Roofing in the Solomon Islands

Roofing in the Solomon Islands has long relied on the leaves of sago palms and other palms, sewn into thatch and laid on timber or bamboo frames. Corrugated iron has become the most common roof, but leaf roofs remain widespread in rural villages.

Climate and hazards

The islands have a hot, wet tropical climate with heavy rain and, like the rest of the region, are exposed to tropical cyclones. Steep thatch sheds rain quickly; metal roofs near the coast face salt corrosion.

Roofing history

Sago palms of the genus Metroxylon, including Metroxylon salomonense, grow across the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Botanist John Dowe's study of their traditional uses records that the palms are used throughout the region as house-building material: the leaves provide a durable thatch, and the leaf stalks (petioles) are used for supports and beams. Coconut and other palms are also used. Corrugated iron, as across the Pacific, spread with colonial trade and missions, and is now the majority roof.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

Traditional houses use sewn sago-palm or other leaf thatch on frames of local timber and bamboo, lashed with vine or fibre. See sago palm thatch and palm thatch.

Roofing today

In the World Bank's 2020-21 high-frequency phone survey, 68.3% of responding households reported corrugated iron as the main roof of their dwelling, 3.4% other metal, 15.1% thatch or palm leaf, 5% roofing shingles, 2.4% wood planks and 1.3% palm or bamboo. These are unweighted case counts from the survey sample. The 2009 census used the categories wood; tin or corrugated iron; concrete; traditional material; and makeshift material.

Codes, standards and regulation

A national building code was first published in 1990 and updated in 2022, and the National Building Standard Act was passed in 2025.

Sources and gaps

Published, detailed sources on Solomon Islands roofing are limited. No information on domestic roofing manufacturers was found in published sources.

Census reports with roof-material percentages (2009 and 2019) were not found; local-language roofing terms and notable roofs are not well documented in published sources.