The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) rates impact-resistant asphalt shingles Excellent, Good, Marginal or Poor after buying them at retail and hitting them with lab-made hailstones, then scoring dents and ridges, tears and granule loss. That is different from a UL 2218 Class 4 label, which says a new shingle resisted cracking under steel balls. The current IBHS scorecard lists 27 products: 23 Good, 4 Marginal, none Excellent. IBHS does not recommend Marginal or Poor products where hail is common. For Colorado homeowners, the practical answer is to look for both a Class 4 label and a Good or better IBHS rating. This is general information; it is not insurance advice, and we do not quote discount amounts.
On this page: Two systems · How IBHS tests · Current results · Colorado hail · Common mistakes · What to check · When to call
Two ways to judge a hail shingle
| UL 2218 class | IBHS rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Product certification standard | IBHS, an insurer-funded research institute |
| What hits the shingle | Steel balls of increasing size | Lab-made hailstones |
| Samples | Submitted for certification | Bought at retail, like a homeowner would |
| Result | Class 1 to 4, pass or fail at each level | Excellent, Good, Marginal or Poor, plus a 0 to 10 score |
| What is judged | Whether the shingle cracks | Dents and ridges, tears, granule loss |
| Where it is used | Product labels; many insurer discount programs | FORTIFIED hail supplements |
A related test, ANSI/FM 4473, uses ice balls with Classes 2, 3, 4 and a very severe hail level. NRCA’s Professional Roofing notes that a product tested to FM 4473 at an outside lab is not the same as an FM Approvals listing.
How the IBHS ratings work
IBHS released its fourth round of ratings on November 19, 2025, covering 24 products, and has since added more for a current total of 27. It says the products tested represent about 95 percent of the impact-resistant asphalt shingles sold and installed in hail-prone regions. The 2025 round added a single numeric score for each product. IBHS’s interactive ratings page breaks each score into three parts: dents and ridges, tears, and granule loss.
What the current scorecard shows
- 23 Good, 4 Marginal, 0 Excellent, 0 Poor among products tested in 2025 and 2026.
- Owens Corning results: TruDefinition Duration 8.0 (Good), TruDefinition Duration FLEX 7.5 (Good), TruDefinition Duration STORM 6.9 (Good).
- The order surprises people. Standard Duration, which is not one of Owens Corning’s Class 4 lines, scored higher on the IBHS scale than the two Class 4 lines. That is the clearest sign the two systems measure different things.
Ratings change as IBHS retests. Check the interactive page for the current result before choosing a product.
What it means in Colorado hail
IBHS research on Front Range hail found that thinner air at altitude lets hailstones fall with more energy: a 1-inch stone in Denver carries about the energy of a 1.2-inch stone in Dallas. It also found Front Range and High Plains storms tend to drop more stones per square foot. That is why Colorado homeowners should care about how a shingle holds up, not just whether it passed a pass-or-fail test. No rating makes a shingle hail-proof. Owens Corning itself states that a class rating does not guarantee a product will survive hail, and its shingles are not warranted for hail damage.
Right and wrong ways to use the ratings
| Do | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Ask for both the UL 2218 class and the current IBHS rating by product name | Assuming every Class 4 shingle rates well with IBHS |
| Ask your insurer which rating or label its discount uses, in writing | Assuming a discount without asking |
| Photograph the bundle label on install day | Relying on a brochure instead of the label |
| Install the matching impact-rated hip and ridge | Mixing in a standard ridge cap on a Class 4 roof |
What you can check
- Look up your shingle on the IBHS interactive ratings page by manufacturer and product.
- Read the bundle label for the impact class before installation starts.
- Ask your agent what your policy recognizes. Insurers set their own discounts, and we do not list amounts.
When to call us
Call if you are choosing a shingle after hail and want help reading the labels and ratings. For the cost and insurance side, see whether a Class 4 roof is worth it in Colorado and Duration vs Duration FLEX. Installation details are in our Owens Corning installation requirements guide, and more background is on the homeowner guides hub.
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews. Colorado Springs area: (719) 488-2800 or a free inspection. Denver metro: (303) 209-0152 or a free Denver inspection. Austin: (512) 610-5897 or a free Austin inspection. Same-business-day reply.
Sources: IBHS news release, November 19, 2025; IBHS interactive hail impact-resistant shingle ratings and data file (read 2026-10-27); FORTIFIED Product Advisory FH 2025-01; FORTIFIED hail page; IBHS, Hail in the Front Range of the Rockies and High Plains; NRCA Professional Roofing, FM Approvals offers steep-slope guidance; Owens Corning Duration STORM and FLEX instructions; Owens Corning FORTIFIED bulletin.
