Fibre cement slate roofs in Kerry, Cork and Limerick
Man made slate with the look of stone at a lower weight and a lower price. Uniform in size, so the courses set out fast and the roof stays even across large areas.
Also called fibre cement slates, man-made slate, synthetic slate or artificial slate.
Updated September 2026
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Roofs this suits
Houses where the budget is tighter
Extensions matched to an existing slate roof
Estates and new build
Structures that cannot carry natural slate
Fixed with hooks or nails and rivets, depending on the pitch.
What you get for the money
Costs a good deal less than quarried slate
Light enough for roofs that cannot take stone
Uniform sizes, so large roofs go on faster
Shorter life than natural slate, and it can fade over the years.
Fibre cement slate, in numbers
Typical life
40 to 60 years on a roof laid to the maker’s lap and fixed correctly
Minimum pitch
20 degrees on most ranges, and some go to 15 with an increased head lap
Weight on the roof
19 to 22 kg per square metre, roughly a third of concrete tile
Fixings
Two nails per slate plus a copper disc rivet at the tail, or hooks on steeper pitches
Fitted price guide
Roughly EUR 60 to EUR 90 per square metre supplied and fitted, scaffold on top
Repairs
Slate by slate, and sizes are uniform so a match is easy to source
Guide figures for the south west. Size, pitch, access and scaffold move them. The quote you get after survey is fixed in writing.
Why it goes on faster than stone
Every slate is the same size and the same thickness, so the courses set out once and run true the whole way up. On a big straightforward roof that is a real saving in days, and days are most of what you pay for.
The detail that matters is the tail rivet. Two nails hold the head of the slate, and the copper disc between the slates below stops the tail lifting in wind. Leave the rivets out and the roof looks perfect on handover and rattles itself apart over three winters on an exposed site.
It is the covering we suggest most often where the budget will not carry natural slate but the house should not look like an estate roof, and where a structure will not take the weight of stone. On a new roof or an extension matched to an existing slate roof it is usually the sensible answer.
Fibre cement slate, asked and answered
Is fibre cement slate the same as the old asbestos slate?
No. Fibre cement slate has been made without asbestos since the 1980s and is reinforced with cellulose and synthetic fibre instead. If your roof is genuinely old asbestos cement, that is a licensed removal job and not something to break up yourself.
Does fibre cement slate fade?
The through-coloured ranges soften a shade or two over the first years and then hold. Cheaper surface-coated slate fades harder and more unevenly. We tell you which range we are pricing so you know which one you are getting.
How does the price compare with natural slate?
Roughly half to two thirds of the fitted cost, and lower again on labour because it sets out faster. The trade-off is life: think forty to sixty years against eighty plus.
Can I match my existing fibre cement roof?
Usually yes, if the range is still made. Where it has been discontinued we match on size and colour as close as it goes, and we will show you a slate on the roof before ordering rather than after.
How much does a fibre cement slate roof cost?
Fibre cement slate is typically €110 to €160 per m² for materials and labour, before scaffold, against €150 to €220 for natural slate.
We work with what suits the building
Not sure which material suits your roof?
Send us the address and a couple of photos. We will tell you straight what the roof needs, what it costs and how long it takes.