# Commercial Clay Tile Roofing

> Commercial clay tile roofing across greater St. Louis. A 50-to-100-year lifespan with the lowest life-cycle cost of any roofing material.

Canonical: https://donovanrc.com/commercial/clay-tile/

![Aerial drone view of a commercial building complex with red clay tile roofs](/wp-content/uploads/donovan/photos/commercial/clay-tile-drone.webp)

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Commercial · Clay Tile

# The lowest
life-cycle cost.

Centuries of field performance, natural water-shedding and ventilation, and a 50 to 100 year lifespan. Spread over the years it actually lasts, clay tile carries the lowest life-cycle cost of any roofing material.

What it is

## Fired clay, proven over centuries.

Clay tile is one of the oldest roofing materials still in use, and it is still in use because it works. The profile sheds water naturally and the gaps between tiles ventilate the deck, so the roof breathes instead of trapping heat and moisture. On a commercial building, that translates into a 50 to 100 year service life and the lowest life-cycle cost on the board. We handle clay roof repair as well: cracked, slipped, or storm-broken tiles can usually be fixed in place without replacing the whole field.

MaterialFired clay tile

Lifespan50 to 100 years

Life-cycle costLowest of any material

DrainageNatural water-shedding

VentilationBuilt into the profile

InspectionFree, with roof report

![Craftsmen installing clay tile](/wp-content/uploads/donovan/photos/slate/clay-tile-craftsmen.webp)

![Clay tile roof under installation with scaffolding](/wp-content/uploads/donovan/photos/slate/clay-tile-scaffolding.webp)

![Green glazed clay tile roof mid restoration with removed tiles stacked on battens](/wp-content/uploads/donovan/photos/slate/clay-tile-green-restore.webp)

The economics

### Cheapest per year on the roof.

Clay tile is not the cheapest roof to install, but it is the cheapest roof to own. Divide the cost across a 50 to 100 year lifespan and it comes out below every other material. The lowest life-cycle cost of any roofing material, full stop.

The physics

### It sheds water and it breathes.

The tile profile pushes water off the roof on its own, and the air gaps under the tiles let the deck ventilate. The roof does not sit there cooking and trapping moisture the way a sealed system can.

The track record

### Centuries of field performance.

There is no guessing about how clay tile ages. It has been on buildings for centuries, in every climate, and we know exactly how it behaves through a St. Louis year. When you compare clay tile roofing companies, ask who is actually on the roof. Our own crew installs and repairs every tile.

### Weighing clay tile for a commercial roof?

We will inspect the building for free and come back with a roof report that lays out the life-cycle cost honestly, so you can compare clay tile against the alternatives on the numbers that actually matter. You will be working with a clay tile roofing company that puts its own crew on the roof, not a broker.

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What homeowners are saying

- > “Justin did a great job of communicating and was on the job site a lot.”

Gerald K. · Google
- > “Nick Mirth did an excellent job throughout the process our insurance claim!”

Tim C. · Google
- > “Great experience, very knowledgeable and customer friendly. I would highly Recommend.”

Kathy O. · Google

[See all reviews](/reviews)