Clay vs Concrete Roof Tiles: Cost, Lifespan & Looks

Clay and concrete roof tiles are the two dominant pitched roof coverings in UK residential construction. Both shed water effectively, both are available in profiles that approximate traditional British roofscapes, and both are laid to BS 5534:2014+A2:2018, the code of practice for slating and tiling.¹ Each also has its own product standard: BS EN 1304 for clay tiles and BS EN 490 for concrete tiles.² But they differ significantly in cost, lifespan, weight, minimum pitch, and visual quality, differences that matter when re-roofing an existing house, extending a property in a conservation area, or specifying a new-build in a planning-sensitive context.

Key Differences at a Glance

The cited prices in this table were published in 2024 and brought to 2026. What that means.

Clay Roof Tiles

Clay tiles are manufactured from natural clay, extruded or pressed into shape, then fired in a kiln. Firing makes the tile dense, durable and dimensionally stable. The colour is fired into the body of the tile and does not fade, a 50-year-old clay tile looks much the same as a new one, which is why they work so well in conservation areas and for matching original roofscapes.

Types of Clay Tile

Plain clay tiles are the traditional small-format tile (265 × 165 mm is the most common size) laid in a double-lap pattern, each tile overlaps the one two courses below it, creating a three-layer covering at every point.⁴ This gives excellent weather resistance but uses many tiles (about 60 tiles/m² at the usual 100 mm gauge), making labour cost higher.⁴ Most plain tiles are rated to a minimum pitch of 35°, but the rating varies by product: Marley’s clay plain tiles, for example, range from 30° to 40°.⁵⁴

Interlocking single-lap clay tiles (made in profiles such as pantile, roman and double-roman) have a moulded edge that locks into the adjacent tile, so each course only needs to overlap the one below. That needs far fewer tiles per m² than plain tiling and usually allows a lower pitch: Marley rates its Lincoln clay pantile to 17.5° and its Melodie clay pantile to 12.5°, so check the manufacturer’s rating for the profile and exposure.⁵ Examples include profiles resembling the S-shaped pantile or the half-round roman tile. These are typically more expensive per tile but faster to lay.

Specialist clay tiles include valley tiles, hip tiles, ridge tiles, and eaves ventilation tiles. A well-detailed clay roof also uses clay fittings at all these junctions, critical for long-term watertightness and visual consistency.

Relevant standards:

• BS EN 1304:2013, clay roofing tiles and fittings
• BS EN 539-2:2013, determination of frost resistance
• For use in the UK, clay tiles must achieve Level 1 frost resistance, a minimum of 150 freeze-thaw cycles in the BS EN 539-2 test²

Clay Tile Performance

The longevity advantage of clay is largely attributed to the absence of carbonation or alkaline leaching that affects concrete. Clay does not carbonate, and once fired it is dimensionally stable. Where clay roofs fail, the cause is almost always degraded fixings (nails, torching, or mortar bedding), failed underlay, or ridge/hip detail failure, not the tiles themselves.

Concrete Roof Tiles

Concrete tiles are manufactured from portland cement, sand, aggregate, and pigment, pressed under high pressure into moulds and cured. They are generally interlocking (single-lap) and have long been the most common roof covering on UK new-build housing.

Types of Concrete Tile

Concrete interlocking tiles (large-format, typically around 420 × 330 mm) are the most common type.⁶ They need roughly 10 tiles/m², and some can be laid as low as 17.5° with a larger head lap.⁶ Others need a steeper roof: Marley’s Ludlow Major, for example, is rated to 22.5°, and granular-finish tiles need more than smooth ones.⁷

Concrete plain tiles mimic the size and profile of traditional clay plain tiles (Marley’s measures 267 × 168 mm) but at lower cost.⁸ They are used where the pitch or planning context requires a plain tile appearance but budget is constrained. Marley’s concrete plain tile, for example, is rated to a minimum pitch of 35°, the same as most clay plain tiles.⁸ Their expected life is generally shorter than that of clay plain tiles.

Concrete granular or slate-effect tiles have a crushed stone or granular surface texture that gives a rougher, darker appearance resembling fibre cement or slate from a distance.

Concrete Tile Degradation

The principal weakness of concrete tiles is colour fading and surface carbonation. The iron oxide pigments used for colouring are generally stable, but the cement matrix carbonates and the algae/lichen colonisation that all roof tiles attract appears differently on concrete versus clay. Many concrete tiles develop a patchy appearance with age that is difficult to restore without recoating.

Relevant standards:

• BS EN 490:2011+A1:2017, product specification for concrete roofing tiles and fittings⁹
• BS EN 491:2011, test methods for concrete tiles²
• BS 5534:2014+A2:2018, slating and tiling (applies to both clay and concrete)

Weight and Structural Implications

Both clay and concrete tiles impose significant dead loads on the roof structure. For an existing roof being re-tiled, the rafter and ceiling joist sizes must be checked against BS EN 1995-1-1 (Eurocode 5) or the TRADA span tables to confirm they can carry the tile weight. Plain tiles, clay or concrete, weigh roughly 64–74 kg/m² as laid before battens and underlay are added, a heavier load than many older rafter sections were sized for.⁸⁴

Large-format concrete interlocking tiles are much lighter, at roughly 45–54 kg/m², so replacing them with plain tiles calls for a structural check.⁶⁷ Some reroofing jobs need the rafters strengthening or new structural members as a result.

Minimum Pitch and Exposure

Pitch and exposure zone determine what head lap (the overlap between successive courses) is required to maintain weather resistance. BS 5534 requires the designer or tiler to check the manufacturer’s pitch/lap/exposure tables, “minimum pitch” quoted by manufacturers assumes a standard exposure zone; in more exposed locations the tables typically call for a steeper pitch, a larger head lap, or both.

Below those pitches you have two routes. Manufacturers make dedicated low pitch tiles that go further down than the general figures above: Marley rates its Edgemere interlocking tile to 17.5 degrees, its Wessex and Mendip tiles to 15, and its Mendip 12.5 to 12.5 degrees.⁵ Below what any tile is rated for, move to a specialist low pitch system in fibre cement, metal or membrane.

Cost Per m² Installed (2026, England)

These are the unit rates the Valuation Office Agency and the Scottish Assessors use for new tiled roof coverings, brought to 2026. They cover the tiles laid on underlay (breathable felt membrane to BS 5534) and treated SW battens (25 × 50 mm or 38 × 25 mm) with their fixings. A re-roof on an existing house costs more once stripping, waste, ridge tiles in mortar or a dry-fix system and hip/valley fittings are added, and scaffold is additional (typically £1,500–£4,000 for a standard semi-detached).

Which to Choose?

Choose clay when:

• The property is in a conservation area or Article 4 Direction area requiring traditional materials (check with the Local Planning Authority, LPAs often resist concrete plain tiles as a replacement for clay)
• You are matching an existing clay roof, colour, texture, and profile need to be consistent
• You want the longest-lasting covering, without periodic re-colouring or treatment
• The project is a high-spec new-build or refurbishment where quality and longevity justify the premium

Choose concrete when:

• Budget is the primary driver on a standard extension or new-build in a non-sensitive context
• The pitch is 17.5–30° and a large-format interlocking tile is needed
• The roof area is large and the cost saving is material (on the rates above, concrete interlocking tiles save roughly £40–£50/m² over clay plain tiles, about £4,000–£5,000 on a 100 m² roof)
• The design life requirement is 40–50 years and re-roofing in that timeframe is acceptable

Mechanical fixing at ridge and hips

Since the 2015 amendment to BS 5534, mortar can no longer be the only thing holding the roof covering on: ridge and hip tiles, and single-lap tiles, must be mechanically fixed whether or not they are also bedded in mortar.¹⁰ That is why dry-fix ridge and hip systems have become so common. Dry-fix systems (proprietary plastic unions and mortar-free caps) cost more upfront than mortar bedding and need no repointing.

UK Standards Summary

• BS 5534:2014+A2:2018, code of practice for slating and tiling (the primary fixing and detailing standard for all pitched roofs)
• BS EN 1304:2013, clay roofing tiles and fittings
• BS EN 539-2:2013, clay tiles frost resistance testing
• BS EN 490:2011+A1:2017, concrete roofing tiles and fittings
• BS EN 491:2011, test methods for concrete roofing tiles
• Building Regs Approved Document A, structural loading; rafter/ceiling joist sizing
• Building Regs Approved Document C, weather resistance
• Planning Policy (NPPF), heritage and conservation area considerations for material choice