The Swedish company that manufactured the Sydney Opera House roof tiles was Höganäs, specifically Höganäs Keramik.
The tiles were developed for Jørn Utzon’s unusual roof design, whose curved surfaces needed a durable finish that would remain visually consistent across thousands of sections. Höganäs worked for about three years to create the required ceramic tile, known as the Sydney Tile.
Each tile is approximately 120 millimetres square and is made from clay mixed with a small proportion of crushed stone. The roof’s famous appearance comes from a subtle chevron pattern using glossy white and matte cream tiles, rather than from plain white ceramic alone.
The tiles were also part of the building’s engineering solution. Because the roof consists of spherical concrete sections with complex curves, the tiles were assembled into sheets on the ground and then attached to the roof panels. This was far more practical than fixing every tile individually at height. The result is both a celebrated visual feature and a carefully engineered building envelope.