This is probably the first thing that you’re wondering. We won’t beat around the bush – slate is the most expensive commonly-used roofing material used in modern construction.

Whether you’re getting roof repairs or building a new slate roof, you’re going to pay quite a bit for the square metres of slate used in your project.

For example, asphalt shingles will usually cost you about $40 per square metre, without installation costs. Metal roofing usually costs about $100 per square metre, and terracotta tile can cost upwards of $120 per square metre. Slate tiles tend to be even more expensive than this – $130-$150 per square metre is not uncommon for high quality natural slate.

When you look at Slate Roof Tile Sydney Prices You might say…

So why are slate roofing tiles so expensive? There are a few reasons.

• Roofing Slate tiles last longer than any other type of roof – One of the reasons that slate is so expensive is that it is extremely durable and long-lived. A typical slate roof has a 100 year or longer lifespan, and usually does not require any roof repairs. As one of the most durable roofing materials on the market, slate tiles command a premium in terms of price per square metres of material.
• Slate tiles are hand-selected and hewn – Slate tiles are extracted from mines in Wales, Spain, and Canada, among other areas. They must be extracted and process by hand by specialized miners and artisans – which makes them more expensive to produce.
• Being extremely heavy and costly to transport – Slate is very dense, compared to other materials like asphalt shingles, cedar shakes, and metal roofing. This means that the cost of transporting slate is quite high, compared to other roofing materials.
• It takes longer to install Slate and it is more difficult – Slate takes longer to install, due to its unique characteristics and weight. While a worker may lay up to 10 “squares” of cedar tiles or asphalt shingles per day, it may take a full day to lay just one square of slate tiles. In addition, securing slate properly requires years of experience – for the best results, a master slater must oversee the operation. Again, this means that it takes longer for slate to be installed – increasing overall project costs.

There are several types of common slate roofing tiles available today.

• Welsh Slate – Welsh Penrhyn and Cwt-y-Bugail slate are deep blue in color, and have a rough, textured surface.
• Canadian Slate – Canadian Glendyne slate is extremely dense and durable, with a grey-blue color. It is prized for its insulative properties.
• Spanish Slate – Spanish Del Carmen slate is also highly desirable, with a bluish-gray color. It’s been used to restore Buckingham Palace and the British Museum, due to its attractive, natural appearance.
• Composite Slate – Composite slate is built from natural and synthetic cellulose that is injected with fibre cement. The result is a uniform composite slate shingle that looks just like natural slate. It does not last as long as “true” slate, but is much less expensive – and maintains many of the same beneficial qualities.