Roof Tile Types in Malaysia
Clay vs Concrete vs Metal Tile vs Shingle

The roof tiles you will find on Malaysian homes

Our metal vs tile roof guide notes that most Malaysian terrace houses, semi-Ds and bungalows were built with clay or concrete tiles. Metal sheet roofing goes on most extensions and car porches, and that choice is covered there. This page is about the tiles themselves: what clay, concrete, metal tile and shingle each are, how they age in Malaysian weather, and which one suits a repair, a re-roof or a new structure.

The word “genting” covers all of them in everyday Malay, so when a roofer quotes for “genting”, ask which material, which profile and which brand, and whether the price includes the underlayment and ridge work.

Clay, concrete, metal tile and shingle compared

Clay and concrete dominate houses; metal tile appears where a lighter roof is needed or on newer designs; shingle is mostly a garden-structure material in Malaysia.

Clay tiles

Clay tiles are the traditional terracotta roof of older Klang Valley terraces and many bungalows. Because the colour is part of the fired clay, they do not rely on a paint layer, and a good clay roof weathers rather than peels. Their problems come with age and handling: our roof repair cost guide lists cracked tiles, loose ridges and moss as the common defects on clay roofs, and warns that matching the colour of old clay tiles can be difficult.

That colour-match point matters when you replace a few broken tiles. New clay tiles next to decades-old ones can stand out, so some owners reuse sound tiles from a hidden slope on the front and put the new ones out of sight.

Concrete tiles

Concrete tiles are the workhorse of Malaysian housing estates. They are pressed from cement and sand and given a coloured surface coating. The same repair guide lists faded coating alongside cracked tiles and failed ridge mortar as their common defects, and notes that replacements are generally easier to source than for clay.

A faded concrete roof is a cosmetic problem, not a leak. Repainting restores the look; it does not fix a cracked tile or a failed underlayment, so have the roof inspected before paying to paint it. Concrete tile faces are also porous and textured, which is why tapes and sealants stick poorly to them as a leak fix.

Metal roof tiles

Metal roof tiles are sheets of coated steel pressed into a tile-like profile, sometimes finished with a textured coating so they read as tiles from the street. Their appeal is weight: a metal roof is light where clay and concrete are heavy, which matters on an old timber roof structure or a new extension.

They behave like other metal roofs. Our metal vs tile guide rates metal as moderate for rain noise with insulation added, and notes that most metal roof leaks come from screws, washers and laps rather than the sheet. Ask how a metal tile system is fixed and what insulation goes under it; our roof insulation guide compares the options.

Shingles

Shingles are small overlapping pieces laid on a continuous deck: timber shingles cut from treated wood, or bitumen shingles. In Malaysia you see them mostly on gazebos, pavilions and feature roofs rather than on whole houses. Our gazebo cost guide prices treated timber shingle roofing at RM25 – RM45 per sq ft and notes that it needs regular re-treatment. Because shingles need a solid deck and a reasonable pitch, they are rarely a straight swap for tiles on an existing house roof.

Weight, trusses and switching material

Clay and concrete tiles are heavy; metal is light. That is not just a delivery detail. The metal vs tile guide advises that on an old tiled roof with weak trusses the structure should be checked first, because heavy new tiles may need truss work, and that switching between tile and metal is not a like-for-like swap: the battens have to be reconfigured.

So if you are replacing a whole roof, choose the tile together with the structure beneath it. A roofer who quotes new tiles without looking at the trusses, battens and underlayment is quoting half the job.

What sits under the tiles matters as much

Tiles shed most rain, but not all of it. Wind-driven rain gets under laps and ridges, and the underlayment below the tiles is the backup layer that carries that water to the gutter. The metal vs tile guide notes that on tile roofs the hidden weak point is the underlayment, which stops backing you up after a couple of decades. When you replace tiles or re-roof, renew the underlayment and the ridge work at the same time; our wind-driven rain guide explains why.

Tiles break underfoot

Clay and concrete tiles are strong against rain and weak against point loads. Our tile leak repair guide explains that a foot planted mid-tile or on the unsupported bottom edge can crack tiles that may not leak until months later. Anyone working on the roof, whether for a repair, a solar installation or an aircon pipe, should walk on the right points or on boards, and you should check for new cracks after other trades have been up there.

What tiles and re-roofing cost

These are indicative Klang Valley ranges for 2026 from the ClickBina guides named in the sources section.

A metal tile system is quoted per job, because the price depends on the profile, the coating and the insulation specified. For a whole-roof decision between tiles and metal sheet, see the metal vs tile guide.

Which tile for which job

• Replacing a few broken tiles: match what is there. Clay with clay, concrete with the same profile. Colour match matters most on the street-facing slope.
• Re-roofing a house with a sound structure: clay or concrete for lower rain noise and a long life; clay if you want colour that does not rely on a coating.
• Re-roofing over tired or weak trusses: get the structure checked; a lighter metal tile may avoid truss work.
• A gazebo or feature roof: shingle or tile, depending on the look and the structure you can support.
• A faded concrete roof that does not leak: repaint after an inspection, rather than re-roof.

How ClickBina can help

Roof tile work often touches more than the roof: the ceiling below, the gutters and the fascia. ClickBina handles whole-house refurbishment and coordinates the trades, so the roof, gutters and ceiling repairs are planned together. WhatsApp us your job details for a quote: the tile type if you know it, the size and age of the roof, and whether it leaks. We reply within the hour, the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges, and a site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead. If a leak needs tracing first, leak detection is a separate RM300 – RM800 service.

Sources & methodology

• ClickBina metal vs tile roof guide — tile lifespan, per-sq-ft re-roof rates, trusses, battens and underlayment.
• ClickBina roof repair cost guide — clay and concrete tile defects and repair ranges.
• ClickBina gazebo cost guide — timber shingle roofing rate.
• ClickBina tile leak repair guide — why tiles crack underfoot.

How we estimated prices: every RM figure on this page is quoted unchanged from the ClickBina guides named above. They are typical Klang Valley market ranges for 2026, not fixed rates.