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A clay tile roof costs about $8 to $22 per square foot installed, according to This Old House's 2026 tile roof cost guide, with the clay tile itself at $3 to $7 per square foot; terracotta runs $10 to $25 installed and concrete tile $7 to $19. Per 100 sq ft roofing square that is $800 to $2,200 for clay, and a 2,000 sq ft clay roof comes to roughly $16,000 to $44,000 before removing the old roof, which adds $1 to $6 per square foot. Most of the price is labour: every tile is set, cut around hips and valleys and fastened by hand. Clay and terracotta commonly last 50 to 100 years and concrete about 50, so the calculator divides each total by its service life and compares it with architectural asphalt on the same roof. To count tiles and battens instead, use the tile roof calculator.
Most of a tile roof's price is labour: every tile is set on battens, cut around each hip, valley and wall and fastened to the local code pattern. Prices are This Old House's 2026 tile roof cost guide.
| Tile | Material / sq ft | Installed / sq ft | Per square | 2,000 sq ft roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay tile | $3 – $7 | $8 – $22 | $800 – $2,200 | $16,000 – $44,000 |
| Terracotta tile | $5 – $10 | $10 – $25 | $1,000 – $2,500 | $20,000 – $50,000 |
| Concrete tile | $2 – $4 | $7 – $19 | $700 – $1,900 | $14,000 – $38,000 |
Removing the old roof adds $1–$6 per sq ft and underlayment $0.50–$2 per sq ft.
About $8–$22 per sq ft installed, according to This Old House (2026), with clay material at $3–$7 per sq ft. Terracotta runs $10–$25 and concrete tile $7–$19. A 2,000 sq ft clay roof is roughly $16,000–$44,000 before tear-off.
A roofing square is 100 sq ft, so clay tile is about $800–$2,200 per square installed and concrete tile about $700–$1,900, before removing the old roof ($100–$600 per square).
Concrete is cheaper ($7–$19 installed against $8–$22 for clay) but heavier, and its colour can fade. Clay keeps its colour; This Old House gives clay and terracotta about 100 years and concrete about 50.
Often. Clay and concrete tile weigh several times more than asphalt shingles, so the rafters or trusses should be checked before a switch to tile. The roof load capacity calculator gives a first look.
The tiles shed most of the water but the underlayment is the real waterproofing, and it usually wears out long before the tiles. Re-laying tiles over new underlayment ($0.50–$2 per sq ft for the underlayment) is a common repair.
Counting the tiles themselves? The tile roof calculator gives tiles, battens and roof weight.
Want a lighter roof with a tile profile? See the stone-coated steel roof cost calculator.
Need the whole roof at once? The free roofing calculator works out roof area, squares, shingle bundles, underlayment, drip edge, ridge cap and installed cost from one set of measurements.