Hail is one of the biggest enemies of roofs in the Richmond area, and the amount of damage hailstorms can cause is immense. A single hailstorm in the city can inflict more than $3 billion in damages. When hailstones strike your roof, they can create cracks that allow water to leak into the roof and can even shatter shingles.
Shingles can be constructed specifically to hold up against the impact of hail. These shingles are called impact resistant shingles, and they are constructed from material that is more flexible than standard shingles to lessen the effect of an impact and have a thicker base gauge mat.
The durability of impact resistant shingles is measured in four classes. To determine if a shingle is Class 1, 2, 3, or 4, it undergoes the UL 2218 impact test—how much can the shingle withstand before it cracks?
Below we’ll go a bit deeper into what the impact ratings mean and our recommendations.
