The Tiger I was phased out of production after August 1944 in favour of the Tiger II. Between August 1942 and August 1944, a total of 1,347 units were constructed.

Two Feifel air cleaner units designed for dusty environments are located on the hull's back.

There are additionally five S-Mine dischargers on the hull-roof, three on the left side and two on the right.

Later in the war, the design was modified, resulting in the Tiger E, which had a new dome-shaped cast-armour commander's cupola and a ring installed on the commander's cupola to accommodate the mounting of an anti-aircraft light machine gun. Early Tiger H1s with the Krupp-designed turret featured a high commander cupola. The Henschel VK 4501 (H) H1 prototype was accepted after evaluation, primarily because the Porsche VK 4501 (P) prototype design used a petrol-electric transmission system that required large amounts of copper for the manufacture of its electrical drivetrain components, a strategic war material of which Germany had limited supplies. Porsche developed an improved version of its VK 3001 (P) prototype (which was originally intended to compete for the Panther contract), while Henschel developed two prototypes: a VK 4501 (H) H1 with an 88 mm KwK36 L/56 tank gun and a VK 4501 (H) H2 with a 7.5 cm KwK42 L/70 tank gun. Henschel and Ferdinand Porsche were ordered on May 26, 1941, to submit proposals for a 45-ton heavy tank that would be available by June 1942. It was expensive to maintain but mechanically reliable, contrary to what most online sources suggest. It offered the German Army its first armoured fighting vehicle equipped with the 88 mm Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 36 tank gun, developed from the 88 mm Flugabwehrkanone (FlaK) 36 anti-aircraft gun. The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausfuehrung H1 (Tiger H1) is the first (early-production) variant of the Tiger I heavy tank family, designed and built by Henschel and used by the German Army during World War II.

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