SSQ Group - Natural Slate for Roofing & Architecture

Natural Slate Roofing Architectural Flooring Cladding

The SSQ Group is one of the world’s leading suppliers of slate and phyllite for use by the construction industry. Formed in 1983, it has built a worldwide reputation for sourcing and marketing high-quality, natural slate products for roofing and architectural use.

The company’s success can be directly attributed to its long-term partnerships with some of the world’s premier slate quarries, partnerships that ensure a consistent supply of premium-quality roofing slates on an exclusive basis. In 2003, SSQ strengthened its portfolio by acquiring La Florida Quarry in Argentina, a major source of phyllite.

Products

Forged by nature over millions of years, slate and phyllite have distinct characteristics that make them exceptional natural building materials. Phyllite is closely related to slate and could be considered ‘super-slate’ as it shares slate’s essential features but surpasses its qualities being generally stronger and more resilient.

Slate and phyllite have been used as a building material for thousands of years, their properties making them ideal for roofing, cladding and flooring. SSQ offers a range of different roofing slates in a wide selection of sizes and grades. Its architectural stone products are available either in off-the-shelf sizes or to meet a unique specification. SSQ markets its slate-based roofing products under well-known brand names of Del Carmen®, Matacouta®, Domiz® & Sarria® roofing slates and its phyllite-based products as Riverstone® roofing slates and architectural stone.

Services

SSQ offers comprehensive support services including:

• Advice on all aspects of slate roofing
• Advice about low-pitch (up to 17.5°) & complex roof designs
• Advice on using slate in heritage & conservation areas
• An NBS specification service
• An installation method-statement against an individual roof-design
• Quantity take-off services direct from your drawings
• Onsite advice, support & supervision during construction
• Brochures, technical data sheets, samples & installation manuals are available
• RIBA certified CPD seminars:

‘An Introduction to Natural Roofing Slate’ & ‘An Introduction to Natural Phyllite’

• 30, 50 & 75 years Guarantee backed products
• Sustainable natural slate products complying with BREEAM & ICE

Quality

Quality is a cornerstone of SSQ’s marketing philosophy, its relationships with the quarries that supply the products ensure high quality-control standards are agreed and achieved.

All SSQ roofing slates carry the CE marking and have received an ‘A1-S1-T1’ classification in the three key performance tests set by EN 12326. Some of our roofing slates also carry the widely recognised ‘NF’ classification for thickness-specific testing which ensures traceability and consistence in random testing. There are only a handful of slates in the world which conform to this rigorous testing procedure.

A combination of appearance, availability and quality has led to a number of SSQ’s roofing slates being approved for use as an alternative to indigenous slates by the UK’s principal conservation agencies.

Sustainability & Environmental Impact

Although slate and phyllite are non-renewable resources, the amount available is immeasurable and, providing they are quarried responsibly, their use as a building material makes very little impact on either total stocks or the environment.

The two most frequently used methods of comparing the environmental impact of building materials - BREEAM and the Inventory of Carbon and Energy - show the use of roofing slate has very little impact on the environment: BREEAM gives slate an ‘A’ rating and ICE’s more objective results show it to be far less damaging than either clay or concrete tiles.