The solar reflectance of common building surfaces is generally low in urban areas, which can cause a heat island effect. Creating a cool surface of the building, i.e., cool roofs and cool walls are commonly-used ways to achieve this goal. A traditional, so-called "cool coating", which is a layer of the cool roofs and cool walls, is made by mixing an organic solvent with a high-solar-reflectance inorganic additive. However, ceramic tiles have better performance in terms of durability, environment protection, and aesthetical characteristics than organic cool roofs. The development of a high-reflectance ceramic tile containing titanite crystals was carried out, and the reaction sintering mechanism of the tile was confirmed. The relationship between the crystal content and reflectance is also explained. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.