In hurricane prone South Florida, your roof is your first line of defense against the elements, and ensuring its durability is paramount to safeguarding your home. When choosing roofing materials, consider using an impact-resistant roof shingle. While a variety of roofing manufacturers make impact-resistant roof shingles, they are often extremely expensive and hard for homeowners to justify the price.
Thankfully, CertainTeed, a highly regarded roofing materials manufacturer since 1904, makes it a priority to produce high-performance roofing materials that save homeowners money while offering better protection for the dollar. In fact, CertainTeed offers several popular roof shingles with a Class 3 Impact Resistance Rating, setting a high standard for protection at an affordable price.
Let’s dive into what the term “impact resistant” means, why your Florida roof needs to be impact resistant, and how it can benefit your home.
How Florida Homeowners Benefit by Choosing CertainTeed’s Class 3 Impact Resistant Shingles
For most of the rest of the country, having an impact-resistant roof is primarily about hail storms. While hail is a concern in Florida, tapping into CertainTeed’s Impact Resistant Roof Shingles can provide added protection against the high winds and other extreme weather that comes with severe summer storms and tropical weather events.
The Class 3 rated shingles available in Florida, represent a significant benchmark in the roofing industry, indicating high durability and resilience against various external forces including excessive wind. With Class 3 shingle products, such as Landmark PRO, CertainTeed makes it affordable to have a beautiful roof that also provides security for your family and property. These types of shingles offer numerous benefits:
Standardized Measurement: Impact resistance ratings serve as standardized measurements across the industry, providing consumers with a reliable metric for evaluation.
Testing Process: CertainTeed’s shingles undergo rigorous testing to attain certification for Impact Resistance. Conducted by an independent third party, these tests simulate real-world scenarios in controlled conditions to assess their performance and ability to withstand such impacts without significant damage.
Roof Protection Against Florida’s Worst Weather: A Class 3 or Class 4 rating signifies that CertainTeed’s roofing shingles have demonstrated a remarkable ability to withstand severe weather conditions, providing homeowners with peace of mind knowing their roofs are equipped to handle potential threats.
Consumer Assurance: Aa a homeowner, a Class 3 rating or higher gives you the confidence that your investment in an impact-resistant roof has been thoroughly vetted and proven to offer substantial protection.
Long-Term Value: Investing in shingles with a Class 3 Impact Resistance Rating can translate into long-term value for homeowners. These products are less likely to incur damage from impacts, reducing the need for frequent repairs or replacements and potentially extending the roof’s lifespan.
Insurance Benefits: In some cases, having an impact-resistant roof may lead to insurance benefits or discounts. Insurance companies often recognize the reduced risk associated with impact-resistant shingles and may offer incentives to homeowners who choose to install them.
Sustainable and Environmentally Responsible: By choosing durable, long-lasting shingles, you’re reducing the need for frequent replacements, which in turn minimizes waste and conserves resources. Moreover, CertainTeed’s focus on sustainability means that their Landmark and Landmark PRO shingles are manufactured using eco-friendly practices and materials. without compromising on quality or performance.
How Impact-Resistant Roof Shingles Are Rated
Achieving a high impact resistance rating is no small feat – it requires meticulous testing and adherence to strict standards. CertainTeed employs advanced engineering and manufacturing techniques and rigorous quality control measures to ensure their shingles meet and exceed these requirements.
Material Selection
The journey to strong impact resistance begins with carefully selecting high-quality materials. CertainTeed utilizes durable asphalt compositions reinforced with fiberglass to create resilient, lightweight shingles. These materials are chosen for their ability to withstand impacts without compromising structural integrity.
Impact Testing
On a regular basis, shingles undergo comprehensive impact testing to evaluate their performance under simulated real-world conditions using standards developed by Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) in 1996. During these tests, the shingles are subjected to impacts from steel balls of varying sizes and velocities, mimicking the force of hailstones during a hailstorm.
| Rating | Description |
| 1
|
Sample did not crack when hit twice in the same spot by a steel ball 1.25 inches in diameter. |
| 2 | Sample did not crack when hit twice in the same spot by a steel ball 1.50 inches in diameter |
| 3 | Sample did not crack when hit twice in the same spot by a steel ball 1.75 inches in diameter. |
| 4 | Sample did not crack when hit twice in the same spot by a steel ball 2.00 inches in diameter. |
*The resistance to damaging hail is determined by testing with Steel balls that are dropped from heights of 12 feet for a 1.25 inch ball, to 20 feet for a 2 inch ball, simulating the impact energy of free-falling hailstones.
*Impact resistant (UL2218) Class 3 and Class 4 shingles are not designed to resist impacts from projectiles due to high winds, such as concrete tile, tree branches, etc.
Quality Assurance
Throughout the manufacturing process, strict quality assurance protocols are in place to ensure that each batch of shingles meets CertainTeed’s exacting standards. This includes regular internal inspections, testing, and quality control measures to ensure superior performance on a regular basis.
Certification Process
Once the shingles have passed all necessary tests and quality checks, they are certified for a specific rating level. While Class 4 roof shingles are the highest rated, they are typically a higher cost, special order product in most markets. With CertainTeed’s options for Class 3 Impact Resistant Shingles, you get affordability, peace of mind, and beauty all rolled into one.
Get the Peace of Mind You Deserve as a Florida Homeowner with an Impact Resistant Roof
Knowing that your roof is fortified against potential damage with an impact-resistant roof gives you confidence and reassurance, even during those South Florida weather events. That’s why CertainTeed made it a priority to engineer Class 3 level protection as a standard feature in some of their most popular roof shingles.
CertainTeed’s commitment to quality and innovation ensures that its impact-resistant roofing products meet and exceed industry standards. This dedication to excellence means that you can trust in the reliability and performance of their materials, rain or shine.
Ready to harden your home with CertainTeed’s top-quality impact-resistant shingles?
Experience the difference that CertainTeed’s Class 3-rated shingles can make. At Anusbigian, we work with roofing supply companies and roofers in South Florida to provide training and product expertise for CertainTeed’s wide variety of roofing products. If you are looking for companies that have gone the extra step to earn credentials from CertainTeed, it is important to know that it requires hours of additional training to earn credentials. Over 65 companies in southeast Florida have earned the credentialed status of ShingleMaster, with many choices in your immediate vicinity. Follow this link to find a qualified CertainTeed professional roofer near you. Or contact Anusbigian, and we can help connect you to the roofing contractors you need.
