What's the difference between pavers and tiles?

Most people associate pavers with outdoor use. Pavers are regarded as products to be used over soft bases (substrates) such as rammed earth or road-base sprinkled with sand. On these foundations the stone used needs to be strong to ensure against movement that might cause cracking. As a result, the thickness of the stone needs to be 30mm or more, depending on the traffic load and stone quality.

These days, outside areas are often concreted providing an incredibly strong and very stable substrate. As a result, a much thinner "tile" of 10 - 15mm might be quite adequate (depending on the flexural strength of the stone and the traffic load expected). Apart from the thickness of the stone and the cost (tiles are cheaper!) there is no difference between a tile and a paver!It is a case of same, same but different!