Mr Quyen - Santiago. Posted 03/11/2026
The best roofing sheet for a Kenyan home is the one that fixes your problem: heat, noise in the long rains, rust or looks. A Santiago ASA/PVC tile sheet keeps the room about 6 – 8 °C cooler than bare mabati, cuts rain noise by about 80% (Santiago tests) and has no metal to rust. A 3-bedroom bungalow with a 161 m² gable roof takes 32 sheets of 5,256 mm and about 650 – 810 screw sets.
White house with a brown tile-sheet roof, Dong Nai, Vietnam
Mabati or plastic: what changes on a Kenyan house?
Most Kenyan homes are roofed with mabati, galvanised or coated steel sheets. They are sold everywhere, a fundi can fix them in a day, and many people search for the best iron sheets in Kenya before they think of anything else. Santiago does not make iron sheets and does not rank them. What we can do is set out how a steel roof and an ASA/PVC tile-sheet roof behave on the same house, so you can decide which problems you are willing to live with.
The Santiago tile sheet is 2.5 or 3.0 mm thick and made of four co-extruded layers with no glue: an ASA top layer, virgin PVC, a PVC core and a milky-white PVC base. It is 1.05 m wide, covers 0.96 m and is cut to length in 219 mm tile steps, so it looks like rows of Spanish tiles rather than waves.
| Point | Plain mabati (bare steel sheet) | Santiago ASA/PVC tile sheet |
|---|---|---|
| Heat in the room below | Gets hot under the midday sun | About 6 – 8 °C cooler than bare metal sheet (Santiago test) |
| Noise in the long rains | Loud on a bare sheet | About 80% quieter than metal (Santiago test) |
| Rust | Starts at screw holes, laps and cut edges | No metal in the sheet |
| Look | Corrugated or box profile | Rows of Spanish-style tiles |
| Colour over time | Depends on the coating | ASA layer: no colour change after 2,000 hours of artificial UV; colour rated 30 years |
| Frame | Your fundi's usual purlin spacing | Purlins less than 700 mm apart (440 or 660 mm) |
| Life and warranty | Depends on the coating and the site | 25 – 30 years in real use; 10-year warranty for 2.5 mm and thicker |
The tile sheet asks more of the frame (closer purlins), and it is quoted per order and per sheet length, not per bundle. In return it changes what the room feels like. If the roof is over a store you rarely enter, plain mabati may be enough. If it is over bedrooms, the heat and the rain noise are what you live with every day.
How does each roof cope with Nairobi sun and the long rains?
Nairobi sits high, and the midday sun on a roof is strong even when the mornings are cool. Under bare steel sheet a bedroom heats up through the afternoon. Under the ASA/PVC sheet the same room stays about 6 – 8 °C cooler than under bare metal, because PVC conducts heat far less than steel. That figure compares bare sheet with bare sheet; a ceiling helps either roof.
The long rains (roughly March to May) and the short rains (roughly October to December) bring the noise question. A heavy shower on bare mabati makes a television hard to hear. On a 2.5 mm tile sheet the noise is about 80% lower. On the coast, salt air adds rust to the list; that is covered in our article on coastal roofing in Mombasa.
How many sheets does a 3-bedroom bungalow need?
Take a 3-bedroom bungalow with a gable roof. The roof is 15.3 m long including the overhang at each gable, and each roof face measures 5.2 m from the ridge to the edge of the eave.
| Item | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Sheets per face | 15.3 m ÷ 0.96 m = 15.9, round up | 16 sheets, covering 15.36 m |
| Sheet length | 5.2 m ÷ 0.219 m = 23.7, round up to 24 steps | 5,256 mm |
| Sheets for the roof | 16 × 2 faces | 32 sheets, about 168 running metres |
| Roof area | 15.36 m × 5.256 m × 2 | about 161 m² |
| Screw sets with ASA caps | 161 m² × 4 – 5 per m² | about 650 – 810 |
| Ridge cap | Along the ridge | 15.36 m, plus 2 ridge terminals |
| Eave sealing tile | Both eaves | about 30.7 m |
| Sheet weight | 161 m² × 5.4 kg | about 870 kg; about 27 kg per sheet |
Each 5.256 m sheet weighs about 27 kg, so two people carry it flat, never folded. If the bungalow has a hip roof, count face by face; the sheets along each hip are cut diagonally on site and each hip takes a diagonal ridge piece.
Installers laying tile sheets on a house roof, Dong Nai, Vietnam
What do plastic roofing sheets cost in Kenya?
Santiago quotes per order in writing. The price depends on thickness, colour, sheet lengths, accessories and quantity, then freight to Mombasa and Kenyan import duty. Kenya has no trade-agreement preference with Vietnam for this product, so check the duty rate with your clearing agent; the goods ship under HS code 3925.90.00. Also ask your agent which inspection or conformity papers Kenya needs for roofing sheet before you order.
The minimum export order is one 40 ft container, about 5,000 m of sheet, with colours and accessories mixed in it. Production takes about 5 days. One bungalow uses about 168 m, so a homeowner normally buys through a Kenyan importer or contractor. Samples are free; the buyer pays the courier.
What should your fundi do differently from mabati?
The fixing rules are where a tile-sheet roof differs most from mabati, and the 10-year warranty depends on them. Purlins go less than 700 mm apart: 440 or 660 mm, one under the foot of each tile step. The top purlin sits 15 – 18 cm below the ridge. Screws are 70 mm long, go through the top of the wave over a purlin in pre-drilled 6 mm holes, and get an ASA cap; use 4 – 5 sets per m². Nothing is screwed in the valley. Each sheet laps the next by one wave. Santiago does not install, but sends installation videos for your fundi.
What does a PVC tile roof look like while it is being installed?
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 buyers in Kenya
Three more English shorts from the Santiago YouTube channel. Each one is about a minute or less.
How does a uPVC tile sheet react to heat?
The heat-test short: grey and red sheets under a flame, Mr Quyen on grey sheets at the factory, then a warehouse roof re-laid in blue. It shows how the sheet behaves under heat, not a certified fire rating.
Heat test and a warehouse re-roof with uPVC sheets (Santiago video on YouTube).
What happens when a truck drives over the sheet?
A Santiago delivery truck drives over a blue ASA/PVC tile sheet and a blue corrugated sheet laid on the factory yard in Vietnam. It is a demonstration only; on a roof the sheet still needs purlins less than 700 mm apart.
Truck test on Santiago ASA/PVC sheets (Santiago video on YouTube).
How does a tile sheet compare with iron sheets for heat and noise?
Mr Quyen holds a white tile sheet in the Santiago factory and explains in English, with captions, why bare metal roofs are hot, noisy in rain and costly to repair. The short then shows a red tile roof on a house and a finished grey tile roof beside the gutter.
Heat and rain noise: Santiago ASA/uPVC roofing explained (Santiago video on YouTube).
Santiago – a leading exporter of ASA/PVC roofing from Vietnam
Santiago roofing is produced and loaded into containers at our factory in Vietnam. It has been exported to India since 2023, Thailand since 2024 and the USA since 2025. Every export shipment comes with a commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and a certificate of origin (C/O) issued by Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade, which importers use to claim the duty preference of their trade agreement.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| HS code | 3925.90.00 (ASA/PVC roofing sheets) |
| Certificate of origin | Form D (ASEAN), Form AI (India), Form AK / VK (Korea), Form AJ / VJ (Japan), Form VC (Chile), CPTPP proof of origin |
| Shipped from | Vietnam, by container |
Certificate of origin Form AI (ASEAN–India) for Santiago ASA/PVC roofing sheets, HS 39259000, certified on 24 September 2026. Buyer details are hidden.
The Santiago team beside a loaded export container at the factory, November 2024
Loading Santiago roof tiles into an export container
Frequently asked questions
Which is better in Kenya, mabati or a plastic tile sheet?
It depends on the room below. Santiago ASA/PVC tile sheet is about 6 – 8 °C cooler than bare metal sheet, about 80% quieter in rain and has no metal to rust. Plain mabati is quick to fix and widely sold.
How many PVC tile sheets does a 3-bedroom bungalow need?
A gable roof 15.3 m long with 5.2 m faces takes 32 sheets of 5,256 mm (about 161 m²) and about 650 – 810 screw sets.
Do ASA/PVC roofing sheets fade in the Kenyan sun?
The ASA top layer showed no colour change after 2,000 hours of artificial UV. The colour is rated for 30 years.
What is the price of plastic roofing sheets in Kenya?
Santiago quotes per order in writing. Freight to Mombasa and duty are added; your clearing agent confirms the duty rate.
Read more
- What Santiago's heat, noise and corrosion tests show
- PVC roofing sheet: advantages and disadvantages
- Replacing a rusted metal roof with PVC sheets
- Coastal roofing in Mombasa with PVC tile sheets
- ASA/PVC roof tile sheet
Toleo la Kiswahili
Bati bora la paa kwa nyumba ya Kenya ni lile linalotatua tatizo lako: joto, kelele ya mvua za masika, kutu au mwonekano. Bati la vigae la ASA/PVC la Santiago huweka chumba baridi zaidi kwa takriban 6 – 8 °C kuliko mabati yasiyo na kinga, na hupunguza kelele ya mvua kwa takriban 80% (majaribio ya Santiago). Halina chuma, kwa hiyo halipati kutu.
Mabati au mabati ya plastiki: tofauti ni nini?
Nyumba nyingi Kenya zimeezekwa kwa mabati ya chuma. Yanapatikana kila mahali na fundi huyaweka haraka. Bati la vigae la Santiago ni tofauti: lina unene wa mm 2.5 au 3.0, na tabaka nne zilizounganishwa kiwandani bila gundi: tabaka la juu la ASA, PVC mpya isiyorejelezwa, kiini cha PVC na tabaka la chini la PVC jeupe. Upana wake ni m 1.05, linafunika m 0.96, na hukatwa kwa urefu wa paa lako kwa hatua za vigae za mm 219.
| Jambo | Mabati ya kawaida | Bati la vigae la ASA/PVC |
|---|---|---|
| Joto chumbani | Hupata joto haraka juani | Baridi zaidi kwa takriban 6 – 8 °C |
| Kelele ya mvua | Kubwa | Chini kwa takriban 80% |
| Kutu | Huanzia kwenye matundu ya skrubu na maungio | Halina chuma, halipati kutu |
| Mwonekano | Mawimbi au box profile | Safu za vigae vya mtindo wa Kihispania |
| Rangi | Inategemea rangi ya juu | Tabaka la ASA: rangi haikubadilika baada ya saa 2,000 za mwanga wa UV |
| Dhamana | Inategemea muuzaji | Miaka 10 kwa unene wa mm 2.5 na zaidi |
Nyumba nyeupe ya kawaida yenye paa la vigae vya kahawia, Dong Nai, Vietnam
Nyumba ya vyumba vitatu inahitaji mabati mangapi?
Mfano: nyumba ya vyumba vitatu (bungalow) yenye paa la pande mbili. Urefu wa paa ni m 15.3 pamoja na sehemu inayotokeza pembeni, na kila upande una m 5.2 kutoka kilele hadi ukingo wa paa. Gawanya m 15.3 kwa m 0.96 upate mabati 16 kila upande. Gawanya m 5.2 kwa m 0.219 upate hatua 24, yaani bati la mm 5,256. Jumla ni mabati 32, takriban m² 161 za paa, skrubu 650 – 810 zenye vifuniko vya ASA, na kofia ya kilele (ridge) ya m 15.36. Kila bati lina uzito wa takriban kilo 27.
Fundi azingatie nini?
Nafasi kati ya purlin (mbao au vyuma vinavyobeba mabati) iwe chini ya mm 700: mm 440 au 660, purlin moja chini ya kila hatua ya kigae. Purlin ya juu iwe sm 15 – 18 chini ya kilele. Toboa matundu ya mm 6 juu ya wimbi, juu ya purlin, kisha funga skrubu za mm 70 na kifuniko cha ASA, seti 4 – 5 kwa kila m². Usifunge skrubu kwenye bonde la wimbi, ambapo maji hupita. Kila bati lipande juu ya jirani yake kwa wimbi moja. Mteremko wa paa uwe 20 – 45%. Santiago haifanyi ufungaji, lakini hutuma video za ufungaji kwa fundi wako.
Nyumba yenye paa la vigae chini ya mti, Dong Nai, Vietnam
Bei ya mabati ya plastiki Kenya ni kiasi gani?
Santiago hutoa bei kwa maandishi kwa kila oda. Bei inategemea unene, rangi, urefu wa mabati, vifaa vya ziada na idadi, kisha usafiri hadi bandari ya Mombasa na ushuru. Kenya haina makubaliano ya biashara yanayopunguza ushuru wa bidhaa hii kutoka Vietnam, kwa hiyo uliza kiwango cha ushuru kwa wakala wako wa forodha (HS code 3925.90.00). Oda ya chini ni kontena moja la futi 40, takriban m 5,000 za mabati, na rangi na vifaa vinaweza kuchanganywa. Sampuli ni bure; mnunuzi analipia usafiri wa kifurushi. Rangi za kawaida ni kijivu kilichokolea, nyekundu, bluu, rangi ya chungwa na kahawia.
Maswali yanayoulizwa mara kwa mara
Ni lipi bora Kenya, mabati au bati la vigae la plastiki?
Inategemea chumba kilicho chini. Bati la ASA/PVC ni baridi zaidi kwa takriban 6 – 8 °C kuliko mabati yasiyo na kinga, kelele ya mvua iko chini kwa takriban 80%, na halipati kutu.
Nyumba ya vyumba vitatu inahitaji mabati mangapi ya vigae?
Paa la m 15.3 lenye pande za m 5.2 linahitaji mabati 32 ya mm 5,256, takriban m² 161, na skrubu 650 – 810.
Bei ya mabati ya plastiki Kenya ni kiasi gani?
Santiago hutoa bei kwa maandishi kwa kila oda. Usafiri na ushuru ni juu yake; wakala wa forodha atathibitisha kiwango cha ushuru.
Sources for the figures in this article
- Profiles, 2.5–3.0 mm thickness and 10-year warranty: Santiago ASA/PVC product specification.
- About 6–8 °C cooler than bare metal sheet and about 80% less rain noise: Santiago's own comparisons on finished roofs in Vietnam.
- HS code 3925.90.00: Harmonized System Chapter 39 (builders' ware of plastics), as applied in Vietnam's export tariff.
- Certificates of origin (Form D, AI, AK/VK, AJ/VJ, VC, CPTPP): issued by Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade under the country's free trade agreements.
- Minimum order of one 40 ft container (about 5,000 m) and about 5 days for production and loading: Santiago export desk, October 2026.
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.
