Early expansion was driven by a series of acquisitions, such as of The Butterley Company, London Brick, and Marshalls Clay Products.

[7] In September 2007, Hanson was acquired by the German building materials company HeidelbergCement; eight years later, HeibelbergCement opted to sell the company and Hanson’s North American building products business to the American private equity firm Lone Star Funds in exchange for $1.4 billion.

[14][15] In mid-2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Forterra experienced a sharp downturn in the demand that led to the firm's management considering the loss of over a hundred jobs.

[16] During July 2021, the company issued a public warning that, due to a combination of factors, including material, labour and transportation, their sales performance could be negatively impacted during the latter half of the year.

[22] Two months later, the company was in the process of scaling back its production activities as well as consulting on the restructuring of its commercial and support functions.

[23] During November 2024, Forterra was holding talks with customers on planned price increases amid rising inflation and labor costs.