How Roofing Materials are Tested and Classified to Meet High Performance Standards

As a commercial or residential property owner in Colorado, you are well aware of the damage that the region’s inclement weather and hailstorms can cause to your roofing. Each year, severe hailstorms hit the area, damaging roofing, cars, and all types of structures. The roof is a vital aspect of your home or commercial building.

When large-size hailstones hit the structure, it can suffer different types of damage. Asphalt shingles can lose a large amount of granules and even crack or shatter. This exposes the fiber matting under the shingles, making your roof prone to leakage. The one way to counter these problems and have a durable, low-maintenance roof is to opt for impact-resistant roofing.

What Are High-Performance Roof Materials?

Many people wonder what impact-resistant roof ratings mean. How can you know whether a certain product will be suited to the extreme weather that Colorado experiences? Moreover, can you trust these ratings? After all, the roof represents a significant investment and is not something you replace every now and then.

The installation project can be slightly disruptive and time-consuming as well, depending on how large the building is. With these aspects in mind, it’s crucial to conduct proper research on various roofing materials and understand what their ratings indicate.

How High-Performance Roofing Products Are Tested

Impact-resistant metal roofs, for instance, are rated from 1 to 4, where 4 is the highest rating. Underwriters, laboratories, or non-profit organizations are the third-parties involved in testing roofing materials and their construction to ensure the highest performance standards and quality.

These products undergo tests like dropping hail-sized metal balls on the roof to see how they might fare against actual hail. They also test the performance on parameters such as natural and accelerated weathering resistance to fire. Energy-efficiency, structural integrity, and region-specific requirements, including extreme temperatures, wildfire, and hail are some of the other testing points. The purpose of these rigid tests is to ensure that the products are true to their claims of being either fire-resistant, hail-resistant, etc.

Skilled and experienced roofing contractors, like us at Horn Brothers Roofing, are knowledgeable and provide customers with detailed information regarding high-performance roofing materials. We help our clients with all the information they need regarding the best products on the market and their pros and cons. This helps clients make the right decision about the type of roof they want for their home or commercial building.