Roofing Sheet Design Ideas: A-Frame, Tiered and Arch

Mr Quyen - Santiago. Posted 14/11/2026

ASA/PVC tile and corrugated sheets are made for roofs built from flat, straight slopes: gable, hip, pyramid, lean-to, A-frame and tiered roofs. Each slope should be 20 – 45%, on purlins less than 700 mm apart, finished with ridge, hip and wall pieces in the same colour. For an arched or curved roof, send Santiago a drawing and ask before the frame is designed around the sheets.

A-frame buildings with tile roofs, Vietnam

A-frame buildings with tile roofs, Vietnam

Which roof shapes work with roofing sheets?

Any shape whose surfaces are flat planes can be covered: the sheet runs straight from eave to ridge and the joints between planes are closed with accessories. The shape you choose decides which pieces you order, so it is worth listing them while the design is still on paper.

Roof shape	Suits	Pieces where the planes meet	Design note
Gable (two slopes)	Houses, sheds, carports	Ridge cap, ridge terminal at each end	Simplest to plan and order
Hip (four slopes, short ridge)	Houses, villas, offices	Ridge cap, diagonal (hip) ridge, two three-way pieces	Looks lower and calmer from the street
Pyramid (four slopes, one peak)	Gazebos, kiosks, square pavilions	Four-way piece, diagonal ridges, ridge terminals	No horizontal ridge at all
Lean-to (one slope)	Porches, extensions, canopies	Vertical wall flashing at the wall, eave sealing tile	Check the slope is not below 20%
A-frame (two long slopes to the ground or near it)	Cabins, cafés, glamping huts	Ridge cap, ridge terminals	Often steeper than 45%; see below
Tiered (two or more roofs stepped up)	Pavilions, temples, restaurants	Wall flashing between tiers, plus the pieces each tier needs	Each tier has its own eave and gutter line

Roofing sheet arch design: can the sheets follow a curve?

Arched and barrel roofs come up often in searches for roofing sheet arch design, especially for gates, verandas and walkways. Santiago's sheets are made and tested for the flat slopes of pitched roofs, and Santiago does not publish a bending radius. If your design has an arch or curve, send a drawing with the span, rise and length to Santiago and ask before the frame is made. Do not plan a curved frame on the assumption that the sheet will follow it.

If you like the look of an arch but want to stay with the sheets as they are made, a common alternative is to build the curve out of short flat facets, or to put the arch in the frame and the gable ends while the roof itself stays as straight slopes. Your designer can draw both and compare.

Tiered pagoda-style roof covered with grey tile sheets, Vietnam

Tiered pagoda-style roof covered with grey tile sheets, Vietnam

A-frame roofs: what about the pitch?

An A-frame gets its look from very steep sides. Santiago recommends a slope of 20 – 45% for its sheets, which is about 11.3° to 24.2°. Many A-frames are much steeper than that. If your A-frame design goes beyond 45%, ask Santiago with the drawing before ordering; if it can be drawn within the range, you keep the triangle shape with a wider base.

Slope	Degrees	Rise in 12	Typical look
20%	11.3°	2.4 in 12	Low, wide roof
30%	16.7°	3.6 in 12	Ordinary house roof
45%	24.2°	5.4 in 12	Steep upper end of Santiago's range
Steeper than 45%	More than 24.2°	More than 5.4 in 12	Ask Santiago with a drawing

Tiered roofs: what makes them work?

Tiered roofs, two or three roofs stacked with a short wall between them, are popular for pavilions, restaurants and temple buildings. Each tier is designed like its own roof, with its own slope in the 20 – 45% range, its own purlins less than 700 mm apart and its own eave. Where a lower tier meets the wall below the upper tier, vertical wall flashing closes the joint. Rain from the upper tier lands on the lower one, so the lower eave and gutter take more water than its area suggests.

Installer on a tiered roof with red tile sheets, Vietnam

Installer on a tiered roof with red tile sheets, Vietnam

Roofing sheet ideas for colour and light

One colour for roof and all accessories gives the cleanest look; Santiago ridge, hip and edge pieces come in the same colours as the sheets
Standard colours are dark grey, red, blue, orange and chocolate; green, white and purple are made to order and take extra days
On a pavilion or workshop, skylight sheets laid among the opaque sheets bring daylight in; they pass 80 – 90% of light and are usually planned on 5 – 10% of the roof area
A tile sheet reads as rows of curved tiles from the street, while 5, 6 or 11-wave corrugated sheets suit side buildings, sheds and walls
Judge colour from a physical sample outdoors, not from a screen

What should you send when asking for a quote on a roof design?

A simple drawing is enough: each roof plane with its length along the slope, its width and its slope in percent or degrees, plus the length of every ridge, hip, eave and wall junction. Tile sheets are cut to length in 219 mm steps with a 0.96 m cover width, so lengths can be matched to the design and waste stays low. Santiago supplies sheets and accessories and sends installation videos; the frame is designed and checked by your builder or engineer under local building codes, and Santiago gives no structural rating.

Tile sheet samples on a display stand, Vietnam

Tile sheet samples on a display stand, Vietnam

How do tile sheets look on steep and unusual roofs?

Red ASA/PVC tile sheets are carried up to a house, a flame is put to a stack of sheets, and the short ends on a blue warehouse roof under installation and grey sheets on the factory roller line. A flame test is a demonstration, not a fire rating.

Santiago PVC roofing tiles in real conditions (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.

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

Can roofing sheets be used for an arch design?

Santiago's sheets are made for the flat slopes of pitched roofs and no bending radius is published. For an arched or curved roof, send a drawing with span, rise and length and ask Santiago before the frame is made.

Which roof designs suit ASA/PVC tile sheets?

Designs built from flat slopes: gable, hip, pyramid, lean-to, A-frame within the slope range, and tiered roofs. Each slope should be 20 – 45%.

Can I use tile sheets on a steep A-frame?

Santiago recommends 20 – 45%, about 11.3° to 24.2°. Many A-frames are steeper; ask Santiago with your drawing before ordering.

What accessories does a tiered roof need?

Vertical wall flashing where each lower tier meets the wall below the next tier, plus the ridge, hip, three-way or four-way pieces and eave sealing tile that each tier's own shape needs.

What should I send for a quotation on a custom roof design?

A drawing with every roof plane's slope length, width and pitch, and the lengths of ridges, hips, eaves and wall junctions. Prices are quoted per order in writing.