Clay or concrete tiles?
It is a question often raised by customers who are facing the choice to use Clay tiles or Concrete tiles. MONIER operates both clay tile factories and concrete tile factories and we are convinced each product has its own benefits.
In India, few investments have been done in the clay tile industry recently and the quality of the average clay tiles does not reach the usual international standard of this industry. At MONIER, we have invested in the latest available technology in Bangalore to produce a high quality concrete tile and in Calicut for the glazing process of our clay tiles.
Here is a quick benchmark we present you, based on our knowledge of the Indian roof tile industry :
| Concrete Elabana by Monier | Glazed clay Coloroof by Monier | Average Mangalore paTtern clay tiles | |
| Technology | Worldwide expertise, strong R&D, last extrusion technology available from Europe (2007) | Worldwide expertise, strong R&D, new glazing process (2006) | No known R&D and no technological advancement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Services | Sales support, execution supervision, after sales service, technological advice | Sales support, execution supervision, after sales service, technological advice | No specialised service |
| Availability | Unique production capacity in India, ideal for large projects | Depend on good quality clay tile availability | Scarcity of good quality products |
| Coverage | 10 per sqm (leading to savings in battens and laying time) | 13 per sqm | 13 per sqm |
| weight per sqm | About 42kg, stable under the rain | about 36 kg, stable under the rain | about 36kg dry and 43 kg wet |
| FitTings and components | Complete range of fittings and components for the roof | Few fittings and large range of components for the roof | V-shape ridge tile only |
| Colours available | Different colors available, including dual tone and antique shade | Range of long lasting colors available | Natural terracotta only |
| Water absorption | Less than 10% from the body, almost nil from the surface | About 15% from the body, almost nil from the surface | More than 15% |
| Breaking strength | More than 200kg after one month | about 140kg, thanks to double firing process | About 100kg |
| Water tighness | Ensured by double groove and dimension stability | Ensured by double groove | Sometime ensured by double groove but existence of warping due to firing process |
| Ageing | Moss and algae resistant due to coating and low water absorption | Moss and algae resistant due to coating and low water absorption | Early formation of moss and fungus due to high level of water absorption |
| Environment impact | Unlimited natural resources and low energy consumer process. Recyclable material. | Resources are "already-made" clay tiles. Recyclable material. | Limited quantity of ancestral Indian clay reserves, few controls on exhaust and temperature. Recyclable material. |
Concrete not hotter than Clay !
Our customers talk about our concrete tiles in a press article published in the Hindu© in May 2006.