Tile Clips

Tile clips are small metal fixings, made of corrosion-resistant metal, that hold a roof tile against wind uplift. Nails alone fix a tile near its head; a clip holds the tail or side, where wind suction tends to lift the tile. Clips are known by several names depending on design and region: tail clips, eaves clips, verge clips, storm clips and hurricane clips.

Types

• Tail clips. Nailed to the batten below and hooking over the side lock or tail of the tile.
• Eaves clips. Used on the first course, where uplift is highest.
• Verge clips. Hold the cut tiles at gable edges.
• Hurricane and storm clips. Heavier-duty clips used in high-wind regions, including on North American tile roofs, often combined with nails or adhesives.

When clips are used

The number and position of clips is set by wind calculations, not by habit. In the UK, BS 5534 requires single-lap tiles to be mechanically fixed and assumes higher wind loads than earlier editions; its 2018 amendment refined how clip uplift tests are interpreted. Manufacturer fixing specifications then show which tiles are nailed, which are clipped and which are both.

In Canadian guidance for one concrete tile system, metal storm clips are normally used on buildings taller than 12.2 m (40 ft) or where wind speeds exceed 130 km/h (80 mph), in consultation with the manufacturer.

Installation

1. Lay the tile and nail it through its head hole where the specification calls for nails.
2. Position the clip in the side lock or over the tail, as designed for that tile profile.
3. Fix the clip to the batten with the nail supplied, without crushing the tile.
4. Check that the next tile seats correctly over the clip.

Clips are profile-specific: a clip designed for one tile shape may not grip another.