Thickness by application
| Use | Thickness | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Interior wall tile | 6-8 mm | Carries only its own weight |
| Domestic floor | 8-10 mm | Bonded to screed, foot traffic only |
| Large format floor (600x1200+) | 9-10 mm | Rigidity matters more than depth |
| Commercial floor | 10-12 mm | Trolleys and concentrated traffic |
| Stair treads | 10-12 mm | Nosing takes impact |
| Warehouse / light industrial | 15 mm | Pallet trucks and point loads |
| Bonded outdoor terrace | 9-10 mm | Screed carries the load |
| Dry-laid or pedestal paver | 20 mm | Tile spans unsupported |
| Driveway | 20 mm | Vehicle load on a mortar bed |
| Big slab, wall | 6-9 mm | Weight is the constraint |
| Big slab, worktop | 20 mm | Spans between cabinets |
When thickness actually matters
A tile bedded in adhesive on a sound screed barely works structurally at all — the screed carries the load and the tile is a wearing surface. That is why 9 or 10 mm is enough for almost every bonded floor, domestic or commercial, and why paying for a thicker tile there buys nothing but freight cost.
The moment the tile has to carry the load itself, thickness becomes the whole specification. A paver dry-laid on gravel, raised on pedestals over a roof deck, or driven over by a car is spanning between supports, and 20 mm is what makes that possible. A 10 mm tile in the same position will crack at the first point load, however good the adhesive.
The other real case is impact rather than load. Warehouse floors take dropped goods and pallet-truck wheels on small contact patches, which is why 15 mm exists. Stair nosings take concentrated impact at an exposed edge, which is why treads are made at 10 to 12 mm rather than 9.
Thickness also has a cost you pay in freight. At 20 mm a 20-foot container carries roughly 520 square metres against about 1,200 at 9 mm, because the payload limit is reached long before the volume is. Specifying thicker than the job needs more than doubles the shipping cost per square metre.
Frequently asked questions
How thick is a floor tile?
Most floor tiles are 8 to 10 mm. Commercial floors go to 12 mm, warehouse and industrial floors to 15 mm, and structural pavers for driveways or pedestal systems are 20 mm. Wall tiles are thinner, typically 6 to 8 mm.
Does a thicker tile mean a better tile?
No. Thickness is a structural choice, not a quality one. A 9 mm porcelain tile bonded to a sound screed will outlast a thicker tile on a poor substrate. Specify by how the tile is supported and what will cross it.
When do I need a 20 mm tile?
Whenever the tile carries the load rather than a screed: dry-laid on gravel or sand, raised on pedestals over a roof deck, or in a driveway taking vehicle weight. In those positions a thinner tile will crack.
Does tile thickness affect shipping cost?
Considerably. A 20-foot container holds roughly 1,200 square metres of 9 mm tile but only about 520 square metres of 20 mm paver, because the weight limit is reached before the container fills. Over-specifying thickness more than doubles freight per square metre.
Confirm the right thickness
Tell us the substrate and the traffic and we will specify a thickness that is neither under-built nor over-freighted.
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