What is the origin of concrete roofing tile?

Roofing expert Andy Dolan traces the history of concrete roofing tiles back to the ancient use of clay roofing materials. "Handmade clay tiles were used on roofs as many as 5,000 years ago in Asia and the

middle East. With the advancements of technology, extrusion machines were used to mass produce clay tiles. In Europe clay was the predominant roofing material on slope roofing. English settlers even brought clay roofing with them to America. The problem with clay is it has to be a certain type of clay in order to be used on a roof. After Work War II it was becoming a very, very depleted source and was also much more expensive to produce. This was because the clay had to be cured. To cure it or make it hard, you have to use heat, and this is very expensive either in fossil fuel or gas. After the war there was a shortage of material, and suddenly they had all this demand for roofing tiles and they couldn't produce enough clay to supply the demand."

"So someone decided they would try to make a concrete tile from sand and cement in the same shape as the clay and it worked. Ten or 15 years later several companies began to automate the process of making concrete tiles, and that's how the first extruders and the first automated machines came into being. Redland Building Products was one of the first companies to automate and have been the industry leader up to today. Now the process is automated to the point where they can produce thousands of pieces a day. The curing process is also much more competitive because they use hydrated heat or steam rather than fired heat. Basically, you can make more of the same looking material at a cheaper rate, and that's why concrete became a more preferred product. A resurgence of the Georgian, Mediterranean, and Spanish architectural styles further increased concrete tiles' popularity in the 20th century," Dolan explains.

Like clay roofing, concrete tiles are resistant to deterioration by extreme temperatures, sunlight, hail, high winds, termites, and fire. They share life expectancies of at least 100 years or the lifetime of a building, and further advancements in technology have produced lighter and lighter weight concrete tiles. Concrete is also slightly more shatter-resistant than clay. In terms of price, longevity, durability, and environmental friendliness, concrete tiles come out on the top of many roofing experts' lists.

Many improvements have been made in the design of concrete roofing tiles so that they better shed rain water and allow for roof ventilation. A wide variety of shapes and colors are also available, allowing builders to replicate many looks and styles from Spanish Mission to Cape Cod to English Tudor. Tiles are molded in flat, ridges, and curved shapes and in a number of interlocking designs. The range of colors extends to include pink, white, blue-grey, burnt orange, terra cotta, and deep browns. Almost any look can be achieved with the use of concrete roofing tiles at a lower cost than other natural roofing materials.