52 terms
- Accessory tile
- A purpose-made piece completing a roof detail, such as a ridge, hip, starter or verge.
- Batten
- A support member used in some tile assemblies; its size and spacing depend on the specified system.
- Bearing point
- The place where a tile transfers load to its intended support or adjoining component.
- Blend
- The planned mixture of tile colors or tones used across a roof.
- Cap tile
- A covering piece used over a joint or at a roof detail; its exact meaning depends on the system.
- Clay body
- The fired material forming the tile beneath any applied surface finish.
- Counterbatten
- A member arranged across or beneath battens in an assembly that calls for it.
- Course
- A row of tiles laid across a roof slope.
- Cover tile
- The component covering side joints between pans in a two-piece roof tile arrangement.
- Coverage
- The roof area covered by a unit or quantity at the specified installed layout.
- Crazing
- A network of fine cracks in a surface finish; its significance requires assessment of the particular product.
- Deck
- The structural surface supporting the roof assembly.
- Double lap
- An overlapping arrangement in which successive courses provide the intended layered coverage.
- Drainage channel
- A shaped route intended to direct water down a tile or along a product’s joints.
- Eave
- The lower edge of a sloping roof.
- Efflorescence
- A surface deposit associated with soluble salts and moisture movement.
- Environmental product declaration
- A document reporting environmental information for a defined product and assessment scope.
- Exposure
- The visible or uncovered portion of a tile after it is laid with the required overlap.
- Extrusion
- A forming process in which workable clay is pushed through a shaped opening.
- Field tile
- The principal tile used across the open area of a roof slope.
- Firing
- Heating formed clay in a kiln to produce the ceramic tile.
- Flashing
- A weathering component managing water at roof joints, edges and penetrations.
- French tile
- A family of profiled, typically interlocking clay tiles; individual products differ.
- Gauge
- The spacing between successive tile courses or their supports, as defined for the layout.
- Glaze
- A glass-like surface finish applied through a ceramic manufacturing process.
- Headlap
- The overlap at the upper end of a tile, measured according to the relevant system.
- Hip
- The outward intersection between two sloping roof planes.
- Interlock
- An edge feature intended to engage an adjacent tile in a specified arrangement.
- Kiln
- The equipment in which formed clay is fired.
- Lift and relay
- Work involving removal and reinstallation of retained tiles while underlying components are addressed.
- Maker’s mark
- A stamp, name, number or symbol that may help identify a tile’s manufacture.
- Mission tile
- A name commonly associated with traditional curved pan-and-cover tile arrangements.
- Mockup
- A representative trial assembly used to evaluate appearance, fit or workmanship before wider construction.
- Nib
- A projection on a tile associated with its positioning or support in a particular system.
- Pan tile
- The lower water-channeling component in a pan-and-cover tile roof.
- Pitch
- Roof steepness, expressed using an identified ratio or angle.
- Pressed tile
- A clay tile shaped using a pressing operation and a mold.
- Profile
- The cross-sectional shape and overall form of a tile.
- Rake or verge
- The sloping side edge of a roof plane.
- Reclaimed tile
- Previously used tile recovered for possible reuse, subject to identification and condition assessment.
- Ridge
- The upper intersection of roof slopes.
- Roman tile
- A pan-and-cover roof tile tradition; exact geometry varies by product.
- Roofing square
- An area of 100 square feet, used in roofing quantity and weight descriptions.
- S-tile
- A one-piece curved profile combining a raised roll and a lower channel.
- Side lap
- The overlap between adjacent tiles across a course.
- Spalling
- Loss of flakes or pieces from a material’s surface or body; causes require investigation.
- Starter tile
- A piece used to establish the intended coverage or geometry at the beginning of a roof area.
- Submittal
- Product information, samples and details provided for documented project review.
- Terracotta
- A term commonly used for fired clay with an earthy appearance; not a complete product specification.
- Underlayment
- The layer beneath the roof covering specified as part of the water-management assembly.
- Valley
- The inward junction where roof slopes meet and water is concentrated.
- Water absorption
- A material property describing water taken into the tile under defined test conditions.
Original explanatory wording from Tile Roofing USA. For formal requirements, use the applicable standard and product documentation.
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