Shingles on an impact resistant roof are designed to withstand high winds and hail damage and have a class 4 rating see below.
Hail resistant roof ul.
The roof will be protected against an average hail storm so the chances of a damaged roof claim are much smaller but there is still a chance for the roof to see hail damage during a bad storm.
Class 4 roofing shingles are considered to be a premium product and therefore may cost more than standard non impact resistant shingles.
Trudefinition duration flex shown in the color brownwood a class 4 impact resistant sbs roofing shingle from owens corning roofing.
It is also important to understand that a hail resistant roof can still be damaged by large wind driven hail.
These tests are widely accepted by the roofing industry and the results are widely quoted in industry promotional materials.
Hail resistant roofing offers the benefit of extra protection to your home.
However due to the various benefits of class 4 impact resistant shingles the extra cost upfront may be a worthwhile investment if you live in an area where hail and wind storms frequently occur.
Hail resistant is not hail proof it s important to remember that no roof is 100 immune to the damaging effects of an intense storm or some other catastrophic event.
When it comes to protecting a roof the thickness of the metal is a key factor to resisting large sized hail stones.
Ul standard 2218 describes a series of tests which involve dropping steel balls from various heights onto roofing materials and then measuring whether the material cracks.
Bridger steel recommends a minimum of a 26 gauge steel roofing panel to survive a harsh hail storm.
Hailstorms are responsible for more than 10 billion in annual property damage and they are particularly hard on roofs.
Underwriters laboratories inc ul an independent for profit company has developed a series of laboratory test to measure how well roofing materials resist hail.