Imagine you’re living in medieval times and an invading army comes marching toward you. Do you want to be in a little grass hut, or do you want to be inside a towering fortress?
While you don’t have to worry about pillaging armies flooding into your cul de sac, extreme weather is a frequent and unwelcome guest here in North Texas. Hail, high winds, and ice storms are all par for the course.
Fortunately your roof doesn’t have to be a punching bag for bad weather. You can fortify your home with a Class 4 roof!
What is a Class 4 Roof?
The roofing industry came up with a system to rate the impact resistance of roofing material like shingles or metal panels. The classification comes from Underwriters Laboratories (UL). The rating system goes from Class 1, all the way up to Class 4. A Class 4 rating is the best rating that a roof material can carry.
The durability test for a Class 1 roof is a 1 ¼ inch steel ball dropped from 12 ft onto the roofing material. If the material gets cracked or damaged to the point that it would no longer protect the home underneath, the roofing material fails the test.
In order to pass the Class 4 test, the roofing material has to demonstrate that it can withstand a 2 inch steel ball dropped from 20 ft. In terms of weight, a 2 inch steel ball weighs about the same as softball sized hail. That’s a lot of force!
Fortunately, hail that is larger than 4 inches in size is very rare here in Texas. A Class 4 roof provides excellent protection for roofs in even the most hail prone areas of North Texas, such as Tarrant County.
Why Should I Get a Class 4 Roof?
If you don’t mind having your roof damaged by hail every 5 to 10 years, then a Class 4 roof is not for you!
Kidding aside, the main reason to get a Class 4 roof is the obvious one: durability. Class 4 roofs are simply the most durable kind of roof you can buy.
Another reason to consider a Class 4 roof is that your insurance company may give you a discount on your insurance premium if you have a high quality roof. Over time, that discount can pay for the additional cost of a Class 4 roof.
What are the Different Types of Class 4 Roofs?
Fortunately, when it comes to Class 4 roofs, you’re not locked into a single type of roofing material. There are both shingle and metal roof materials that carry the Class 4 rating.
Class 4 Shingle Roofs
Class 4 shingle roofs are a great option if your home is not a great fit for a metal roof. For homes with complex roof lines, a metal roof can become time consuming to install, and therefore quite expensive.
If your neighborhood has a homeowner’s association, you might not be allowed to install a metal roof. In that case a Class 4 shingle roof is your most durable option.
Class 4 Metal Roofs
It’s no secret around here that we are big fans of metal roofing. Our metal roofing panels all come with a Class 4 rating. There’s no such thing as a flimsy metal roof from Texas Metal Master!
We know from experience that our metal roof panels are very durable. One of our customers had baseball sized hail soon after we installed a brand new metal roof on his home. He reported that the roof looked to be in perfect condition afterwards.
Our metal roofs are not just hail resistant, they are also very wind resistant. One of our clients in Burleson, TX experienced an EF 2 tornado. Their roof successfully weathered the 100 mph winds. It’s remarkable how durable a properly installed metal roof can be.
Is a Class 4 Roof Right for Me?
While there’s no one size fits all, a Class 4 roof can be a great long term investment for your home. If you’re the kind of person who likes to go the extra mile to protect your home, a Class 4 roof is an excellent choice.
If you live in an HOA, a Class 4 shingle roof may be your best bet. Otherwise, a Class 4 metal roof is not only incredibly durable, but surprisingly affordable as well.
We recommend the Panel-Loc Plus system to most of our clients. It’s a Class 4 metal roof that comes with a lifetime warranty from the manufacturer. It looks and performs great, without breaking the bank.
You can check out some of our past roofing projects here.
If you’re interested in getting a metal roof for your home, contact us for a free estimate.
Either call the number at the top of this page, or hit the button below to get a quote. We’d love to serve you!