slate
A roof covering made from pieces of natural slate split into thin sheets, usually laid in overlapping courses.
A slate roof consists of several pieces of slate, a gray metamorphic rock easily split into sheets, usually in overlapping format such as shingles.
The covering is made from slate rock split into individual pieces. Their usual overlapping layout makes the pieces a roof covering distinct from a continuous natural-stone mass.
Stone slab roofing excludes natural stone divided into small tiles or shingles. A concrete tile that resembles slate remains a manufactured concrete product rather than natural slate.
