(214) 807-0414Request an assessmentShingle ratings
Every shingle wrapper carries a set of classifications, and almost every one of them is quoted in marketing without the test behind it. Each rating describes performance under one defined laboratory procedure at one moment in a product’s life. Knowing which procedure was run is the difference between a useful comparison and a slogan.
In short
The impact class comes from dropping a steel ball onto the shingle twice in the same spot and checking the back of the mat for cracking. Class 4 is the highest of the four classes and uses the largest ball.
01
It is not a hail warranty. A steel ball is a uniform sphere at a known speed; hail arrives at varied sizes, densities, shapes and angles, driven by wind. A Class 4 shingle can be bruised, and it can be replaced after a storm like any other.
02
Two things are true at once. The impact test is a narrow proxy, and the products that pass it are generally built with a heavier mat or a modified asphalt that behaves better in the field. Many Texas carriers also offer a premium credit for a Class 4 covering, though whether one applies to a particular policy is a question for the insurer rather than for a roofer.
03
A wind rating assumes the sealant strip has bonded, the fastener pattern is correct, the fasteners are the right length and driven flush, and the starter and ridge products match the field shingle. Miss any of those and the tested number no longer describes what is on the house.
Questions
No. It means the product passed a steel-ball impact test without cracking the mat. Large or wind-driven hail can still bruise, fracture or strip granules from a Class 4 shingle. The rating reduces the likelihood of damage; it does not remove it.
Many Texas carriers offer a premium credit for a qualifying impact-resistant roof, but eligibility, the amount and the evidence required vary by carrier, and we make no representation about what yours will do. Ask them what documentation they want before the product is ordered, not after.
They measure different things. ASTM D7158 tests uplift on a sealed shingle and is the one most building codes cite. ASTM D3161 is an older fan-driven test still quoted on many wrappers. Compare like with like, or the comparison means nothing.
Ask before the work rather than after, because the evidence exists only while the job is on. Bundles arrive wrapped and printed with the product name, and a photograph of the wrapper on the driveway, plus one of the delivery ticket, settles it. Keep a wrapper. Then check the invoice names the same product line the proposal did. A substitution can be entirely legitimate when supply runs short, but it should reach you as a conversation rather than as paperwork.
Compare by the exact product name, not by the brand on the packet. Manufacturers sell several lines under one name and they differ in mat weight, in warranty terms and in the ratings printed on the wrapper. The way to answer this is to set the two product names side by side and read what each publishes for impact and wind. A proposal naming only the brand has not told you which line is going on your house.
Assessment request
Short, routing-only questions. Nothing here asks you to diagnose the roof yourself.