

HQ city

Viersen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Clay Building Materials Sales: ClayTec manufactures and sells clay-based construction materials through the building materials trade (Baustoffhandel). The company operates as an owner-managed, medium-sized family business that developed from a craft operation. Products are distributed via a network of 577 trade partners, craftsmen businesses, and online shops across Germany and most European countries. Sales are supported by field sales representatives and inside sales teams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ClayTec manufactures and sells clay-based construction materials, including clay plasters, clay dry-construction boards, clay bricks, clay thin-bed mortar, rammed earth, timber-frame restoration materials, and interior insulation products. The company operates a manufacturing facility in Boisheim and sells exclusively through a network of 577+ building materials trade partners across Germany and most European countries, serving professional craftsmen, architects, and private builders.

Product overview

ClayTec is a manufacturer of clay-based building materials headquartered in Viersen, Germany, operating as a family-owned medium-sized business. The company produces and distributes a comprehensive portfolio of clay construction products organized across seven product categories: (1) Design Plaster/Color Surfacer/Paints (featuring the YOSIMA system with 146 color tones, ClayFix clay paint, ClayTec clay paint, and ClayTec clay roll-on plaster); (2) Clay Plasters (including Lehm-Unterputz mit Stroh, Lehmputz Mineral 20, Lehmputz SanReMo, Lehm-Oberputz fein 06, Lehm-Oberputz grob mit Stroh, Lehm-Farbputz grob mit Stroh, Lehmfüll- und Flächenspachtel, Lehm-Fugenfüller, plus mesh reinforcements (Jutegewebe, Glasgewebe 60, Schilfrohrgewebe 70ST) and primers); (3) Clay Dry Construction (featuring the ClayTec Lehmbauplatte D22 solar with integrated solar capability, heavy Lehmbauplatten D22/D16, light Lehmbauplatten D22/D14, HFA N+F D20 tongue-and-groove boards, HFA maxi, Lehm-Trockenputzplatte, HFA dünn, plus accessories (Lehmklebe- und Armiermörtel, transport aids, Glasgewebe 112, Trockenbauband)); (4) Timber Frame Restoration (including Lehmsteine, Lehm-Mauermörtel leicht, Strohlehm, Lehm-Trockenschüttung GRANULAT, Lehm-Holz-Trockenschüttung leicht, triangular battens in larch and oak, oak stakes, willow rods, Edelstahlputzträgergewebe, and the gräfix lime product line (Kalk-Grundputz, Kalk-Dünnschichtputz, Kalkfarbe)); (5) Interior Insulation (ClayTec HFD Innendämmplatte, Blähton-Leichtlehm, Schilfrohrleichtbauplatte, and fasteners); (6) Masonry and Rammed Earth (Lehm-Dünnbettmörtel enabling circular thin-bed masonry, Lehmsteine in various formats (schwer NF 1850, Grünling DF/NF), Lehm-Mauermörtel, and Stampflehm natur); (7) Japanese Trowels (professional finishing tools including ARA-GOTE, SHIAGE GOTE, KAKU-GOTE, NAMIKESHI, and related trowel types plus care accessories). ClayTec also offers application technology services including machine technology consultation, surface heating systems, application videos, webinars, and downloadable documentation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• YOSIMA: ClayTec's designer plaster product line featuring clay design plasters and color fillers available in 146 carefully composed earth tones for representative interior design.
• ClayFix
• SanReMo

Products and services

• YOSIMA Lehm-Designputz (Clay Design Plaster)

Quantifiable outcome

• 146 carefully composed color tones available for YOSIMA clay design plaster, providing endless aesthetic possibilities for interior design.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dachverband Lehm e.V.coreOthersClayTec is a member of the German Earth Building Association (Dachverband Lehm), the umbrella organization for earth building in Germany. This membership provides access to industry standards development, professional networks, and represents ClayTec's commitment to the earth building sector.
• DGNB (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClayTec is a member of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). The DGNB Sustainability Challenge referenced ClayTec projects, and DGNB certification is relevant for buildings using ClayTec materials.
• BAUM (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland)minorOthersMember of the German Association for Environment and Nature Conservation, reflecting shared commitment to environmental protection in construction.
• Fachverband InnendämmungcoreOthersClayTec is a member of the Interior Insulation Specialist Association, supporting their product line for interior insulation systems.
• Berufsverband Deutscher BaubiologenminorOthersAssociation of German Building Biologists - professional association for building biology specialists who may specify ClayTec products for healthy building applications.
• Deutsche FachwerkstädteminorOthersAssociation of German Timber-Frame Cities - relevant for ClayTec's historic timber-frame restoration products and expertise.
• ÖKOBAUDAT (Information System for Sustainable Construction)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClayTec achieved listing in the ÖKOBAUDAT environmental database, enabling easy comparison of ecological footprints in building planning processes. This is the first clay building material in this database.
• Henrich BaustoffzentrumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor building materials dealer with multiple locations (Kastellaun, Gerolstein, Siegburg) selling ClayTec products through their network of building material centers.
• J.N. Köbig GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional building materials dealer in Mainz and Alzey with e-commerce capabilities selling ClayTec products, including online shop integration.
• Fassbender Tenten GmbH & Co. KGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBuilding materials dealer with multiple locations (Königswinter, Zülpich, Blankenheim) offering ClayTec products through both physical locations and online shops.
• Lehmbau BreidenbachcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPredecessor company and still operating craft business founded by Peter Breidenbach in 1984, specializing in timber-frame restoration with ClayTec products. This represents ClayTec's historical roots.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Lehm Ton Erde (Martin Rauch): Austrian earth-construction studio and consultancy (Martin Rauch) pioneering rammed earth and clay construction in contemporary architecture. Comparable to ClayTec on the earth-building material category but operating more as an architectural/consulting practice than a serial manufacturer.
• Hessler Kalkwerke GmbH: German family-run producer of natural building materials including lime products, clay plasters and earth-building systems. Comparable niche positioning to ClayTec in ecological building materials and natural plasters for restoration and healthy-building projects.
• Kreidezeit Naturfarben GmbH: German specialist in natural paints, lime coatings and clay-based interior finishes. Closely comparable to ClayTec's YOSIMA design plaster and ClayFix paint lines in the natural/ecological interior-finish niche, but smaller and more consumer/DIY-skewed.
• KEIMFARBEN GmbH: German specialist in mineral silicate paints and plasters for facades and interiors. Comparable to ClayTec in mineral-surface coating chemistry and ecological/sustainable positioning, with overlap in plaster and color-design categories for specifier-driven projects.

Direct peers

• Hasit Trockenmörtel GmbH: German/Austrian producer of dry mortars, plasters, renders and screeds serving exactly the same professional craftspeople and building-materials trade channels as ClayTec — a directly comparable peer in plaster and façade systems.
• Röfix AG: Austrian manufacturer of dry mortars, lime-cement plasters, thermal insulation systems and restoration products. Directly comparable to ClayTec in plaster/render systems and building-chemicals positioning, particularly in restoration and energy-efficient renovation.
• maxit / Deutsche Maxit: German manufacturer of dry mortars, plasters and screeds with a strong focus on mineral and lime-based systems. Closely comparable to ClayTec in plaster categories and target market (German renovation and new-build professionals).

Broad incumbents

• Wienerberger AG: Austrian-headquartered global leader in clay building products (bricks, blocks, roof tiles, pavers) with revenues several orders of magnitude above ClayTec. Direct product overlap in structural clay masonry and roof tiles, but a much broader portfolio and international footprint that make it a broad incumbent rather than direct specialist competitor.
• Knauf Group: Global family-owned building materials major covering drywall, plasters, insulation and flooring systems. Competes with ClayTec in dry-construction boards and plasters via Knauf's gypsum- and lime-based portfolios, with vastly greater scale and distribution.
• Saint-Gobain Weber: German subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, producing renders, plasters, mortars, facade systems and tile adhesives — directly overlapping ClayTec's plaster and mortar lines but as part of a much larger multi-product portfolio serving mainstream commercial construction.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/CLAYTEC-LEHMBAUSTOFFE
• Facebookfacebook.com/claytec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/claytec
• Instagraminstagram.com/claytec_lehmbaustoffe
• Pinterestpinterest.de/claytec
• Xx.com/claytec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ClayTec