DaVinci vs Brava composite roofing comes down to four differences you cannot see in a photograph: the feedstock polymer, the fire class the tile earns without help from the underlayment, the wind number each brand chooses to publish, and how much roof one tile covers. Both are polyethylene. Both are UL 2218 Class 4. Both prorate a warranty claim on the same 600 month clock. The published specifications separate them in ways the marketing pages do not.
Every figure below is taken from a code document or the manufacturer’s own literature, with the source named beside it. Where only one brand publishes a spec, this page says so instead of guessing at the other.
By The Roofing Brief Team. Last reviewed: August 2026.
DaVinci vs Brava composite roofing at a glance
DaVinci Slate and Brava One Slate are the closest like for like pair, because both hold a current ICC-ES evaluation report that states weight, fire class and allowable uplift pressure using the same method. The table pulls the slate lines only. Shake and barrel profiles carry different numbers.
| Spec | DaVinci Slate | Brava One Slate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base polymer | Proprietary formulation using both high density and low density polyethylene, virgin resin | Engineered polymer formulated from post-industrial recycled plastic | ICC-ES ESR-2119; Brava three-part spec 07 31 00 Rev. 20240528 |
| Tile length | 18 in. | 22 in. | ESR-2119; ESR-4756 |
| Widths | 6, 7, 9, 10, 12 in. | 6, 9, 12 in. | ESR-2119; ESR-4756 |
| Butt thickness | 1/2 in. at butt, 1/8 in. at head | 0.80 in. tapered to 0.16 in. | Boca Engineering FL EER 0064-15-4-5985; Miami-Dade NOA 24-0620.05 |
| Exposure | 6 to 8 in. | Up to 10 in. | ESR-2119; ESR-4756 |
| Installed weight | 351 lb per square at 6 in. exposure, 264 lb at 8 in. | 310 lb per square at 10 in. exposure | ESR-2119; ESR-4756 |
| Impact | UL 2218 Class 4 | UL 2218 Class 4 | Both manufacturers’ published literature |
| Class A over 30 lb felt alone | Yes, at 6 in. exposure | No, Class C over felt | ESR-2119 Table 1; ESR-4756 Table 1 |
| Allowable uplift, 2 screws | 170 psf (1/2 in. plywood, 6 to 8 in. exposure) | 196 psf (15/32 in. plywood, 10 in. exposure) | Boca FL EER Table C2.1; ESR-4756 Table 2 |
| Warranty term | Lifetime for an individual owner, 50 years for an entity | 50 years | Both published warranty documents |
| Installed cost, 2026 | About $10 to $20 per sq ft | About $12 to $20 per sq ft | The Roofing Brief |
What each tile is made of and how it is moulded
Both brands mould polyethylene. ICC-ES ESR-2119 describes DaVinci shingles as manufactured with “a proprietary formulation using both high-density and low-density polyethylene polymers and other additives.” Brava’s three-part specification, Section 07 31 00, describes its slate as “engineered polymer formulated from post-industrial recycled plastic.” Same plastic family, different feedstock.
DaVinci states its position on recycled content directly in its product FAQ: “We use virgin resin in our roof tiles. While other synthetic tiles may be manufactured from recycled materials such as tires or milk bottles, it is our opinion that the variability found in recycled materials could compromise the long term viability of a roof.” DaVinci also runs a takeback programme, reprocessing returned tiles into starter pieces.
The forming method differs in an interesting way. The Florida engineering evaluation report prepared by Boca Engineering Co. (report 0064-15-4-5985, dated March 2025) states that “DaVinci roofing is manufactured by injection molding of a polymer blend in to individual slates and shakes.” Brava states on its colour page that “our molds are made from natural cedar shake, slate, and clay tiles,” and that the finished tiles carry no gloss. Both brands take their surface geometry from real quarried or sawn originals. The difference is that DaVinci publishes its resin chemistry in a code report and Brava publishes its mould provenance in its design literature.
Impact: both earn UL 2218 Class 4, which is one specific test
DaVinci Slate and Brava One Slate both carry UL 2218 Class 4, the highest of the four classes in that standard. Class 4 is not a general toughness score. Brava’s three-part spec states the actual test: the tile must “withstand two drops of 2 inches (51 mm) diameter, 1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) steel ball dropped from 20 feet (6096 mm)” without splitting on the back face.
Because the rating is identical, impact resistance is not a tiebreaker between these two brands. It is a tiebreaker against asphalt. Where Class 4 matters commercially is insurance: many carriers discount premiums for a Class 4 roof covering, and the discount is the same whichever of these two you install. Note also that UL 2218 is run on new tiles. Neither manufacturer publishes a Class 4 result on artificially aged material.
Fire: neither Class A rating belongs to the tile by itself
This is the specification most often reported wrongly, and it is the clearest real difference between the two brands. ASTM E108 (also published as UL 790) classifies a roof assembly, not a shingle in isolation. Both DaVinci and Brava reach Class A only in named assemblies, and both say so in their code documents even when their product pages simply print “Class A.”
ICC-ES ESR-2119 Table 1 lists DaVinci Slate as Class A over a single layer of ASTM D226 Type II (No. 30) asphalt saturated organic felt, but only at 6 inch exposure. At 6 to 8 inch exposure, Class A requires either No. 30 felt plus an ASTM D3909 mineral surfaced cap sheet, or one layer of Eco Chief SolarHide-SRW. Over two layers of No. 30 glass fibre mat, DaVinci Slate is Class B.
ICC-ES ESR-4756 Table 1 lists Brava One Slate as Class C over one layer of ASTM D226 Type II (No. 30) felt. Class A requires either Eco Chief SolarHide-SRW or ESP Low-E Therma-Sheet 4LMPX. Brava’s own technical bulletin TB-241202 states it plainly: “To achieve a Class A fire rating, a tested assembly must be used as listed in Brava’s Code Evaluation Report.”
The practical read: if you are in a wildland urban interface jurisdiction and want Class A without buying a fire resistant underlayment, DaVinci Slate at 6 inch exposure can do it and Brava One Slate cannot. Budget for the FR underlayment on a Brava job. It is not expensive, but it is a line item that the mph comparisons on contractor blogs never mention.
Wind: the published numbers are not measured the same way
Almost every comparison page frames this as Brava 211 mph against DaVinci 110 mph, which reads as a rout. It is not a like for like comparison, and both numbers come from different tests.
DaVinci’s published wind figure is ASTM D3161, certified to 110 mph. ASTM D3161 tops out at Class F, 110 mph, so a 110 mph pass is the ceiling of that test scale rather than the point at which the tile failed. DaVinci separately publishes a High Velocity Hurricane Zone result under TAS 125 of up to 180 mph. Brava publishes 188 mph with nails and 211 mph with screws, which are derived from its Florida approvals rather than from ASTM D3161.
The number an engineer actually uses is allowable uplift pressure in pounds per square foot, and here the two are directly comparable because both ICC-ES reports divide tested ultimate pressure by the same safety factor of 2:
- DaVinci Slate: 146 psf with four nails on 15/32 in. plywood at 8 in. exposure, falling to 71 psf with two nails (ESR-2119 Table 2). With two screws on 1/2 in. plywood at 6 to 8 in. exposure, 170 psf, and 237 psf with four screws (Boca FL EER Table C2.1).
- Brava One Slate: 196 psf with two No. 8 by 2 in. screws on 15/32 in. plywood at 10 in. exposure (ESR-4756 Table 2).
- Brava Slate, Miami-Dade: maximum design pressure of minus 193.5 psf under TAS 125, per NOA 24-0620.05, approved 14 August 2025.
Screwed to plywood, Brava One Slate is ahead of DaVinci Slate by roughly 15 percent on allowable uplift, not by the near doubling that “211 versus 110” implies. Fastener choice moves the number far more than brand does: DaVinci Slate goes from 71 psf to 237 psf purely on fastener type and count.
Colour through the body, fading and scratches
Both brands pigment through the body rather than coating a surface, and both back it with an identical fade clause. Brava calls its method BravaColorcast, “our patented mineral-infusion process,” and describes “color that flows throughout every enticing inch.” DaVinci states in its FAQ that “the inorganic pigments are permanently bound within the polymer,” and that its slate is built from “pure virgin resins, UV and thermal stabilizers as well as a highly-specialized fire retardant.”
One asymmetry matters for scratches. DaVinci offers an optional Renaissance finish, described as a patented Kynar based coating applied for extra UV protection. That is a surface layer over a through-coloured tile, so a deep scratch on a Renaissance finished tile can expose a slightly different base tone. A standard DaVinci tile and a Brava tile both show body colour when scratched.
On fading, the two warranty documents are effectively the same text. Both cover fade only in excess of four Hunter units, measured in accordance with ASTM D2244, beyond what is typical for the geographic region, and both require the claim to be reported within ten years of installation.
Weight per square, exposure, and what your structure sees
Weight per square is the spec buyers compare most and understand least, because each brand publishes it at its own exposure. Brava One Slate is 310 lb per square, but only at its maximum 10 inch exposure (ESR-4756). DaVinci Slate runs 351 lb per square at 6 inch exposure down to 264 lb at 8 inch (ESR-2119). DaVinci’s own technical specifications sheet gives single-width slate as 275 lb at 8 inch exposure rising to 367 lb at 6 inch, so even DaVinci’s two documents differ slightly.
Set at their normal exposures, the two land within about 15 percent of each other, and both sit far below natural slate. Neither is likely to require structural reinforcement on a house framed for asphalt, though a structural check is still the correct step on any older roof. Our guide to composite roof tile weight and structural load works through the framing arithmetic.
The exposure difference has a second effect worth pricing. Brava covers a roof at 10 inch exposure with 22 inch tiles; DaVinci Slate covers it at 6 to 8 inch exposure with 18 inch tiles. That means fewer Brava pieces and fewer fastener sets per square, which shows up in labour hours rather than in any published spec sheet.
Warranty: two near-identical documents with two real differences
Read side by side, the DaVinci Lifetime Limited Material Warranty (effective 1 March 2019) and the Brava 50-Year Limited Warranty (dated 18 April 2022) share the same architecture, including the same proration formula and the same installation cost cap.
| Warranty term | DaVinci | Brava |
|---|---|---|
| Period | Owner’s lifetime while a legal occupant; 50 years if owner is an entity | 50 years from installation |
| Non-prorated window | First 10 years | First 120 months |
| Installation cost cap | $350 per square (roofing) | $350 per 100 sq ft |
| After the window | Months remaining divided by 600, times original product price; installation excluded | Months remaining divided by 600, times original product price; installation excluded |
| Wind limit in the warranty | No liability above 90 mph; 110 mph for the first 5 years with certified high wind installation, product refund only | No liability above 80 or 110 mph depending on installation method; high wind spec warranty sold separately |
| Hail | Insurable risks must be pursued through insurance first | Hail over 1.5 in. diameter excluded, per National Weather Service determination |
| Fade | Above 4 Hunter units, ASTM D2244, reported within 10 years | Above 4 Hunter units, ASTM D2244, reported within 10 years |
| Transfers | Up to two, within the first 10 years | One only, $100 fee, filed within 30 days |
Two differences are genuinely material. DaVinci allows two transfers where Brava allows one, which matters on a house likely to change hands. And DaVinci’s term is a lifetime for an individual owner, though the proration formula is still written against a 600 month, that is 50 year, denominator.
The line worth reading twice on both documents is the wind clause. Brava markets 188 and 211 mph; its warranty excludes damage from winds above 80 or 110 mph depending on installation method. DaVinci markets 110 mph and TAS 125 to 180 mph; its warranty excludes winds above 90 mph, or 110 mph for five years with a certified high wind installation. Neither warranty backs the headline number on the brochure. If wind is your reason for choosing, buy the certified high wind installation and get the upgraded warranty in writing.
What each costs installed in 2026
Pricing overlaps heavily. DaVinci runs about $10 to $20 per square foot installed, roughly $1,000 to $2,000 per roofing square, per our DaVinci roofing cost analysis, which aggregates HomeGuide’s $10 to $18 range and Bill Ragan Roofing’s $15 to $20 quote band. Brava runs about $12 to $20 per square foot installed.
On a 2,000 square foot roof that is roughly $20,000 to $40,000 for DaVinci and $24,000 to $40,000 for Brava. The bands are wide enough that the specific quote, the profile chosen, and the crew’s familiarity with the product matter far more than the badge. Neither manufacturer publishes list pricing, so any per square figure, including ours, is a market observation rather than a manufacturer figure.
What neither manufacturer publishes
A comparison is only as honest as the gaps it admits. These are the specs a buyer would reasonably want and cannot get from either brand:
- A scratch or abrasion figure. Both claim colour through the body. Neither publishes a surface hardness or abrasion result, so the claim cannot be checked numerically against the other.
- Coefficient of thermal expansion. Both installation specifications require movement gaps (Brava calls for a 3/16 in. minimum keyway with 3/8 in. recommended; ESR-2119 requires a minimum 1/4 in. gap between DaVinci shingles). Neither publishes the expansion coefficient that would let you check those gaps against your climate.
- Aged impact performance. UL 2218 Class 4 is tested on new tiles. Neither publishes a retest after accelerated weathering.
- Recycled content percentage. Brava’s three-part spec and ESR-4756 say “post-industrial recycled plastic” without a certified percentage. DaVinci does not publish its high density to low density polyethylene ratio.
- Wind speed to psf translation. Neither brand shows the roof geometry, height and exposure category behind its headline mph claim, which is what makes the two numbers non-comparable in the first place.
How to choose between them
On the published evidence, four decision rules hold up:
- Wildland urban interface or a Class A requirement with a standard underlayment budget: DaVinci Slate at 6 inch exposure is the only one of the two that reaches Class A over plain No. 30 felt.
- Highest allowable uplift on a screwed assembly: Brava One Slate at 196 psf edges DaVinci Slate at 170 psf with the same two screw fastening, per the two ICC-ES reports.
- Deepest profile and fewest pieces per square: Brava, at 0.80 in. at the butt and 10 inch exposure, against DaVinci Slate at 1/2 in. and 6 to 8 inch exposure.
- Widest colour and width range, plus a second warranty transfer: DaVinci, which offers five slate widths against Brava’s three, and two transfers against Brava’s one.
For the full single-brand breakdowns, see our DaVinci Roofscapes review and our Brava roof tile review. If you are still deciding between composite and the natural material it imitates, start with composite slate and tile roofing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brava better than DaVinci for wind?
On allowable uplift pressure, marginally. ICC-ES ESR-4756 gives Brava One Slate 196 psf with two screws on 15/32 inch plywood; the Boca Engineering Florida report gives DaVinci Slate 170 psf with two screws on 1/2 inch plywood. That is about 15 percent, not the near doubling implied by comparing Brava’s 211 mph marketing figure with DaVinci’s 110 mph ASTM D3161 result.
Is DaVinci or Brava more fire resistant?
DaVinci, in one specific respect. Per ICC-ES ESR-2119, DaVinci Slate achieves ASTM E108 Class A over a single layer of No. 30 asphalt saturated felt at 6 inch exposure. Per ESR-4756, Brava One Slate over the same felt is Class C, and reaches Class A only with a tested fire resistant underlayment. Both are assembly ratings, not tile ratings.
Which is heavier, DaVinci or Brava?
It depends on exposure. Brava One Slate is 310 lb per square at 10 inch exposure. DaVinci Slate runs 264 lb per square at 8 inch exposure and 351 lb at 6 inch. Set at their normal exposures the two are within roughly 15 percent, and both are a fraction of natural slate, which typically runs 800 to 1,500 lb per square.
Is Brava recycled and DaVinci not?
Yes. Brava’s three-part specification describes an engineered polymer formulated from post-industrial recycled plastic. DaVinci states in its FAQ that it uses virgin resin because “the variability found in recycled materials could compromise the long term viability of a roof.” Both are polyethylene: ESR-2119 confirms DaVinci blends high density and low density polyethylene. DaVinci does recycle returned tiles into starter pieces.
Which has the better warranty, DaVinci or Brava?
The documents are structurally near identical: both prorate after ten years by dividing months remaining by 600, both cap installation reimbursement at $350 per square, and both cover fade only above four Hunter units under ASTM D2244. DaVinci allows two transfers within ten years against Brava’s single $100 transfer, and offers a lifetime term to individual owners.
Do the warranties cover the advertised wind speeds?
No, on either brand. DaVinci’s warranty excludes damage from winds above 90 mph, rising to 110 mph for the first five years only with a certified high wind installation. Brava’s excludes winds above 80 or 110 mph depending on installation method, and sells a separate high wind specification warranty. The 180 mph and 211 mph figures are test and approval results, not warranty limits.
Does DaVinci or Brava cost more?
They overlap. DaVinci runs about $10 to $20 per square foot installed in 2026 and Brava about $12 to $20, so Brava’s floor sits higher while the ceilings match. On a 2,000 square foot roof that is roughly $20,000 to $40,000 against $24,000 to $40,000. Neither manufacturer publishes list pricing, so quotes vary more by crew and profile than by brand.
Sources: ICC-ES ESR-2119 (Westlake DaVinci Roofscapes, reissued August 2023), ICC-ES ESR-4756 (Wildhawk Investments LLC dba Brava Roof Tile, City of Los Angeles supplement issued November 2025), Boca Engineering Co. Florida Engineering Evaluation Report 0064-15-4-5985 (6 March 2025), Miami-Dade County NOA 24-0620.05 (approved 14 August 2025), Brava three-part specification Section 07 31 00 Rev. 20240528, Brava technical bulletin TB-241202, Brava 50-Year Limited Warranty (18 April 2022), DaVinci Lifetime Limited Material Warranty (effective 1 March 2019), and the DaVinci and Brava published product pages and technical specification sheets.