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Around 900 pounds per square for standard concrete tile and 600 to 1,000 for clay, against about 250 for architectural asphalt. On a 25-square roof that is roughly eight extra tons, which is a structural engineer's question before it is a roofing one.
The Tile Roof Calculator returns tile count, weight per square, fastener count, and total cost for concrete or clay tile roofs. Select profile (Spanish S-tile, flat shake, mission barrel) and enter your roof area; the tool returns tile count using typical coverage of 90 tiles per square. Tile roofs weigh 600-1,200 lbs per square and require engineered framing — heavier than asphalt by 4-6x. Tile lasts 50-100 years and qualifies for hail and fire discounts on home insurance.
Tile is ordered by the piece, not by the square, and the piece count depends on the exposure the profile is laid at. What makes tile different from every other covering is weight: the structure has to be designed for it.
| Covering | Weight per square | On a 25-square roof |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural asphalt shingles | ~250 lb | ~6,250 lb |
| Standing-seam metal | ~150 lb | ~3,750 lb |
| Lightweight concrete tile | ~600 lb | ~15,000 lb |
| Standard concrete tile | ~900 lb | ~22,500 lb |
| Clay tile | ~600 – 1,000 lb | ~15,000 – 25,000 lb |
Putting standard concrete tile on a structure framed for asphalt adds roughly eight tons to a 25-square roof. That is a structural engineer question before it is a roofing one, and re-framing or sistering is a real and common requirement on a retrofit.
Tile itself lasts 50 years and more, but the underlayment beneath it does not. On many tile roofs the first major work is lifting and re-laying the tile to replace the underlayment underneath, which is a labour cost with almost no material cost. Budget for it rather than assuming the roof is finished for 50 years.
Only if it was framed for it or is upgraded. Standard concrete tile weighs around 900 pounds per square against about 250 for architectural asphalt — roughly eight extra tons on a 25-square roof. It is a structural engineer question.
The tile itself lasts 50 years and more. The underlayment beneath it does not, so the first major work on many tile roofs is lifting and re-laying the tile to replace the underlayment — a large labour cost with almost no material cost.
It depends entirely on the profile and the exposure it is laid at. Flat interlocking profiles use fewer, larger pieces; small-format barrel tile uses many more. Take the figure from the specific product.
Carefully, on the lower third of each tile where it is supported, and expect to crack some anyway. Plan maintenance access — for solar, antennas or chimney work — into the layout rather than discovering it later.
Need the installed price, not the tile count? The clay tile roof cost calculator prices clay, terracotta and concrete tile per sq ft.
Framing too light for tile? The stone-coated steel roof cost calculator prices a tile-profile roof at under 2 lb per sq ft.
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.