Asphalt Shingles are in the news lately. As they become more expensive and in shorter supply, it appears that asphalt shingles manufacturers may be looking for ways to “reduce” the amount of asphalt required in the manufacture of their shingles. We have not heard a lot about the subject yet, but have been told asphalt shingle manufacturers are researching new ways to construct shingles in a fashion which would require less asphalt as a component of the shingle.
We will post more information about the subject as more is learned, but it sounds as if asphalt shingles will have less asphalt in them in the near future. Once these new weight shingles start being installed, only time will tell how well they perform. However, when and if these new weight shingles become available they may not meet the current specifications / restrictions of certain sub divisions unless they meet the minimum weight required. For example, the City of Leawood has required asphalt shingles weigh a minimum of 300 pounds per 100 square feet of coverage. The typical lifetime warranted asphalt (a.k.a. composition) shingle weighs approximately 310 pounds, but with the new technologies being considered, a typical lifetime warranted asphalt shingle in the near future may only weigh 275 pounds. Thus, it may become necessary for certain cities and sub-divisions to “re-write” their roofing specifications / restrictions to accommodate for these new weight shingles as they become available.
Vaught Roofing Asphalt Shingles Recommendations
Roofing Kansas City Company Vaught Roofing has always recommended that roofing specifications incorporate both a minimum warranty period and a minimum weight to assure the quality of materials desired because a shingle could have a lifetime warranty, yet weigh considerably less than the typical industry standard lifetime warranted shingle. For this reason, it is wise to specify both the warranty period and weight, so you have a better specification which prevents potentially lessor quality materials from being approved. However, as much as the reasoning remains sound, when and if new weight asphalt shingles become available (due to less asphalt being used as a component of the shingle), designating a required minimum weight of shingle may be difficult or even impossible to determine until new weight standards for these new weight shingles are established. And, since research and development of these new weight asphalt shingles is likely to occur at a different pace among the various asphalt shingle manufacturers, we expect the establishment of new standards for asphalt shingle weights may be several years in the making.
