Materials compared
Clay Against Concrete Tiles: Colour, Weight and Durability
Clay and concrete tiles look similar on a roof and behave differently over decades, because one is fired and holds its colour while the other is cast and changes as it weathers. Compare what the clay tile costs to install against what it costs to own, then book a survey. Ageing concrete absorbs water and gains mass, adding load to a structure sized for its original weight.
Clay and concrete tiles look similar on a roof and behave differently over decades, because one is fired and holds its colour while the other is cast and changes as it weathers.
| Attribute | Clay tile | Concrete tile |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacture | Fired from clay at high temperature, taking its colour from the material. | Cast from sand and cement, with a surface pigment applied. |
| Colour over time | Holds its colour throughout its life, because there is no coating to lose. | The pigment weathers off, exposing the grey body beneath. |
| Surface with age | A well-fired tile does not spall. Poorly fired clay can spall in frost. | Becomes porous and rough, holding moss and moisture. |
| Weight | The lighter of the two per square metre. | Heavier per square metre, and it gains mass as it absorbs water with age. |
| Service life | Around 80 years. | 50 to 60 years. |
| Cost per m² | £110–£210 supplied and fitted. | £85–£170 supplied and fitted. |
Two things the table does not show
- Matching a repair Discontinued concrete profiles are difficult to match, which converts a small repair into a slope replacement.
- The load question Ageing concrete adds mass to a structure that was sized for its original weight.
The fading that makes an old concrete roof look tired is the same surface degradation that makes it hold moss and water, so it is not a cosmetic matter. The choice is usually constrained by what is already on the roof and by structural loading, both established at survey.
4 related pages cover this in more depth: tiled roof repair birmingham, 1930s house roof replacement, Slate or Tile and breathable roofing membrane.
What is the difference between clay and concrete tiles?
Clay tiles are fired at high temperature and take their colour from the material itself. Concrete tiles are cast from sand and cement with pigment applied to the surface. That single difference drives most of how they age.
Holds colour throughout its life because it is not surface-pigmented.
Why do concrete tiles fade?
Concrete tiles carry their colour as a surface pigment rather than through the body. Weathering removes that layer over decades, exposing the grey material beneath and leaving the roof patchy rather than uniformly faded.
The concrete tile has a weight of heavier per square metre, and it gains mass as it absorbs water with age. The service life of the clay tile is around 80 years.
Do concrete tiles get heavier with age?
Yes. Ageing concrete becomes porous and absorbs water, so the covering gains mass over the decades. The structure was sized for the original weight, which matters when assessing an old roof or specifying a replacement.
The concrete tile lasts 50 to 60 years. Aged concrete becomes porous and rough, holding moss and moisture.
- Clay tile £110–£210 supplied and fitted
Which lasts longer?
Clay tiles last around eighty years and concrete around fifty to sixty. Both outlive their battens and fixings, so the practical replacement point arrives when what holds the tiles fails rather than when the tiles do.
Discontinued concrete profiles are difficult to match for repairs.
- Frost damage risk: poorly fired clay can spall in frost; well-fired clay does not
- Concrete tile £85–£170 supplied and fitted
Can old tiles be matched for a repair?
Often not. Concrete profiles are discontinued regularly, and a forty-year-old pattern frequently has no current equivalent. Where matching fails, a whole slope is relaid rather than leaving a visibly mismatched patch.
- A fired clay takes colour from the material so it does not fade.
- A surface pigment on concrete weathers off exposing the grey body.
- Aged concrete absorbs water and gains mass and surface roughness.
What is already on the roof usually decides it.
Replacing like with like
Ageing concrete absorbs water and gains mass, adding load to a structure sized for its original weight. The pigment loss that makes an old concrete roof look tired is the same surface degradation that makes it hold moss and water.
- A discontinued profile prevents a like-for-like repair.
Getting the covering identified
Matching a forty-year-old concrete profile for a repair is often impossible, which converts small repairs into slope replacements. Fired clay has no coating to lose, which is why century-old clay roofs still read as their original colour.
Fired clay, and 6 more
- fired clay
- cast concrete
- surface pigment
- spalling
- profile
- plain tile
- pantile
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