Best Roofing Sheet for House in India, रूफ टाइल शीट | Santiago

Mr Quyen - Santiago. Posted 03/11/2026

House with a dark grey tile-sheet roof above a lake, Lam Dong, Vietnam

What does a house roof in India have to cope with?

A roof sheet on an Indian house deals with strong sun for most of the year, then a monsoon that finds every badly placed screw. On a metal roof the rain is loud enough to wake people at night, and the top floor gets hot from March to June. Coastal towns in Tamil Nadu and Kerala add salt air, which rusts metal sheet from the screws and laps outward. And a plain sheet roof often makes a new house look unfinished from the street.

Each type of roofing sheet handles these problems differently. The table compares the three that Indian buyers usually weigh up, using Santiago's figures for 2.5 mm ASA/PVC sheets.

Tile-effect sheet, corrugated sheet or metal sheet: which is best for a house?

The heat and noise figures compare ASA/PVC with bare metal sheet, which is how most sheet roofs in India are built. PVC conducts heat poorly, and a sheet 2.5 mm thick does not drum in rain the way a thin metal sheet does, so the difference is greatest on the top floor in May and during night-time downpours in July.

A UPVC sheet without an ASA top layer can look much the same on the day it is delivered. The difference shows after a few summers, when an unprotected surface starts to fade. The article on whether plastic roof tiles fade explains how to check a sample before you buy.

Which roofing sheet suits houses in Kerala and Tamil Nadu?

Kerala houses are built for a long, heavy monsoon, and many have pitched roofs with deep eaves. The tile-effect sheet fits that style: it gives a tiled look on a light steel or timber frame, and the ridge cap, hip ridge, three-way and four-way pieces follow a hipped roof. Know one limit before you draw the roof. Santiago tile sheets are laid at a slope of 20 – 45%, about 11 – 24 degrees. Many traditional Kerala roofs are steeper than that, so if your pitch is above 45%, send the roof drawing to Santiago before you order.

In Tamil Nadu, especially along the coast, people move away from metal mostly because of rust and heat. A common job is a sheet roof on a steel frame over the RCC terrace, which shades the slab and gives a dry space for washing and storage. Where that roof can be seen from the road, the tile sheet makes the house look finished; on a terrace hidden behind a parapet, corrugated sheet does the same job of shading and keeping rain off.

The rules are the same in both states: 2.5 mm minimum, a colour from dark grey, red, blue, orange or chocolate (green, white and purple are made to order), and accessories in the same colour as the sheets.

Dark timber house with a grey tile-sheet roof and flower boxes under the windows, Da Lat, Lam Dong, Vietnam

How do I stop a sheet roof leaking in the monsoon?

Water rarely comes through the sheet itself. On sheet roofs it usually gets in at a screw in the wrong place or at the joint with a wall. Go through these points with your installer before the frame goes up:

1. Build the roof at a slope of 20 – 45%.
2. Space the purlins 440 or 660 mm apart (about 1 ft 5 in or 2 ft 2 in) so that a purlin sits under the foot of a tile step. A 2 ft grid made for metal sheet does not line up with the 219 mm tile step.
3. Put the top purlin 15 – 18 cm below the ridge.
4. Pre-drill 6 mm holes and screw only through the top of the wave over a purlin, with 70 mm screws and ASA caps. Never screw in the valley, where the water runs.
5. Use 4 – 5 screw sets per m² of roof.
6. Lap each sheet one wave over the next.
7. Close the eaves with eave sealing tiles, and fit vertical wall flashing where the roof meets a parapet or a wall.

Santiago supplies the sheets and accessories and sends installation videos to the buyer or installer; it does not install roofs. The video below shows a grey tile roof being screwed down and then finished.

How much material does a 1,200 sq ft house roof need?

Take a simple gable roof of about 1,200 sq ft (111.5 m²): two slopes, each 4.6 m from ridge to eave, along a ridge 12.1 m (about 40 ft) long.

• Sheet length: 21 tile steps of 219 mm, which is 4,599 mm (about 15 ft 1 in), cut to that length at the factory
• Sheets per slope: 12.1 m ÷ 0.96 m cover width = 12.6, rounded up to 13; 26 sheets for the whole roof
• Screws: 4 – 5 sets per m² × 111.5 m² = about 450 – 560 sets with ASA caps
• Weight of the sheets: 111.5 m² × 5.4 kg = about 600 kg
• Accessories: ridge cap along the 12.1 m ridge, two ridge terminals, eave sealing tiles along both eaves

The sheets add about 5.4 kg per m² to the frame. On a light roof, wind lifting the roof is often a bigger design question than weight, so ask a structural engineer to check the frame and how it is anchored to the slab or walls.

Can I import tile sheets from Vietnam to India with Form AI?

Yes. Santiago has exported ASA/PVC roofing to India since 2023. Each shipment can carry a Form AI certificate of origin, issued in Vietnam under the ASEAN–India trade agreement, and the export documents use HS code 3925.90.00. Your customs broker confirms the Indian duty and GST before you place the order.

The minimum order is one 40 ft container, about 5,000 m of sheet, and production takes about 5 days. One house needs far less, so homeowners usually buy through a dealer or builder who imports a container; tile sheets, corrugated sheets, colours and accessories can share it. Prices are quoted per order in writing. Free samples are sent on request, and the buyer pays the courier.

Every lot comes with a quality certificate (CQ). Santiago works under ISO 9001:2015 certificate ICI-23087.D and holds Quatest test results for its sheets.

What does a grey PVC tile roof look like on a house?

Mr Quyen shows a green ASA/PVC sheet in the Santiago factory, then climbs onto a grey tile-profile roof that installers are still screwing down. Near the end he and a colleague walk along a finished grey tile roof next to the gutter.

Santiago uPVC tile roofs on site (Santiago video on YouTube).

Short videos for home builders in India

Three more English shorts from the Santiago YouTube channel. Each one is about a minute or less.

Frequently asked questions

Which roofing sheet is best for a house in India?

For a sloped house roof, a 2.5 mm ASA/PVC tile-effect sheet gives a tiled look, does not rust and keeps the room below about 6 – 8 °C cooler than bare metal sheet. Corrugated ASA/PVC sheet suits verandas, car porches and stores.

Is a UPVC roofing sheet good for the Kerala monsoon?

Yes, when it is at least 2.5 mm thick, laid at a slope of 20 – 45% and screwed only through the top of the wave over a purlin, at 4 – 5 screw sets per m². Leaks on sheet roofs usually start at screws placed in the valley or at wall joints.

Can I put a tile-effect sheet roof over my RCC terrace?

Yes, on a steel or timber frame with purlins 440 or 660 mm apart. The sheets weigh about 5.4 kg per m²; ask a structural engineer to check the frame and its anchoring to the slab.

How many screws does a 1,200 sq ft tile-sheet roof need?

About 450 – 560 screw sets with ASA caps, at 4 – 5 sets per m² of roof. 1,200 sq ft is about 111.5 m².

Does Santiago install roofs in India?

No. Santiago makes and exports the sheets and accessories and sends installation videos; a local installer fits the roof.

Read more

• Importing ASA UPVC roofing sheets to India: HS code and Form AI
• PVC roof sheet design for a house
• What Santiago's heat, noise and corrosion tests show
• ASA/PVC roof tile sheet

Updated 03/11/2026. Santiago Import Export Co., Ltd, Vietnam. WhatsApp +84 935 391 495 (Mr. Quyen), hotline +84 965 437 316 (Mrs. Ly), email salessantiagoroofing@gmail.com.