Concrete Tile Roof Types by Profile and Weight
High-profile (S) concrete tile
This is the wavy, Spanish-style concrete roof, and one national cost guide names concrete in a Spanish style as the most common tile roof. The Florida code's hurricane-zone chapter calls a tile high profile once its rise is more than a fifth of its width. The tile you pick needs a current product approval on the permit; tile roof replacement covers that paperwork. If someone has to cross an S-tile roof, the industry's advice is heel and toe on the crowns of two neighboring tiles, not the trough between them.
Low-profile concrete tile
Low-profile tile has a shallow wave, flatter than S-tile but not flat. The terms shift between documents. The hurricane-zone code sorts tile by rise-to-width ratio: up to 0.20 is low profile, over that is high, and anything under half an inch of rise is flat. The FRSA-TRI installation manual calls the same middle band "medium profile." So if a quote says medium and a permit says low, it can be the same tile. Like S-tile, it takes an eave closure under the first row; barrel tile roofing explains that part.
Lightweight concrete tile
Weight is the reason this tile exists. Here is how the numbers compare:
- Standard concrete tile: about 9.5 to 12 pounds a square foot.
- Lightweight concrete tile: about 5.5 to 7 pounds a square foot.
- Asphalt shingles, for comparison: about 2.5 to 4 pounds.
At least one manufacturer pitches its lightweight line for re-roof projects. It doesn't replace a structural check when a house goes from shingles to tile; tile roof installation covers that step.
Older concrete tile roofs (faded, obsolete profiles)
Concrete tile gets its color from iron oxide pigments, and the Tile Roofing Industry Alliance says tile can soften in color after years of weather. White, chalky patches are usually efflorescence, which rain removes over time. Some concrete tile is slurry-coated, with the color in a surface layer, and its edges can chip. Repairs are where age bites. Some concrete tiles once made in Florida, including one line made in Pompano Beach, no longer interlock with tile sold today; roof tile replacement covers finding matches. On a faded roof that is otherwise sound, painting or sealing the tile is one option.
Why Pompano Beach homeowners call Pompano Tile Roofing
- Free to call, free to request a quote
- One independent local tile roofer per request, not a bidding list
- Ask for tear-off, underlayment, deck repair and permit on one written price
- Your details go only to the roofer handling your request
Concrete Tile Roof Cost and Lifespan
Concrete is the budget tile, and the cost guides agree on that much:
Installed price
$7 to $19 a square foot in two national guides, or about $10,500 to $47,500 for a whole roof.Against clay
a trade article puts concrete at about half the price of clay tile.Per 100 square feet of roof
concrete weighs roughly 700 to 950 pounds, close to clay.Lifespan
30 to 50 years or more in one guide and 40 to 70 in another. The underlayment under the tile usually wears out first, which is why many old concrete roofs need tile roof underlayment replacement, not new tile.
The tile itself takes on very little water. The tile alliance puts average absorption under 1%, and Grade 1 concrete tile is rated under ASTM C1492. That is why trouble on a concrete roof usually starts underneath the tile, at the underlayment, flashing and mortar.
Repairs That Come Up on Concrete Tile
A falling branch or a heavy tool dropped on the roof can crack concrete tile. Tile makers' product approvals say cracked or broken tile must not stay on the roof, and the tile alliance advises replacing broken pieces quickly so sun and rain don't reach the underlayment. Foot traffic is the other cause. People servicing antennas, solar panels or rooftop equipment, or painting the walls above a lower roof, end up walking on tile, and most makers won't cover breakage from walking. For wall painting or repairs next to the roof, the alliance suggests laying secured plywood over the tile.
When you call about a concrete tile repair:
Send a photo of a broken piece,
underside too if one has come loose, so the profile can be matched before anyone climbs up.Ask for photos of the underlayment
under the broken tile before the new piece goes in.Ask for a price per tile and any job minimum;
tile roof repair gives the typical ranges.
See tile roof replacement when an aging concrete roof needs more than a few new tiles.