Frisco Impact-Rated Shingles for a Frisco Roof
Frisco is a hail county, and anyone replacing a 2000s roof here will be offered an impact-rated shingle. This page explains what the rating is, what it is not, and what to ask.
In Brief
Impact rating comes from a laboratory test in which steel balls are dropped on the shingle; Class 4 is the highest of four classes.
A Class 4 shingle resists fracturing from hail better than a standard shingle. It does not make a roof hail-proof, and the test does not measure cosmetic denting.
Frisco does not require impact-rated shingles. Whether an insurer treats them differently is a question for your insurer or agent, not for this site.
The Test and the Classes
The standard most manufacturers cite is UL 2218. A steel ball is dropped from a set height onto the shingle, twice in the same spot, and the shingle is then examined for cracks in the mat. The ball size rises with the class: Class 1 uses the smallest ball and Class 4 a two-inch ball dropped from twenty feet. A shingle passes a class if its mat does not crack. Nothing in the test measures how the surface looks afterward, and nothing in it involves ice.
Manufacturers earn Class 4 in different ways: a thicker or rubberized asphalt, a reinforced mat, or a polymer-modified blend. Two Class 4 shingles can behave differently in the field, and a contractor who installs several brands will have opinions.
UL 2218 test description: general industry knowledge; confirm specifics against the manufacturer's data sheet for the product quoted.
The Frisco Case For and Against
The sourced hail sizes are on the storm record. The decision is yours and the contractor's; this site only wants the numbers you weigh to be real ones.
The Dallas Morning News, March 24 and 25, 2019, citing the National Weather Service; NOAA Storm Prediction Center daily storm reports for March 24, 2019 and March 14, 2024; National Weather Service Fort Worth, event summary for April 3, 2014.
Questions for the Quote
- The exact product name and its tested class, in writing.
- Whether the manufacturer's warranty changes for the impact-rated line, and what it excludes.
- Whether the shingle needs a specific underlayment or starter to keep its warranty.
- The price difference against the same manufacturer's standard architectural shingle, per square.
- Whether the ridge caps are also impact-rated. Caps are often the first shingles to fail.
What This Site Does Not Say
Whether your insurer offers any discount, credit or different treatment for Class 4 shingles. Ask the insurer.
That any shingle is hail-proof.
Anything about what a policy pays. This site has no role in filing, negotiating, adjusting or settling claims.
Questions on This Page
Do impact-rated shingles look different?
Most look the same as the manufacturer's standard architectural line in the same color. Some premium lines are thicker and cast a deeper shadow.
Are they heavier?
Slightly, in some lines. On a Frisco house framed in the 2000s the difference is within what the roof structure carries.
Is Class 4 required by the City of Frisco?
No. The city's pages read for this site set no shingle class. They do require double underlayment on slopes of 4:12 or less and a metal drip edge.
Does a Class 4 roof still need a hail inspection after a storm?
Yes. The rating reduces fracture; it does not prevent damage to metal, vents and boots, and it does not prevent every fracture.
Choosing the Next Roof?
Ask the contractor to quote the standard line and the impact-rated line side by side.
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