Guide
Tile or metal in North Queensland
An honest comparison on heat, rain noise, weight, insurance and cost for a Townsville home, from roofers who install and repair both.
7 minute read
The honest answer
Both work here if they are fixed properly, and both fail here if they are not. We tile and we work steel, so there is no material either of us needs to sell you into, and the honest answer usually comes down to what is already on your house and what structure it sits on rather than a general rule either way. We go through it on site, but this is the comparison we actually walk people through.
Side by side
Six things that actually matter here.
Heat
Tile
Holds outside heat out better once the roof space is ventilated properly, thanks to the tile mass and the air gap under it.
Metal
Runs hotter on a still February afternoon unless ventilation and insulation are done properly, which is where most of the complaints actually come from.
Rain noise
Tile
Quieter in heavy rain, which matters more here than it does further south given how much rain this town actually gets.
Metal
Louder unless sarking and insulation are specified for it, and a lot of older steel roofs were not.
Weight
Tile
Heavier, which the roof structure has to be built or checked for, especially on an older house being converted from something else.
Metal
Lighter, which is part of why it is faster to install and easier on an ageing roof structure.
Wind and cyclone tie-down
Tile
Every perimeter, ridge, hip and verge tile mechanically fixed in Region C, on top of bedding. Done properly it holds; done cheaply it is the first thing to go.
Metal
Cyclone-rated screws at the correct spacing carry the tie-down. Simpler to get right, and simpler for a cut corner to hide in, which is why re-screwing is such a common call-out here.
Insurance
Tile
Insurers know it well and rate it accordingly. No particular advantage either way once a roof is well maintained.
Metal
Often slightly easier to insure new, largely because it is lighter and the failure modes are better understood by assessors.
Cost
Tile
More expensive to install new, and a full re-bed and re-point extends its life significantly for a fraction of a replacement.
Metal
Cheaper to install new. Once it needs replacing rather than repairing, tile to steel is usually the bigger of the two jobs because of the batten work involved.
When we would steer you
If your existing roof structure is sound and you are simply choosing for a new build or a full replacement, the decision usually comes down to how much you weight rain noise and heat against upfront cost. Neither is objectively better, and anyone who tells you it is has usually got one trade in the shed.
If you are converting an old tile roof to steel because the tiles have failed, the batten work involved is the number that decides most jobs, since steel and tile take different batten profiles. That is priced and shown before anything comes off, never discovered halfway through.
Talk it through
On site, with your actual roof.
A re-roof assessment covers batten condition, structure and the real cost difference for your house, not a general rule.
More guides
The wet season roof checklist
What to check and book between September and November, in order, before the first real storm finds the gap for you.
What Region C fixings actually mean
Why Townsville roofs need closer fastener spacing and heavier tie-down, what it adds to a quote, and the questions worth asking any roofer.