1. Preface
Roof systems can generally be divided into sloped roof systems and flat roof systems. With the continuous development of new roofing materials, tiles for sloped roofs — especially colored Cement Tiles — have become a new type of roofing material that conforms to national environmental protection policies and helps protect land resources and the ecological environment. Due to their advantages such as bright colors, uniform texture, stable dimensions, diverse profiles, high strength, good durability and impermeability, they have become the mainstream choice for residential buildings in modern roofing projects in China.
2. Types and Development of Tiles for Sloped Roofs
2.1 Clay Tiles and Glazed Tiles
Clay tiles and glazed tiles for sloped roofs have a long history in China. Today, their application is limited except for special projects such as antique buildings and temples in cities, mainly for the following three reasons:
a. High energy consumption and serious air pollution during production. The biggest problem is the consumption of farmland resources. Among them, clay tiles have been explicitly banned by the state.b. High-temperature firing inevitably causes deformation and micro-cracks. Deformation results in an uneven and unaesthetic roof surface; micro-cracks are prone to water penetration. In low-temperature winter conditions, water inside the cracks freezes and expands, worsening cracks and reducing service life.c. Both clay tiles and glazed tiles have a small single-piece area, requiring a large number of tiles and many overlaps per unit area. The typical weight exceeds 55 kg/m². Clay tiles absorb a great deal of water, further increasing roof load on rainy days. 2.2 Asphalt Shingles
For a period, many large and medium-sized cities saw a boom in “flat-to-sloped roof conversion”, significantly improving urban landscapes. The main material used was asphalt shingles, whose biggest advantages are light weight and various colors. However, they also have the following shortcomings:
a. Asphalt shingles age easily, with a service life of only about ten years.b. They are fixed by adhesion plus nailing. While acceptable on wooden roofs against wind, they rely mainly on adhesion on cast-in-place concrete roofs due to difficult nailing. Insufficient bonding often leads to wind uplift and failure in strong winds.c. Poor flame retardancy. After the government banned clay tile production, small private colored tile factories developed rapidly across China, now numbering in the thousands. The issuance of the industrial standard JC 746‑1999 in 1999 further promoted the development of colored cement tiles. Their rapid popularization in China is attributed to the following advantages:
a. Main raw materials are cement and sand, without occupying land resources. Production features low energy consumption and no smoke pollution.b. High strength, good compactness, low water absorption and long service life. In addition, the large single-piece area greatly reduces the number of tiles per unit area compared with clay and glazed tiles, resulting in lighter roof load and higher installation efficiency.c. Curing only requires about 40 °C without high-temperature firing, leading to small deformation and a neat, attractive roof surface.d. Diverse profiles and colors. Colors can be solid-surface, multi-layered, full-body solid-color or full-body mixed-color, providing architects with abundant options.e. A surface sealant prevents secondary efflorescence of concrete. The sealant is normally mold-resistant and self-cleaning, keeping the surface from darkening or moss growth. Colors mixed with iron oxide pigments remain stable for decades, whereas paint-coated colors typically fade within a few years.f. High production efficiency. The world’s fastest production speed has reached 120 tiles per minute and is approaching 140. Fully automated production from material feeding to finished product packaging is achievable.
3. Classification and Characteristics of Colored Cement Tiles
Colored cement tiles include field tiles (main tiles), ridge tiles and various accessory tiles. Although field tiles are diverse, they mainly fall into three categories: corrugated tiles, S‑shaped tiles and flat tiles.
3.1 Corrugated Tiles
Corrugated tiles feature an arched waveform with tight matching and good symmetry. Upper and lower tiles can be laid in straight or staggered patterns. Due to their low profile, they can be used not only on roofs but also as decorative elements on walls close to 90°, achieving a unique style.
3.2 S‑shaped Tiles
Known as Spanish tiles in Europe, they have a large arch and a standard S‑shaped cross-section, providing much stronger three‑dimensional effect than corrugated tiles.Using S‑shaped tiles with different colors and laying methods can express both modern and classical Chinese architectural styles. For example, black S‑shaped tiles on Ming‑ or Qing‑style residences create a fresh, antique atmosphere. 3.3 Flat Tiles
This profile has been most popular in the US in the past decade as an upgraded replacement for asphalt shingles. They are colorful and neat, resembling asphalt shingles from afar and showing stronger stereoscopic effect and artistry up close.Rows can be laid neatly or regularly staggered to create different artistic styles. Compared with asphalt shingles, they are solid, heavy, wind-resistant, hail-resistant and non-aging. According to production processes, flat tiles are subdivided into:
3.3.1 Stone‑simulated Flat Tiles
Smooth surface with full‑body mixed color resembling stone grain, matching well with “cultural stone” walls for an antique, solemn look. Coated types with smooth surfaces prevent dust adhesion and are self-cleaning during rain.
3.3.2 Wood‑grain Simulated Flat Tiles
Full‑body colored with textures resembling sawn wood, giving a soft, wood-like visual impression.
3.3.3 Double‑piece Flat Tiles
A deep middle groove makes each tile appear as two small tiles, suitable for complex villa roofs. Available in full‑body mixed color and surface-coated types.
3.3.4 Yin‑Yang Flat Tiles
Developed from double‑piece tiles with a special process: one side glossy, the other matte, producing distinct light and shade effects under sunlight. Only available in full‑body color.
3.3.5 Eagle Flat Tiles
Developed by Eagle Tile Co. of the US-based Burlingham Tile Group. Separated by two grooves into three sections: flat middle and raised stripes on both sides, presenting an elegant, noble appearance.
3.3.6 Flying Eagle Flat Tiles
Surface features raised stripes of varying spacing and size, resembling strings of a musical instrument, sometimes called “string-style flat tiles”.
3.3.7 Double Eagle Flat Tiles
Improved from Flying Eagle tiles with an additional middle groove, appearing as two small pieces.
Eagle, Flying Eagle and Double Eagle series are similar in style, all full‑body mixed-color, and can be combined to create novel, distinctive sloped roofs.
4. Selection and Application of Colored Cement Tiles
When selecting and applying colored cement tiles, functional performance must be carefully considered.
4.1 Rainproofing and Leak Prevention
Leakage sometimes occurs with colored cement tiles, related not only to product and construction quality but also tile profile structure.Double-water-channel tiles are wide, thin and fragile. Under the same force, the moment at the channel base is more than twice that of single-channel tiles, making them much more likely to break.Workers inevitably step on tiles during installation. Damaged channels are hidden and hard to detect, leading to difficult-to-locate leaks.Furthermore, the side ribs of double-channel tiles are often too low (sometimes less than 2 mm), failing to meet the ≥ 3 mm requirement in JC 746‑1999, resulting in poor waterproof performance. By contrast, single-channel tiles have joints at the highest point of the rib, with tight, small gaps forming an “S‑shaped” joint. They are wind-resistant and allow very little water into the channel, preventing leakage.Double-channel tiles have joints on the mid-slope of the rib, with water inflow 20–30 times higher, making them highly vulnerable to leakage during heavy rain and strong wind. Impermeability also depends greatly on density. Low-density tiles absorb water and may allow rain to penetrate through the tile body. High-density tiles remain waterproof even during prolonged rain.
4.2 Thermal Insulation
Thermal insulation is an important function of roof enclosures. With improved living standards, thermal comfort has become a key indicator.The tile itself (only about 1 cm thick) provides little insulation. Insulation mainly depends on the sealed air layer beneath the tiles — the tighter the seal, the better the insulation, similar to double-glazed windows. Well-produced tiles with accurate dimensions and reasonable overlapping form an integral, tightly sealed layer, providing excellent rainproofing, windproofing and thermal insulation.Obsolete double-channel tiles can hardly be sealed tightly and perform poorly in insulation, with a temperature difference of 3–4 °C compared with high-quality single-channel tiles. 4.3 Rich Decorative Effects
A building’s appearance is like its “clothing”. Colored cement tiles serve as the “outer garment” of a house, with color, profile and installation determining its visual appeal. Since this “garment” lasts for decades, careful selection is essential.
4.3.1 Soft, Uniform, Matte and Durable Color
High-quality tiles feature uniform color without patches or fading under weathering.Poor-quality tiles from small factories often use spray paint that quickly peels off, leaving an unsightly, mottled surface. 4.3.2 Good Freeze Resistance
In northern China, winter temperatures frequently drop below −10 °C. Low-compactness tiles absorb meltwater, which freezes and expands, spalling the color layer and damaging the tile.Tiles from small factories usually lack high-pressure compaction, resulting in poor compactness and short service life. 4.3.3 Elegant, Well-proportioned Profiles
High-quality tile profiles are professionally designed for aesthetic harmony. Poorly designed tiles appear rigid and uncomfortable.Premium colored cement tiles align perfectly in horizontal and sloped lines. Large dimensional errors or warping make neat installation impossible. Even a 2 mm width error per tile accumulates to 20 cm over 100 tiles, causing misalignment and large gaps.
5. Conclusion
For residential buildings, sloped roofs are the preferred choice.Among sloped roof systems, colorful colored cement tiles are the optimal selection.Within colored cement tiles, the single-water-channel series demonstrates superior performance. Various colored cement tiles bring endless charm to complex modern sloped roofs, play an important role in urban beautification, and are widely used in urban architectural complexes with their rich decorative effects.
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