Metal Ceiling Tiles in Aluminum, Galvanized Steel and Stainless Steel

A metal ceiling tile is the modular unit of a closed suspended ceiling. Jawdah Industrial Co. Ltd. produces tiles in aluminum, galvanized steel and stainless steel, and each material is offered in a lay-in version for exposed grids and a clip-in version for concealed carriers. Aluminum and galvanized steel tiles also come with a perforated acoustic face; stainless steel tiles are plain.

Use this page to see all ten variants side by side and to understand how material, installation method and face type interact. When you have narrowed the choice, the lay-in and clip-in product pages carry the full specification tables for each material.

The tile range is easiest to read as a matrix. The first axis is material: aluminum, galvanized steel or stainless steel. The second is how the tile meets its suspension: lay-in tiles rest on the flanges of an exposed grid, while clip-in tiles are pressed onto a concealed carrier. The third is the face: plain for a smooth soffit, or perforated where the tile has to contribute to sound absorption.

Not every combination exists. Stainless steel tiles are produced plain only, so the matrix has ten products rather than twelve. Knowing which cell of the matrix you need makes the specification, the suspension order and the submittal much simpler.

The table lists every metal tile product in the Jawdah range with its suspension system and standard sizes. Sizes are given as stated in the Jawdah product data; metric and imperial versions are listed for lay-in sizes.

Lay-in tiles have formed edges that sit on the flanges of the main and cross tees, so the grid stays visible as a fine line around each module. Any tile can be lifted by hand. This is the economical, highly accessible option and the usual choice for offices, retail, corridors and service areas. Details are on the lay-in metal tiles page.

Clip-in tiles hide the carrier completely. The ceiling reads as one flush plane broken only by tight joints, which suits lobbies, showrooms and spaces where the ceiling is part of the architecture. Tiles are demountable for access. Jawdah offers standard and advanced clip-in suspension configurations, compared on the clip-in metal tiles page.

The perforated face uses circular perforation Ø 1.8 mm as the standard pattern, with an acoustical black tissue bonded on the back. Customised perforation sizes and designs are available on client request. Plain and perforated tiles of the same material and method share the same suspension, so both can be combined in one ceiling.

The three materials differ in alloy or grade, coating, colour route and in the test references stated for the raw material. These references belong to the material that was tested and cannot be carried across: an aluminum class is not a galvanized steel class. The table keeps each value with its own material.

Plain aluminum and galvanized steel tiles are listed for corridors, retail units, utility and computer rooms, back-of-house areas, kitchens and wet areas. Perforated versions are listed for offices and meeting rooms, hospitals and clinics, schools and universities, airports and exhibition centres, and large halls where speech clarity and noise control matter.

Stainless steel tiles are named for bathrooms, kitchens, wet areas, halls, the food and beverage industry, hospitals, shops, airports and exhibition centres. Their value is hygiene and corrosion resistance rather than colour, which is why they come in a matte finish only.

• Food preparation and commercial kitchens: stainless steel, plain.
• Open-plan offices and classrooms: perforated aluminum or galvanized steel.
• Hotel lobbies and showrooms: clip-in plain, for a flush plane.
• Corridors and service areas: lay-in plain, for fast access.

The fire, humidity, reflectance and water vapour statements in the tile data are labelled raw material. They describe the coil or sheet the tiles are made from, not a tested ceiling assembly with its suspension, voids and penetrations. Aluminum tiles additionally state water vapour transmission as NIL for the raw material.

When a consultant asks for a fire or acoustic performance of the finished ceiling, treat that as a project requirement to be confirmed with the Jawdah team and the project documents, not as something the raw-material references already cover.

Start from the grid or carrier module, then place lights, diffusers and sprinklers on that module. Lay-in modules are fixed by the main and cross tee spacing; clip-in layouts follow the spring tee spacing and allow longer custom tiles. Decide early whether the ceiling must read as a visible grid or as a flush surface, because that choice fixes the tile family.

Where acoustic zones and plain zones meet, keep the same material and method so the colour and edge detail match. Mixing aluminum and galvanized steel tiles in one visible ceiling can show slight differences in finish, since the coating routes are different.

Specifications often copy one tile datasheet for the whole project. That leads to galvanized tiles described with aluminum alloys, stainless tiles listed in colours they are not made in, or perforated stainless tiles that do not exist in the range. Each line of the specification should name material, method, face and size explicitly.

• Specifying a perforated stainless steel tile; stainless is plain only.
• Asking for 300x1200 mm perforated lay-in; perforated lay-in sizes are 600x600 and 600x1200 mm.
• Using alloy 1100 for perforated aluminum; perforated tiles are listed in 3005 and 3105.
• Quoting a light reflectance for galvanized or stainless tiles; it is stated for aluminum only.

Both methods use the same three materials and the same thickness range. The difference lies in appearance, the suspension components and the sizes on offer.

Jawdah supplies the tiles together with the T-grid or Clip-In suspension and the hanging accessories, so the module, the carrier and the tile edge are matched from the start. For each tile product the Jawdah data names a Technical Data Sheet and the Metal Ceiling System Catalogue, which the team sends on request, with installation manuals and tests available in hard copy.

• Jawdah produces ten metal ceiling tile variants across aluminum, galvanized steel and stainless steel.
• Jawdah stainless steel ceiling tiles are made plain only, in lay-in and clip-in versions.
• Jawdah metal ceiling tiles are listed in thicknesses of 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7 and up to 1.0 mm.
• Jawdah lay-in metal tiles fit T-24 and T-15 suspension systems.
• Jawdah clip-in metal tiles can be customised in length and width from 30 cm up to 3 m.
• The standard Jawdah metal tile perforation is circular Ø 1.8 mm with acoustical black tissue on the back.
• Jawdah aluminum tiles state light reflectance more than 0.75 according to ASTM E 1477-98 (raw material).
• Jawdah galvanized steel tiles are white as standard and available in any RAL colour on request.

• Material per zone: aluminum, galvanized steel, stainless steel
• Installation method: lay-in or clip-in
• Face: plain or perforated (Ø 1.8 mm standard or custom)
• Tile size, metric or imperial, and any custom size
• Thickness from 0.4 mm up to 1.0 mm
• Colour or RAL reference and finish route
• Anti-bacterial paint required or not
• Suspension: T-24, T-15 or Clip-In standard / advanced
• Ceiling areas and tile quantities by type
• Reflected ceiling plan and project location

• Lay-In Metal Ceiling Tiles
• Clip-In Metal Ceiling Tiles
• Metal Ceilings
• T-Grid Systems
• Clip-In Suspension Systems
• Aluminum Open Cell Lay-On Ceiling Tiles
• Gypsum Ceiling Tiles