What Are Grangemouth LEGO® Bricks?
Grangemouth LEGO Bricks are found almost exclusively on Atlanta Brick Co's website, www.atlbrick.com. Why are these bricks so rare and expensive? Grangemouth bricks hold a special place in LEGO history, highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts. While numerous stories circulate about their origin, the true narrative involves historical insights gathered from firsthand accounts and documents dating back to the 1960s and 70s.
This comprehensive account draws on interviews with a former Physical and Color Technician and a Shipping Clerk at the Grangemouth plant, as well as memories from the children of former employees who received these unique bricks.
In 1961, Anchor Chemicals in the UK partnered with Marbon Chemical of the USA, a subsidiary of Borg-Warner Corporation. This collaboration led to the establishment of the United Kingdom's first major plant for producing ABS (acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene) polymers, strategically located in Grangemouth where butadiene and styrene were readily accessible. These thermoplastics would be marketed under the name “Marbon Cycolac ABS,” with Anchor serving as Marbon's sole distributor in Britain.
After two years and an investment of six million pounds, the Grangemouth plant was finished in 1963, built by John Brown Ltd on a sprawling 40-acre site along Bo'ness Road. The facility produced ABS polymers via emulsion polymerization, serving various applications including domestic appliances, telephone handsets, and automotive parts.
Liquid acrylonitrile and butadiene were transported from a nearby British Petroleum (BP) Chemicals plant through underground pipes, while styrene came from Forth Chemicals. Both Border Chemicals and Forth received their raw materials from BP, emphasizing the plant's strategic location. Furthermore, Imperial Chemical Industries (I.C.I.) provided color pigments in powder form.
The LEGO Group recognized the potential of the Grangemouth facility and designated Courtauld’s Corp as its UK Licensee under the name British LEGO Ltd in 1960. Following two years of importing LEGO components from Denmark, domestic production commenced at a new LEGO factory in Wrexham, Wales. In 1963, as TLG transitioned to ABS plastic, Marbon’s Grangemouth plant was appointed as the ABS supplier for the Wrexham factory. Wrexham is home to Wrexham AFC The Red Dragons owned by Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds and Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia actor Rob McElhenney and featured on the Apple + TV Show Welcome to Wrexham. Wrexham is also home to 90's Rock Band James, who had the hit song "Laid".
Operational around the clock, the Grangemouth plant's primary role involved producing ABS pellets in various colors, ensuring compliance with TLG's stringent quality standards. A key production component was the main extruder, equipped with mixing tanks, a hopper for raw materials, and a screw mechanism. This setup generated long strips of ABS, later cut into pellets for shipment.
Quality control was paramount, with the LEGO Group's expectations exceeding those of other clients. Each batch needed to meet exact specifications, especially in color. The plant utilized an injection molding machine located in the Testing Lab to maintain high quality, where the Physical and Color testing teams operated in shifts to ensure that ABS met LEGO’s rigorous standards.
Starting in the 1960s, TLG provided the Grangemouth facility with a series of 2x4 LEGO brick molds for testing ABS using their injection molding machine. Known molds included variants such as the twenty-slot D mold and a four-slot F mold designed specifically for quality assurance.
LEGO test bricks, primarily produced as solid colors for quality checks, were occasionally marbled due to color mixing during production. Some bricks that did not meet quality standards were classified as “rejectable.” Typically, these bricks were intended for recycling into pellets, but some found their way home with employees for their children to enjoy.
By Christmas 1970, Grangemouth management sought to enhance the traditional festive gifts of whiskey and turkey with a unique addition: a bag of LEGO bricks for employees’ children. Testing Lab staff produced and packaged these gifts using the F mold, utilizing leftover and rejected pellets to create the special holiday treats. This festive generosity became an annual practice, fostering a beloved tradition.
In early 1979, TLG shifted brick production back in-house, leading to the closure of their need for Grangemouth's ABS. This decision was not related to any misuse, and by late 1978, the F mold was returned to TLG, marking the end of the Christmas brick tradition.
The injection molding machine continued to be utilized for ABS testing until the plant’s closure in 2009. This machine, originally used for producing industry testing plates, is now housed at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, following its donation by SABIC, the plant's final owner. The Grangemouth facility itself was demolished in 2011.
Savvy collectors purchased LEGO collections from the Grangemouth region and were able to acquire most of the remaining "Grangemouth Bricks" that could be found in the wild. Atlanta Brick Co, being one of the largest building brick stores and preservationists in the world, was fortunate enough to partner with one of these long-time Grangemouth collectors so that they could offer them to the public for sale. Click Here to view the selection.
Having been given to local Scottish children to play with, the majority of Grangemouth LEGO bricks show signs of multi-generational playwear.
Special thanks to Wouter van Iersel and Matthew Nolan for their research and invaluable insights.
