Class 3 Roof Shingles
Explore GAF roof shingles in your area that pass UL 2218 Impact-Resistance Test with Class 3 Rating.
What is impact resistance?
The impact resistance of a roofing shingle is typically evaluated using standardized impact tests, such as the UL 2218 test, which assigns a Class 1 to 4 rating to passing products based on their performance in a steel ball drop test conducted under controlled laboratory conditions.
UL2218 impact testing
UL 2218 impact testing involves dropping various sized steel balls onto tested materials from different heights and evaluating whether there are any cracks on the back surface of the product. Products that withstand the impact of a 1.75-inch steel ball dropped from 17 feet receive a UL 2218 Class 3 rating while products that withstand the impact of a 2-inch steel ball dropped from 20 feet receive the highest rating, UL 2218 Class 4.
FORTIFIED Roof™
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) developed the FORTIFIED Roof™ program as a voluntary construction and re-roofing program designed to help protect homes against specific types of severe weather, including high winds, hail, and hurricanes.
GAF offers a wide variety of roofing products that help meet certain FORTIFIED Roof™ requirements, such as shingles, roof deck protection, leak barriers and more. Visit gaf.com/fortified and the current FORTIFIED Home Standard available at fortifiedhome.org for details. Applicable in the United States only.
GAF offers a wide variety of roofing products that help meet certain FORTIFIED Roof™ requirements, such as shingles, roof deck protection, leak barriers and more. Visit gaf.com/fortified and the current FORTIFIED Home Standard available at fortifiedhome.org for details. Applicable in the United States only.
UL 2218 Class 3 Shingles FAQs¹
Class 3 roof shingles pass the UL 2218 Class 3 impact-resistance test. This test involves dropping a 1.75-inch steel ball onto multiple locations of a shingle test deck from a height of 17 feet. The impact test allows for cosmetic damage, like dents, but not structural damage, like cracks through the shingle.
Class 3 shingles differ from Class 4 shingles in the level of UL 2218 impact-resistance testing they pass. Class 3 shingles withstand the impact of a 1.75-inch steel ball dropped from 17 feet while Class 4 shingles withstand the impact of a 2-inch steel ball dropped from 20 feet.
The impact resistance of a shingle is measured by the UL 2218 impact resistance test, which is performed under controlled laboratory conditions. To pass the UL2218 Class 3 test shingles must withstand the impact of a 1.75-inch steel ball dropped from 17 feet without showing structural damage, such as cracks through the shingle.
1 UL 2218 impact resistance testing is performed under controlled laboratory conditions. GAF makes no express or implied warranty about the impact performance of GAF products that pass any UL 2218 impact resistance test. Hail damage is not covered under GAF limited warranties.