Starting out as a bricklayer is one of the cheaper trades to kit out for — there is no van full of power tools to buy, just a focused set of good hand tools that will see you through your apprenticeship and well beyond. But that is exactly why it is worth getting right. A brickie’s tools are simple, they get used hard every single day, and the difference between a decent trowel and a cheap one shows up in your wrist by Friday afternoon. Buy well once and most of these tools will still be in your bucket in ten years.
This guide is for UK apprentices and career-changers kitting out for their first year on the bricks in 2026. We will go through what you actually need from day one, what can wait, and roughly what to budget — sticking to tools you can buy from UK merchants and suppliers like Screwfix, Toolstation, Travis Perkins, Jewson and the bricklaying specialists. Prices are approximate UK street prices and move with stock and promotions, so treat them as a guide. The aim is a kit that does the job without wasting your first-year wage on stuff you will not touch.
What you actually need on day one
Strip it back and a first-year brickie needs surprisingly little to start working: a brick trowel, a couple of spirit levels, a brick hammer and bolster for cutting, a tape and pencil, a line with pins or corner blocks, a jointer for finishing, and the PPE to keep you safe and comfortable. Get those and you can turn up to any site and be useful. Everything else — the second trowel, the speciality jointers, the nicer levels — is something you add as your hand gets in and your work demands it. Resist the urge to buy the big kit; buy these well instead.
The trowel
Marshalltown is the brand most bricklayers settle on for trowels, and an 11-inch London pattern suits most beginners — large enough to be efficient without being unmanageable while you’re still building technique.
Marshalltown 11″ London Pattern Trowel
A genuine 11-inch London pattern Marshalltown trowel — the tool you’ll use most, all day, every day.
Levels — your most-used tools after the trowel
A trade-grade 1200mm level earns its place as the second-most-used tool in the bag, checking every course as you go.
OX Trade Spirit Level, 1200mm
A genuine trade-grade 1200mm level, built for the daily knocks of a building site.
- 1200mm, trade-grade
Hammers, bolsters and cutting tools
A club hammer and bolster chisel handle cutting bricks and blocks to size — a decent three-piece set covers this stage without buying three separate items.
Draper 3 Piece Builders Tools Kit
A genuine club hammer, chisel and bolster set covering brick and block cutting in one box.
- Club hammer, chisel and bolster, 3 pieces
Line, pins and corner blocks
A taut line is how straight, level brickwork actually gets built. Corner blocks make setting the line solo far easier than pins alone, and are worth having from day one.
Footprint Pair of Line Pins & 624 Line Corner Block
A genuine pair of line pins with a matching corner block, exactly what a first-year kit needs for setting a straight line.
Jointing and finishing tools
Marshalltown also makes the jointer worth buying — a double-ended tool covers two common joint sizes without carrying two separate jointers.
Marshalltown 80 Brick Jointer, 1/2in and 5/8in
A genuine double-ended Marshalltown jointer, matching the trowel above for the finishing stage of every joint.
- Double-ended, 1/2in and 5/8in, Amazon’s Choice
Tape, pencil and the small stuff
An 8m tape measure with a lever lock covers setting out and checking courses without the blade snapping back on you mid-measurement.
STANLEY FATMAX 8m/26′ Tape Measure, 0-33-726
A genuine trade-grade 8m tape, the same tool most trades on site carry.
- 8m/26ft, lever lock, Amazon’s Choice
PPE — do not treat this as an afterthought
Safety glasses, gloves and knee protection are cheap compared to the cost of an injury that keeps you off site. Buy them alongside the trowel, not after the first close call.
What to buy later
A second, wider trowel, a laser level and specialist jointing tools can all wait until the work volume and variety justify them.
Roughly what it costs to start
£150–250 overall covers everything above — trowel £20-35, levels £30-60, cutting tools £25-40, jointing £15-30.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size trowel should a beginner bricklayer use?
An 11-inch London pattern trowel suits most beginners — it’s large enough to be efficient without being unmanageable while you’re still building technique.
Do I need line pins or corner blocks?
Yes — a taut line is how straight, level brickwork actually gets built. Corner blocks make setting the line solo far easier than pins alone.
How much should I spend on my first bricklaying kit?
£150–250 covers genuine trade-grade tools across the trowel, levels, cutting tools and jointing kit.
What is the most important tool for a bricklayer?
The trowel, without question — it’s the tool used on every single brick, all day, every day.
The bottom line
Buy the trowel in trade grade from day one — it’s the tool you’ll use most and feel the most difference in quality. Everything else can be built up gradually as the work demands it.
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