Clay Roof Tile

Clay roof tile is fired clay shaped into overlapping units, most recognizably the curved barrel or S-shaped pantile and the flat interlocking tile, laid in courses to shed water from a sloped roof. Used since antiquity across the Mediterranean, China and other clay-rich regions, its characteristic reddish-orange color, from iron oxide in the clay, and its profile became defining features of Mediterranean, Spanish Colonial and Mission-style roofscapes as the technique spread through trade and colonization. Its durability, often exceeding fifty years with minimal maintenance, and its fire resistance have kept it a favored roofing material in warm climates, though its weight requires a correspondingly robust roof structure compared with lighter roofing materials such as asphalt shingle.