Colour Tiles for School Maths Lab

Quick Answer: Colour Tiles for School Maths Lab are flat square tiles in several colours that students lay out on the desk to build shapes and arrays. Because each tile is a square unit, colour tiles make area something students count before they calculate it.

Area, Perimeter and Arrays With Square Tiles

A square tile is the natural unit of area. When students build a rectangle four tiles long and three wide, they count twelve tiles and see that length times breadth gives the same number, which is the reason the area formula works. Building different shapes from the same twelve tiles then shows that area can stay fixed while the perimeter, counted as tile edges around the outside, changes.

The same rectangles are arrays for multiplication and division. Twelve tiles can be arranged as 1 × 12, 2 × 6 or 3 × 4, which lists the factor pairs of 12, while seven tiles will only make a single row, one way of recognising a prime. Colours add a further layer: a ten-tile strip with three red tiles shows 3/10, 0.3 and 30% at once.

Unlike 1 cm unit cubes, these tiles stay flat and so keep the work in two dimensions, which suits area, perimeter and pattern tasks. The tile size, colours and quantity in this set should be confirmed before ordering, particularly if the tiles are meant to fit a squared grid of a certain size.

Applications

• Area by counting square units, then by multiplying length and breadth
• Comparing perimeters of shapes with the same area
• Multiplication arrays and factor pairs
• Fractions, decimals and percentages with coloured strips
• Symmetrical designs and repeating patterns

Specifications

Care & Handling

• Count tiles back into their box after each lesson; a missing tile leaves gaps in every array.
• Wash tiles in lukewarm soapy water or wipe them, according to material, and dry thoroughly.
• Keep small tiles away from young children who might put them in their mouths.

Why Choose LabEquip

Primary and middle-school maths teachers buy colour tiles in class quantities for area and number work. LabEquip lists them in the Mathematics School Lab Products range, where the 1 cm unit cubes extend the same counting into volume; send the number of students through the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do the tiles teach area?

Each tile is one square unit, so the area of any shape built from tiles equals the number of tiles used. After counting a few rectangles, students notice that multiplying length by breadth gives the same result.

How can tiles show that area and perimeter are different?

Build several shapes with the same number of tiles and count the edges around each one. Twelve tiles as a 3 × 4 rectangle have a perimeter of 14 units, but as a single row of twelve the perimeter becomes 26 units, although the area stays at 12.

How are the tiles used for factors and primes?

Students try to arrange a number of tiles into rectangles. Each rectangle gives a factor pair; a number that can only form a single row, such as 7 or 13, is prime.

How do tiles show percentages?

If the set has enough tiles, lay out a 10 × 10 square of 100 and colour-code part of it: 25 red tiles out of 100 is 25%. A strip of ten tiles does the same for tenths and decimals.

What is the difference between these tiles and unit cubes?

Tiles are flat and suit area, perimeter, arrays and patterns in two dimensions. Unit cubes stack into solids and are used for volume and surface area. Moving from tiles to cubes mirrors the move from square units to cubic units.

Can the tiles be used for symmetry?

Yes. Students build a design on one side of a line and mirror it on the other, tile for tile, then check with a plane mirror. Colour makes errors in the reflection easy to spot.

Last Updated: September 2026