Hail Resistant Roof Classes

Impact resistant shingles and other roofing materials are designed to resist damage from hail and flying debris abuse that might damage ordinary shingles.

Hail resistant roof classes.

Hail resistant is not hail proof. Shingles on an impact resistant roof are designed to withstand high winds and hail damage and have a class 4 rating see below. It s important to remember that no roof is 100 immune to the damaging effects of an intense storm or some other catastrophic event. Note however a few caveats.

Class 4 impact resistant roofing shingles. There are four testing classes that use four different steel ball sizes that range from 1 1 4 to 2. This is why you need northgate. For wind resistance these ratings are usually indicated by a letter with class f being the best and class a being the bare minimum.

Here are the top hail resistant roofing options available for modern homes. A class 4 impact resistant shingle will provide these benefits and more including insurance discounts in some areas. The ul 2218 is the roofing industry standard for testing shingles against hail impact. If you re one of the millions of american homeowners who live in an area where intense storms frequently occur then your choice of roofing shingles plays a critical role in protecting your roof from storm damage.

Those with the least resistance earn a class 1 rating. For instance if you ve recently installed a class 4 hail impact resistant shingle on your home and your roof was impacted by 2 1 2 hail stones there is a chance that your roof sustained no functional damage. Thicker steel protects better. To have a truly hail resistant metal panel a design must combine all of these factors to create a layer of protection.

Now here s where it can get a little confusing. The most effective way to minimize hail damage is to choose durable hail resistant roofing materials. After performing the test roofing manufacturers would be scored based on the resistance of the material getting a rating from 1 least hail resistant to 4 most hail resistant. When it comes to protecting a roof the thickness of the metal is a key factor to resisting large sized hail stones.

Storms that bring hail airborne debris and high winds put your roof at risk for damage and installing impact resistant shingles may. The last factor is the method by which the panel bonds to its neighboring panels. These steel balls are dropped at heights between 12 and 20 feet to mimic the impact of hail falling at high speeds. One of them is for impact resistance one is for wind resistance and the other one is for fire resistance.

Summarizing the result we would be looking at for a class 3 roof is earned if the sample does not crack when hit twice in the same spot by a 1 75 inch diameter steel ball. Manufacturers report their hail ratings voluntarily thus you may not find hail ratings for shingles that don t perform well.