Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This site conforms to Wienerberger’s general policies concerning editorial, privacy and terms of use. Links to information on these policies are provided at the foot of every main page on the site. 

This site does use cookies and session variables to store certain information during your use of the site and make it available to later stages of the specification. When you first use the site you will be asked to accept this use of stored infromation. You acceptance lasts for a period of 3 months, after which you will be asked to re-confirm your acceptance.

Also, if you are a registered user the information that you enter into the User Profile is stored and made available to simplify the completion of forms when you use the site. This information is not directly available to Sandtoft or Wienerberger personnel but will appear on specifications, guarantees and estimates produced, which they do have access to.

If you are a registered user with a login you have the convenience of being able to store your contact information so that you do not have to type it in every time you use the site. That information is used only for that prupose.

When you complete a specification, guarantee or estimate using this site a copy of the information it contains will be automatically stored in an archive and it will be identifiable via the unique reference that is assigned to all specifications. This archive will be accessible to Sandtoft and Wienerberger personnel only and may be used either in the event of any dispute or claim that the specification was in error. It may also be used by Sandtoft personnel for the purposes of marketing follow-up. Sandtoft may also receive an e-mail with brief details, which serves as a secondary back-up of the information provided.

The site can be used by any member of the public to generate specification clauses and estimates of quantities. For general users no login is required and some advanced functionality is not available.

Some merchant users, selected and authorised by Sandtoft, are able to login to the site and can generate a 15-year

ROOFSPEC^® Guarantee for any specification clauses that they produce. These registered users can also store their name and address information in a “Profile” that is then used to automatically populate the User Information fields on the site.

Initially, Sandtoft will select merchant users that are authorised to issue specification clauses and also the guarantee. They will contact those users and provide them with login credentials.

(Registered Users Only)

Use the link under the MyProfile menu item and follow the instructions. Note the complexity rules for passwords.

(Registered Users Only)

Passwords are strongly encrypted and cannot be retrieved if you forget what yours is. However, you can request a new password from the Login page. A randomly generated password will be sent to the e-mail address provided when your account was set up. Once received, use that to login and then change the password to something of your choosing.

ROOFSPEC^® will generate bespoke specification clauses for you to use with your design for a roofing contractor or builder.  Completing the information required is straightforward and is collected by a step-by-step process.

The site will produce clauses that are relevant to your choices. For example, if a low roof pitch is specified the appropriate clauses for low pitch are used rather than the standard clauses. The site does not fully check that the chosen combination of pitch, tile type and accessories are allowable in Sandtoft’s literature  nor that it is an appropriate choice for the specified location. It will produce the specification clauses for the choices you make.

Please refer to Sandtoft literature for all technical data, including recommendations on minimum roof pitches and maximum rafter length

Guarantees can only be produced by registered users at present. These users are identified and contacted by Sandtoft.

You must accept the Terms & Conditions by ticking the checkbox at the bottom. That will transport you to the final Guarantee page. Remember you can print both the T&Cs page and the Guarantee using the buttons at the top of each page.

Use the <Printer Friendly Page> button at the top of the final page of the ROOFSPEC^®, QUANTSPEC^® or FIXSPEC^®Wizards, or the final Guarantee page. This opens a window containing the same information but without the graphical headers and sidebars of the web page. The <Print Page> button uses the print function of your browser and will print all of the items visible on the screen.

Check your browser settings. For example, in Internet Explorer if you select the Page Setup option there is a checkbox that, if selected, enables the printing of background colours and images.

You cannot store a local copy of the specification on your own PC, although a copy is always saved on the server as an archive in case of future questions or disputes. However, you can get around this by installing 3rd party software such as CutePDF (www.cutepdf.com) that behaves like a printer on your system. Once installed, click the print button and select the appropriate item in the list of printers (eg CutePDF Writer) and you will asked for a filename and location to save the file as a PDF.

Some browsers are able to save an HTML copy of the web page that does reproduce well when opened (especially for the less graphically heavy printer-friendly pages). Chrome works quite well, Internet Explorer doesn't. To get the best result select the Save As option to save a "complete" web page not the "HTML only" one.

QUANTSPEC^® will generate a bespoke estimate of quantities for you to use with your design for a roofing contractor or builder.  Completing the information required is straightforward and is collected by a step-by-step process.

Quantities are estimated using the default headlap specified in Sandtoft literature for the selected roof pitch. For BritSlate, it is also based on an assumption of moderate exposure to driving rain.

A selection of 19 standard roof types/shapes is provided for you to generate an estimate of quantities, along with an additional user-defined roof option where you can enter roof dimensions yourself for non-standard shapes. If your roof does not conform to the stated assumptions in any way, please seek assistance from the Sandtoft Technical Team on 0844 9395 999 and they will be pleased to assist.

The schedule of materials is based on the information you have inputted.  If you have scaled dimensions from architectural drawings this schedule should only be used as a guide due to inaccuracies inherent in scaling and final quantities should be determined on site before ordering.

Sandtoft will not be responsible for any claims, liability, damages or costs in relation to any errors in the schedule arising as a direct or indirect result of inaccurate information provided by you. Surplus tiles and fittings cannot be accepted back at works.

In order to comply with British Standards, a detailed site-specific fixing specification calculation should be carried out.  Wienerberger Sandtoft will be pleased to supply a fixing specification on receipt of additional relevant information as set out in our Fixing Spec request form (available on our website or from Sandtoft Technical Support).

Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that the required tiles or slates, fittings and accessories are appropriate for the particular roof and its location.

The schedule of materials is calculated in accordance with the technical data detailed on our website and in our literature, copies of which are available on request from Sandtoft Technical Support.

No. The estimates that are produced are based on a calculation using the geometry of the roof shape chosen, the dimension you entered, the particulars of the selected tile and experience - for example in judging the number of extra tiles needed for tile cuts at hips and valleys.

FIXSPEC® determines the site location based on the postcode that you enter. It then does a calculation of design wind speed for the site and the building height based on BS EN 1991-1-4.  That wind speed is then used to calculate the wind uplift forces and moments on the tiles/slates according the BS5534:2014 and reports on the recommended fixings to withstand those forces and moments.

The fixing recommendations are based on the information entered by the user. It is the user's responsibility to ensure that the information used is correct for the site and the building concerned and that all relevant details that may affect the wind speed have been included. If you are in any doubt pleae contact Sandtoft's Technical Department for advice. The recommended fixings apply to the Sandtoft products listed and not to any substitute prodcuts that you may choose to use.

The calculation does take account of the site altitude and takes a conservative view of the slope of the terrain. It also uses a database of terrain roughness to estimate the effect on wind speed development. Necessarily, such a database cannot include all local features but is normally expected to be an adequate representation and is the basis of other design wind speed software in common use.

Information that could affect the wind speed includes, but is not limited to, the presence of open water or land nearby that might significantly later the generally assumed terrain roughness for the area; the presence of nearby tall buildings; any sudden changes in ground slope that might not be included in an overall summary of the area.