Welsh slate roofing
Traditional Welsh slate roofing material offering exceptional durability, low water absorption, and distinctive appearance for Australian heritage and contemporary applications.
Traditional Welsh slate roofing material offering exceptional durability, low water absorption, and distinctive appearance for Australian heritage and contemporary applications.
Welsh slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock formed over 500 million years ago in Wales. Renowned for its durability, low porosity, and distinctive grey-blue color, it remains the premium roofing material for high-end residential and heritage projects. The material offers exceptional weather resistance, minimal maintenance requirements, and a lifespan exceeding 100 years when properly installed.
- Exceptional durability (100+ years)
- Very low water absorption
- Distinctive aesthetic
- Minimal maintenance
- Fire resistant
- Weather resistant
- Traditional craftsmanship
- 01 Exceptional durability (100+ years)
- 02 Very low water absorption
- 03 Distinctive aesthetic
- 04 Minimal maintenance
- 05 Fire resistant
- 01 High cost due to import
- 02 Skilled installation required
- 03 Heavy weight
- 04 Limited supply
- 05 Long lead times
- Density
- 2700 kg/m³ range: 2600-2800
- Specific gravity
- 2.7
- Porosity
- 0.5 % range: 0.3-0.7
- Water absorption
- 0.35 %
- Hardness
- 3.5
- UV resistance
- Excellent - Natural stone, no UV degradation
- Chemical resistance
- Excellent - Resistant to acid rain, salt spray
- Tensile strength
- 12 MPa range: 7-20
- Compressive strength
- 150 MPa range: 100-200
- Flexural strength
- 50 MPa range: 40-70
- Impact resistance
- Good - varies with thickness
- Embodied carbon
- 157 kgCO2e/m² For 10mm thickness at 2700kg/m³
- Carbon footprint
- 0.058 kgCO2e/kg Lowest among roofing materials
- Embodied energy
- 1 MJ/kg Minimal processing required
- Renewable content
- 0 % Non-renewable geological material
- Circular score
- 85 High reuse potential
- Combustibility class
- Non-combustible to AS 3959
- Fire resistance level
- Non-combustible
- Ignition temp
- N/A - Non-combustible °C
- Flame spread index
- 0
- Smoke dev. index
- 0
- Material cost (range)
- 130 – 150 $/m² Material only
- Material cost (per unit)
- 140 $/m²
- Lead time
- 6 weeks
- Lifecycle cost
- 3.5 $/m²/year Over 100 years
- Annual maintenance
- 0.5 $/m²/year
- Market availability
- Readily available - Import required
- Expected lifespan
- 100 years range: 75-150+
- Maintenance interval
- 5 years Visual inspection only
- Warranty period
- 30 years Varies by supplier