Hail Resistant Roof Classes

It s important to remember that no roof is 100 immune to the damaging effects of an intense storm or some other catastrophic event.

Hail resistant roof classes.

A class 4 impact resistant shingle will provide these benefits and more including insurance discounts in some areas. Those with the least resistance earn a class 1 rating. This is why you need northgate. Impact resistant shingles and other roofing materials are designed to resist damage from hail and flying debris abuse that might damage ordinary shingles.

One of them is for impact resistance one is for wind resistance and the other one is for fire resistance. For wind resistance these ratings are usually indicated by a letter with class f being the best and class a being the bare minimum. Thicker steel protects better. 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.

Now here s where it can get a little confusing. To have a truly hail resistant metal panel a design must combine all of these factors to create a layer of protection. There are four testing classes that use four different steel ball sizes that range from 1 1 4 to 2. Storms that bring hail airborne debris and high winds put your roof at risk for damage and installing impact resistant shingles may.

The ul 2218 is the roofing industry standard for testing shingles against hail impact. Note however a few caveats. Shingles on an impact resistant roof are designed to withstand high winds and hail damage and have a class 4 rating see below. Manufacturers report their hail ratings voluntarily thus you may not find hail ratings for shingles that don t perform well.

Class 4 impact resistant roofing shingles. 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. You need a roofing shingle that has been lab tested by the roofing manufacturer and is proven to withstand hail and provide reliability in your building envelope.

The roofing materials that show the greatest resistance earn a class 4 rating. However if your roof is made up of a 10 year old class 4 shingle it probably did sustained damage. 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. When it comes to protecting a roof the thickness of the metal is a key factor to resisting large sized hail stones.

Hail resistant is not hail proof. Here are the top hail resistant roofing options available for modern homes.