Ceramic Vs Semi Metallic Brake Pads | Are Ceramic Brake Pads Better?

Automotive By Taylor / March, 03, 2025

Brake pads are always important when it comes to the safety standards of your car. But which type of pads you will choose solely depends on the driving conditions and also the personal style.

That being said, the uses of these brake pads are completely different from each other.

So making your final call is completely different from each other. Thus, picking the right type of brake pads for your choice is never the right option for you.

Ceramic Vs Semi Metallic Brake Pads

To make the final call between ceramic Vs semi metallic Brake Pads, you need to be very certain about the type of brake pads that you choose. If it is not matching with your driving style, the brake pads may be of no use.

Ceramic Brakes

Last update on 2022-01-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The ceramic brakes are made up of an alloy with ceramic and copper fibers. They are blended into perfection to make the suspension brakes to be super-strong.

This fiber is now embedded into the pad compound and allows getting a better liability. This is one of the reasons why the ceramic compounds and the copper fibers are important to handle the high brake temperatures.

As a result of this, they are capable of delivering a faster recovery even after the car is run for long. This is the reason why the ceramic brakes come out to be a handy purchase for everyday use.

What We Like

  • It is low in noise
  • It can produce low dust
  • Keeps the wheels clean
  • They are long-lasting
  • Improved durability included with the product

What we Don’t

  • They are much expensive
  • Not for heavy-duty towing
  • Can cause wear on the rotors

Semi-Metallic Brake Pads

The semi-metallic brakes are made up of the small portions of the metallic alloy. This is a specialized formula that is mainly used to provide proper support to the brake pads.

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Last update on 2022-01-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

To be fair, the construction is made up of larger and more proportions of metal present. Moreover, they are of high quality and robust for use.

What We Like

  • It gives an effective grip to the breaks
  • The price is much low
  • Typically easier on the rotor
  • Heavy-duty towing formula

What We Don’t

  • They are much louder
  • The life span is much shorter
  • The dust may stick to the wheels

Ceramic Vs Semi Metallic Brake Pads [Are Ceramic Brake Pads Worth It]

Brake Dust Comparison

The ceramic brake pads come with fewer brake specks of dust than any type of semi-metallic brake. The major reason behind this is the friction mechanism that the ceramic brake pads use.

To be specific, it is adherent friction and as a result, the dust particles tend to be adhesive and sticky. In the case of the semi-metallic brake, the pads tend to use abrasive friction that includes thick sandpaper on wood.

Durability and Cost Comparison

Comparing the costs of the two brake pads, the ceramic is easily available at a lower rate than the semi-metallic rate. However, these types of ceramic brake pads will also require more brake changes in a less interval period.

You can easily consider it as a low-cost investment, but you need to frequently change the pads as per the time. The durability of the products works completely based on the temperature range it was intended to use.

As a result, knowing the combination of rotors is very important. The semi-metallic pad is more durable for high-tension thrust.

Brake Noise Comparison

The rake noise tends to be a deciding factor when it comes to purchasing one. In higher temperatures, the noise is much higher and it may create differences for every vehicle.

Comparing them with each other, the ceramic brakes tend to produce much lesser noise than the other semi-metallic pad materials.

Performance Comparison

Coming to the performance, the ceramic brake pads can perform well within a wide temperature range.

So you can always count it for a day-to-day option. However, the semi-metallic brake pads seem to be much more favorable for high-performance usage. These pads are great for sedans and fleet vehicles.

Final Talk

Multiple factors may affect the suitable brake pads that you need. If you need a lot of heavy-towing, and you are out for regular work, a semi-metallic brake might be the ideal option for you.

On the other hand, if you stay in just a higher temperature zone that will have a warmer climate, opting for a ceramic brake pad will be quite helpful for you.

Specifically, you can consider towing loads that will help you to choose the right type of products. Do let us know which type of brake pads you are choosing.