Types of Roof Tiles in Derby & Nottingham
- List item text
- List item text
- List item text
Clay, Concrete, Slate & Composite Tiles Compared — FREE Drone Survey Available
If you've been searching for the types of roof tiles in Derby, Nottingham or anywhere else across the county, the short version is that four materials cover almost every roof you'll see locally: clay, concrete, natural slate and composite. The roof of a building takes the brunt of everything the East Midlands weather throws at it, so which of those four you end up with affects how long your roof lasts, how much it weighs on your rafters, and how easily a future repair can be matched in. That matters more here than in flatter parts of the country, since a lot of the older terraced stock around Nottingham, Hucknall and Derby was never built with heavy concrete tiles in mind, and swapping tile type on those roofs without checking the timbers first is where problems start. This guide runs through what each tile type actually is, what it costs to buy and fit, and which ones tend to suit the terraces, 1930s semis and older period properties around Nottingham and Derby. If you'd rather see how tiles stack up against flat and other roofing systems first, our page on different types of roof tiles and roofing options is a good place to start.
Types of Roof Tiles in Derby & Nottingham — Clay, Concrete, Slate & Composite Compared
Call 0115-647-3275 to book a free drone survey and get a written, itemised quote for your tile job, wherever you are across Nottingham, Hucknall or Derby.
Key Selling Points
- Free drone roof survey with HD footage before any tile work is recommended, carried out by a CAA-registered operator
- 10-year workmanship guarantee on every retile and repair, on top of manufacturer warranties up to 20+ years on select tiles
- Written, itemised quotes with no hidden costs - what you're quoted is what you pay
What's Involved When We Retile or Repair a Tiled Roof
- Supply and fit of clay, concrete, slate and composite tiles, colour and profile matched to your existing roof for repairs and extensions
- Pantile and S-tile replacement, including re-hanging tiles that have slipped or cracked in frost
- Ridge and hip tile re-bedding and re-pointing, or conversion to a dry ridge/verge system where the roof suits it
- Plain tile and interlocking concrete tile repairs on flatter and steeper pitches alike
- Batten and roofing felt/underlay renewal where the old material has perished beneath the tiles
- Flashing repairs around chimneys, valleys and abutments where tile work meets these junctions
- Valley and abutment tile cutting where a tiled roof meets a flat dormer or extension roof, tied in properly rather than just sealed over
- Tile matching for insurance repairs and small patch jobs, not just full retiles
- A free drone survey to identify which tiles are cracked, slipped or missing before any work is quoted
From First Call to Finished Roof: How a Tile Job Runs
- Get in touch: Call or fill in the enquiry form with a few details about the problem tiles or the retile you're considering, and a time gets booked in for a look at the roof, usually within a few days rather than weeks.
- Free drone survey: A CAA-registered drone operator flies the roof and records HD footage of every elevation, so cracked, slipped or missing tiles get spotted without anyone standing on the roof first. You get a written and verbal report in plain English.
- Tile matching and material choice: For repairs, the closest match to your existing clay, concrete, pantile or slate is sourced so the patch doesn't stand out. For a full retile, you're talked through the options against your roof's pitch, age and budget.
- Written, itemised quote: You get a written quote broken down by material, labour and access costs, including scaffolding where it's needed, with nothing added on later that wasn't on the paperwork.
- The work itself: Battens and underlay are renewed where they've failed, tiles are fitted or re-bedded, and ridges and hips are repointed or converted to a dry system if that's what's been agreed.
- Completion and guarantee: The site is cleared, waste tiles and offcuts taken away, and you're talked through the guarantee paperwork. The work is covered by a 10-year workmanship guarantee, with manufacturer warranties on top for tiles that carry them.
What Roof Tiles Cost to Buy and Fit
Prices move with material choice more than almost anything else. Clay tiles typically run £0.80-£2.50 per tile, concrete £1-£3.50 per tile, and natural slate £3-£5 per tile, with composite sitting closer to slate once you factor in the polymer construction. Fitted, that works out at roughly £60-£120 per square metre for concrete at the lower end, up through mid-range clay, and £90-£120+ per square metre for natural slate once labour, battens and underlay are included.
A small repair, say five slipped or cracked tiles including labour and access, tends to land around £150-£350 for clay or concrete, or £225-£260 for five slate tiles given how much more careful, and slower, slate work is. Access matters as much as material - a straightforward two-storey semi with easy scaffold access costs less to work on than a steep, high or awkwardly shaped roof, which is another reason ballpark per-tile prices only tell part of the story. None of these figures account for scaffolding, timber repairs if rot turns up underneath, or matching an unusual or discontinued tile profile, which is why every job here gets a proper site visit and a written quote before anything's agreed. What you see on the paperwork is what you pay, with no extras added once the work starts.
Clay, Concrete, Slate and Composite Tiles Compared
Here's how the four main tile types stack up on lifespan, weight and typical installed cost for homes across Derby and Nottingham:
| Tile Type | Typical Lifespan | Weight on the Roof | Best Suited To | Approx. Installed Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay | 40-100 years | Light to moderate | Steeper pitches, period and listed properties, colour-matched repairs | £60-£100/m² |
| Concrete | 50-100+ years with maintenance | Heavy | Modern semis and terraces, larger areas, budget retiles | £60-£90/m² |
| Natural slate | 80-100+ years | Heavy, needs sound rafters | Period properties, conservation areas, steep pitches | £90-£120+/m² |
| Composite | Up to around 50 years | Very light | Extensions, weight-sensitive roofs, energy-conscious upgrades | £70-£110/m² |
Why Homeowners Around Hucknall, Nottingham and Derby Ask Us to Match Their Tiles
Tile matching only looks simple until you're on a roof holding a sample tile against an original profile that's been out of production for twenty years. On more than one job, the honest answer has been blending reclaimed clay pantiles sourced from a salvage yard with a handful of near-match new tiles turned face-down on the least visible slope, rather than re-tiling a whole elevation over three cracked originals just because a perfect match couldn't be bought new. That's the kind of call that comes from having worked across Nottinghamshire's terraces, semis and older properties for 15+ years, not from working off a catalogue.
Every roof still starts with a free drone survey from a CAA-registered operator, so the tile-matching decision is made from HD footage of the actual roof rather than a guess from ground level. The team is CSCS certified and works to NFRC roofing standards, and all materials used are BBA approved, with manufacturer warranties of up to 20+ years available on select tiles, sitting on top of a 10-year workmanship guarantee on the finished job. It's a family-run business working out of Hucknall, and every quote is written and itemised, including on the occasions when reclaimed or specially sourced tiles cost more than a standard new one, so that's on the paperwork from the start rather than a surprise once the scaffold's up.
Tile Roofing Across Nottingham, Hucknall and Out to Derby
The base is in Hucknall (NG15), and most tile call-outs are within Nottingham itself. Sherwood, Forest Fields and Hyson Green have some of the steepest, oldest roof pitches on our books, rows of Victorian terraces where a lot of the original plain clay tile and ridge cresting is still up and worth conserving rather than swapping for something plainer. Bulwell and Radford have had more roofs re-covered in concrete pantile over the decades, so a single slipped tile on those streets can mean tracking down a specific pantile profile that isn't made any more rather than grabbing one off a merchant's shelf. Carlton, Arnold, Mapperley, Gedling and Nottingham City Centre are mostly wider, shallower interlocking concrete tile roofs from the 1930s onward, which age and weather noticeably differently to the steeper terraces closer to Sherwood.
On the south side, West Bridgford, Beeston, Clifton and Ruddington bring their own quirk - West Bridgford in particular has a fair number of larger Edwardian villas with decorative ridge and hip tile work that takes more care to match than a straight run of plain tile, while Lenton and Netherfield sit somewhere between the two, mixing terraces with later infill. Further out, Long Eaton, Stapleford, and across into Derby and Derbyshire, you find narrower lace-industry terraces where a good number of roofs are still on their original blue clay or slate, tiles that aren't always a simple order to replace once one cracks.
Beyond that, the same drone survey and quote process covers Kirkby in Ashfield, Sutton in Ashfield, Mansfield, Newark-on-Trent, Eastwood and Ilkeston. Response times are quickest closer to the Hucknall base, but the survey and quote process itself is the same wherever in Nottinghamshire or the western edge of Derbyshire your roof happens to be.
Frequently Asked Questions — Roof Tiles in Derby & Nottingham
What are the main types of roof tiles used in the UK?
Four materials cover most UK roofs: clay, concrete, natural slate and composite. Clay and slate are the traditional choices and tend to suit older and listed properties, concrete is the most common on post-war housing because it's cheaper to produce in bulk, and composite tiles are the newest option, built to look like slate or clay at a fraction of the weight.
Which is better for a roof, clay tiles or concrete tiles?
Neither is straightforwardly better, it depends what you're after. Clay is lighter, comes in more colours and shapes, and tends to suit steeper period roofs, but it costs more per tile and can chip in hard frost. Concrete is heavier and cheaper, and often lasts just as long or longer with basic maintenance, but it's harder to match if you're doing a colour-sensitive repair on an older street.
How long do slate roof tiles typically last?
Natural slate commonly lasts 80-100 years or more when it's fitted well and the roof structure underneath is sound, which is why so many Victorian and Edwardian properties around Nottingham and Derby are still on their original slate. The felt or underlay beneath it usually needs renewing well before the slate itself does.
Are composite roof tiles a good alternative to traditional tiles?
For the right roof, yes. Composite tiles are a fraction of the weight of clay, concrete or slate, so they're worth considering on extensions or older structures where the rafters weren't built for a heavy covering. They cost more upfront than concrete but tend to need less ongoing maintenance and can last up to around 50 years.
Which roof tiles are the lightest and easiest to install?
Composite tiles are the lightest by a clear margin, often a fraction of the weight of clay, concrete or slate per square metre, which also makes them quicker to handle on site. That doesn't necessarily make them the easiest to install well, though - getting the interlock and fixing right still takes the same care as any other tile, and lighter isn't always the right choice if you're trying to match an existing heavier roof.
What is a pantile roof and how does it differ from a flat tile roof?
A pantile is curved into an S-shaped profile and interlocks with the tiles either side, giving it a distinctive rippled look on the roofline. The S-tile is a deeper-curved variant of the same idea, used where extra watertightness matters more than drainage speed. A flat, plain tile has no curve at all and relies on overlap rather than shape to keep water out, which makes it easier to source a single replacement for but slower to lay across a large area.
How much does it cost to replace a few broken roof tiles?
A small repair, around five tiles including labour and access, typically costs £150-£350 for clay or concrete, or £225-£260 for slate given how much more carefully slate has to be handled. The exact figure depends on how easy the roof is to access, whether scaffolding or just a tower is needed, and whether a matching tile has to be sourced specially.
If I'm replacing tiles on a Derby or Nottingham semi-detached house built pre-1950, which tile type will a surveyor recommend and why?
On pre-1950 semis across Derby and Nottingham, a surveyor will usually look at what's already up there first, since planning departments and most homeowners want a like-for-like match rather than a change of material. A lot of this housing stock was originally clay or concrete plain tile at a pitch over 35 degrees, so unless the roof timbers have moved or you're deliberately upgrading, the recommendation tends to be sticking with the original type rather than switching to something heavier or lighter that changes how the roof loads.
Do concrete tiles need more maintenance than clay tiles?
Not dramatically more, but they behave differently. Concrete tiles can develop moss and lichen growth faster than clay because of the surface texture, so they benefit from an occasional clean, while clay is more prone to the odd tile cracking in a hard frost. Both need the same basic checks, loose or slipped tiles, cracked ridge bedding, and the state of the underlay, regardless of which one is on your roof.
What roof tile shape suits a Georgian or period property best?
Georgian and other period properties in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire generally suit square or plain clay tiles rather than large interlocking concrete ones, since the smaller unit size and hand-finished look match the proportions of the original building better. Square slates are also a common choice on grander period roofs. A site visit is really the only reliable way to say for certain, since conservation area rules and what's already on neighbouring roofs both come into it.
Ready to Sort Your Roof Tiles? Here's Your Next Step.
Book a Free Drone Survey Before Winter Tests Your Tiles
A cracked or slipped tile rarely announces itself until water's already found a way in, and by then you're looking at a bigger repair than the one you could have caught early. Book a free drone survey and you'll get HD footage and a plain-English report on exactly which tiles need attention, plus a written, itemised quote with nothing hidden in it, whether that's a handful of matched replacements or a full retile.
📞 Call us today on 0115-647-3275
Get in Touch
Trust Roofing Services — Hucknall
40 Harrow Rd, Hucknall, Nottingham NG15
📞 0115-647-3275
✉️ office@roofersnottinghamgrp.co.uk
🏠 Trust Roofing Services
Roof Tiles · Contact Us Now
- List item text
- List item text
- List item text
Let's talk about your Roof Tiles project
Fill out the form, or call us to discuss your requirements
📞 0115-647-3275