Clay Roof Tiles vs. Concrete Roof Tiles

Clay Roof Tiles vs. Concrete Roof Tiles

Which one to choose clay roof tiles vs concrete roof tiles.

Both Clay and Concrete Tiled Roofs are well renowned for their extremely long life cycle and high durability.

As a consequence of which, their installation cost is quite higher as compared to other Tiled Roofs. 

If you are ready to invest in the structural reinforcement of a roofing system with a long term performance rate then these tiles can prove to be a one stop solution. 

Before going to choose between one of the two, you must know the exact properties they possess and purpose they serve.

Here we have clay roof tiles vs concrete roof tiles.

What Is A Clay Tiled Roof?

Clay Tiled Roof installation is one of the oldest roofing methods in our history and most commonly used roofing system used in Australia. The clay tiles for this purpose are manufactured from baking molded clay.

As a result, the density of the tiles depend upon the baking duration and temperature at which they are heated in the furnace. These tiles are available in shades of four different colours such as white, yellow, orange and brown.

The best thing about these tiles is that they provide strong resistance to unpleasant winds and are undestroyable by fire.

It is the way of manufacturing clay tiles that helps them protect the layer beneath the exposed layer, thereby creating a pocket used to trap the air, which further helps maintain the temperature inside the residence.

This also makes them energy efficient as they are fully capable of creating an insulation layer all above your head. 

What Is A Concrete Tiled Roof?

Concrete Roof Tiles (commonly known as Cement Roof Tiles) are end products of the mixture of portland cement, sand and water.

The interesting thing about them is that they are coloured before they are cast into the correct shape under tremendous heat and pressure. 

One of the advantages of Concrete Tiled Roof is that they come with an additional interlocking system to block water leakages during the rainy season.

They also provide excellent resistance to hail roof damage because of their unique architecture. 

Difference Between Clay Tiled Roofs And Concrete Tiled Roofs

Read the following points very carefully to get a better understanding of how clay tiles are different from concrete or cement tiles:

1. Absorption

   
   According to the statistics, the clay tiles’ ability to absorb water is way less than that of concrete tiles. Concrete tiles are capable of absorbing water to the minimum extent of 15% whereas clay tiles can only absorb water upto an extent of 6%. This makes clay tiles a sound choice to avoid water leakages as less the ability to absorb less will be the chances of stains and leakages through the roof walls.    

2. Weight

   
   Concrete tiles weigh (800 to 1000 lbs/sq.ft.) 35%-40% more than clay tiles. This makes it more difficult and time consuming for the contractor to get the concrete tiled roof installed perfectly.
3. So they are not recommended where the roof frames are not accustomed to handle heavy weights.
4. However, clay tiles are at a greater risk of breaking down in low temperature because of a lightweight structure. But the concrete tiles are immune to all temperatures and can withstand any temperature variation.

5. Durability

   
   Although both clay and concrete tiled roofs are best known for their high durability, if we consider the internal battle then clay tiles outperform concrete tiles by a great margin.
6. Concrete tiles can not last for more than 50 years but clay tiles have the tendency to last for more than 100 years.
7. Maintenance
   If the above points are to be considered then it is not wrong to claim that concrete tiles require much more maintenance than clay tiles.
8. Factors such as heavy weight, less durability, and more water absorption act as the contributing factors that make the concrete tiles more of a liability if one expects a long-term commitment.  
9. Cost
   For all the reasons explained above, any smart person would understand why clay tiles cost more than concrete tiles.
10. Clay tiles cost ($12-$20/sq.ft. including installation) approximately 35% more than concrete tiles. However, there are a lot of variations expected in the price according to the amount of work and expertise that your residence requires.