Minnesota Roofing Company Minneapolis MN

Roofing MN | Minnesota Roofing Company

If you’ve had hail damage and are considering replacing your shingles, you might want to consider an impact resistant shingle. Impact resistant shingles are slightly more expensive than standard architectural shingles because they’re thicker, heavier and come with longer warranty coverage.

Roofing MN – Impact Resistant Shingles

Some insurance companies offer premium discounts if you install Class 4 impact resistant shingles, which may offset the added cost of the shingles, and lessen the risk of future roof hail damage. Check with your insurance company for details.

However, it is important to note that even though impact-resistant shingles can lessen the risk of hail damage, most manufacturer warranties do not cover hail damage even for shingles that pass the UL test.

Select a Roof Cover For Your Home That Will Perform Better in High Winds and Hail Storms

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has the most demanding standard for testing the impact resistance of shingles. The test determines the amount of stress a newly manufactured shingle can withstand without cracking. Here’s how it works:

  • Steel balls of various sizes are used to simulate the force of free-falling hailstones. The steel balls are usually dropped from 20 feet.
  • The steel ball hits the shingle at 90mph and comes to an instant stop. This is a higher force than most hail that hits a roof.
  • The shingles are struck twice in the same spot to test impact resistance.
  • A rating is assigned to each shingle (Class 1, 2, 3, or 4) to signify resistance to a particular size steel ball; the higher the rating, the greater the impact resistance.
  • Shingles that are assigned a rating of “Class 4″ demonstrate the highest impact resistance (shingles show no evidence of cracks or ruptures on front or back). Compare to standard shingles which may have ruptures or cracks visible on the surface or back immediately after hail impact.

UL Impact Resistant Ratings
Class 1 = 1 ¼” steel ball dropped from 20 feet
Class 2 = 1 ½” steel ball dropped from 20 feet
Class 3 = 1 ¾” steel ball dropped from 20 feet
Class 4 = 2″ steel ball dropped from 20 feet

CertainTeed Impact Resistant Shingles

GAF Impact Resistant Shingles

Owens Corning Impact Resistant Shingles

Although there are roofing materials that are hail damage proof, there are none that can completely sustain such blows from Mother Nature. Contact a reliable Minnesota Roofing Contractor today for a roof you won’t have to worry about the next time one of our Minnesota storms comes our way!